Cricket FTW!

First thing first, India, congratulations.
Next, Pakistan, awesome that you made this far.

Color me traitor but it does not matter if India won or we lost. In February, we all were joking about our team. We all were in doubt that they would ever come into the quarter-finals. We are all so skeptical about it. It guess it served us right for being mean. We only support them when they are winning. Furthermore, in true sense, we lost the match but we won a lot of other things. Out of one of those things that we won was hope. Yes, we hoped for the best. We looked towards a better day, and it did not stop there. We hoped and then we got united. In reality, we have never been this united unless there was tragedy. We should thank Allah for this chance that he showed that Pakistan is still a united force.

In days to come, we will hear that the match was fixed. The bookies were sleeping with our cricketers everyday and honestly, we should ignore this crap. Our team, in all fairness, was not as good as it should have been. The team was made of guys who were playing the World Cup for the first time. Furthermore, there had been seldom times when we had cricket with India in the previous three years. Most of the time when we met, it was on a neutral ground and in a 20-20 match. Furthermore, our batting line sucked. We have yet to establish a potent partnership. I am going to skip fielding. Pakistan never fields well. However, we showed that we are not talent-less. A little controversy does not result in a failure.

However, we should not be disheartened by this defeat. This match showed that we are one. Furthermore, it has given a new hope to peace in our troubled region. It was fairly nice to see that the (corrupt) leaders of both the countries were sitting there and watching the game. There were a mood of utter jubilee on both side of the borders. Even though we were competing, both the countries were happy for their own self. It showed that a healthy competition is always helpful. It puts attention towards healthier purposes. Indeed both countries have political issue to deal with but why halt the healthy stuff.

As a Pakistani, I am very proud of my nationality. Especially today, I think a big number of people have shown some sanity. There have been few who are spelling match-fixing out to cope up with their disappointment but there are others (I guess a growing majority), who thought that India won by defeating Pakistan in a nice, clean game. We still were trigger-happy when the match ended, and there were some fireworks too. The game that started as a "battle" turned out to be a display of progressive, mature Pakistani society which does not hold any grudges for its neighbor. It wants to be a well-wisher of its neighbors.

However, I am truly disappointed in India though; not the people but the leadership. When South Africans hosted FIFA 2010, they hosted it as an African event. The Cricket World Cup was hosted by three countries; India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. India, being the most developed in the region, should have stepped up and could have played a role of an elder brother. Instead, they overshadowed the whole event. If India has too progress ahead, it needs to re-think its position in the region. For example, rather than having a cheesy Bollywood track, it would have been great if India would have invited the other hosting countries in the process of making a good World-Cup song.

Last but not least, we should all remember this day and try to live like it more. Pakistan Zindabad!

Our Earth...

Past Saturday, it was Earth Hour during 0830 to 0930 in the night. Pockets of sanity in Pakistan understood the importance of this event and did not argue. They turned off the lights at the stated times. They did not turn the generators and they waited for the hour to end.

However, Pakistan will never be complete if one does not make a rant; and rant one shall

"WTF? This is PAKISTAN!!! You burger... we have [beep] loud shedding... we spend less energy than countries with a [quarter] of our population... We are 100 years away from celebrating "Earth [Hour]".
This is like a [bleep, again] cancer patient taking a break from his chemotherapy session to take part in a marathon to celebrate World [Health] Day!
Get Real and [please] spread this [message]."

Khali-afat?

Well it is that time in Pakistan when we get ourselves accustomed to newer "jargons". This is year - the word on every mouth is either Revolution or Khilafat. We learned the word 'Democracy' in 2008 but thanks to a famous interpretation by "today Zardari, tomorrow Bhutto-(sort of) Zardari", it equals to Revenge.

While there has been talk about the sexy word "Revolution" and its serious implication, there is an alternative popping up too. It is called 'Khilafat' or Caliphate. Khilafat is being termed as "the potent solution to all our problems". The people behind the call of Khilafat have been talking about Muslim unity. It seems that they have not been following the world's politics and have been living under a rock. Even though Muslims are world's second largest religious community, the Arab countries have never tried to take non-Arabic countries on board for a unity movement.

The people behind the movement retort that Democracy is moving us away from Islam. For their information, Khilafat which they are proposing is in line with Democracy. At the start of the Khilafat, the Khalifa was chosen with consensus from the elders of the tribes. These elders of the tribes were called the Shura. Exact things happen with Democracy. The Prime Minister gets elected by the Parliament. If the processes are similar, then why disagree? Democracy is a very reformed version of Khilafat.

Furthermore, Khilafat did not succeed in the long run as it turned into dynastic legacies. We all know the history pretty clearly. For power, there were wars among brothers and Muslims. Unity was thrown out of the window, and a divide emerged between the Muslims. Furthermore, if we are going to use Khilafat, whose side of Islam are we going to follow? The religion has too many interpretations and the followers of some of them are very intolerant among others. Be it Shia or Sunni, there are pockets of intolerance on both sides. Furthermore, a Khilafa is supposed to be someone of good repute. If you read your constitution clearly, the same conditions apply.

The fault with Khilafat was that the leadership extended into perpetuity and that has been the main cause where it fell and got disintegrated so badly. Earlier Khalifas were more tolerant and understanding than the ones that came under Rashiduns, Ummayyad, Abbasids, Fatimids, and Ottomans. The later Khalifas were known to be hard on his critics. It created a trend of "elite families".

Currently, if you see around the world, the most successful Muslim nations in the World are Democratic nations. Indonesia, the world's most populated Muslim country, is a democracy. The country saw a economic growth of 6% in 2010. Malaysia too, is a democracy. It has become an epicenter for research for Islamic banking and finance practices. Mahatir Mohammad, a renowned Muslim leader, belongs to this country. Surprisingly, he ruled the country for more than 3 decades but instead, he gave economic prosperity. His vision of making Malaysia one of the first developed Muslim nation will soon come true.

Calling for Khilafat is like calling for trouble. The whole affair might incline to one side of intrepretation which might not be not acceptable to a lot of people, and if there is sudden urge to have Khilafat, it would be best that these movements make a political party and contest elections. If they get the Parliament's majority, they could hold a Referendum in order to ask the public if they really want "Khilafat" or not. Rather than ruining the game for everyone, they should understand that Khilafat is not a feasible solution at this point. It might create a distorted Islamic nation, resulting in bad exposure to the religion. What we have currently is quite close and reformed interpretation of Khilafat. We should keep it this way. However, showing distrust towards your leadership in a respectful is not wrong.

Furthermore, does anyone know during Khilafat you might not be able some liberties like a very favorite past-time in Pakistan. I'll say, get some sense: reform your energies into a better idea. 

So it starts...

For almost a month and a half, there has been talk about the Facebook-clicking youth of Pakistan. The effect of the Revolution is somehow catching on. The movement that started in Tunisia has been spreading far and wide. It crossed the borders to Egypt and then spilled over the Middle East. However, not every call for revolution is justified but it should be given heed.

People are tired of their two-faced leadership. They want to enjoy more liberties and they want to be heard. They want their leaders to act like leader and not followers to their personal agendas. Countries in North Africa and Middle East, indeed, require liberties. However critics argue that Pakistan does not really need a revolution. The basis of the argument is that we are a democratic nation.

Indeed, Pakistan has liberties that certain Middle Eastern do not have but it does not mean that we should not ask for change. Three years ago, Pakistani people chose the present government to lead into better times. However, it turns out to be a revenge. In these three years, the standard of living of average Pakistani has gone down. There are more jobless young graduates out there than there were in 2007. The financial meltdown in 2008 did play its part in ruining things but our leaders should accept the fact they also have been not very wise with the economy. Furthermore, the law and order situation has gone to the dogs. Pakistanis do not only face terror attacks but they also face drone attacks -- the same attacks that our Prime Minister endorsed, claimed by WikiLeaks. It is the same leadership who was unable to give the respect to the Governor of Punjab after his death (please note, he is not my hero and neither is his killer). The same leadership that was also unable to protect its Minority Minister, even though he openly claimed that he was under threat. The same leadership could not pursue the case of public vandalism against two Sialkoti boys. The same leadership who failed to prosecute a foreigner with dubious intents. All of these situation leads to a point of frustration.

The reason why Pakistan might be very similar is to Egypt and Tunisia is that the leadership is corrupt. The whole lot which is in power is corrupt. Their credibility have been questioned far too many times, and they all have been hiding under some sort of immunity. Furthermore, it seems that a lot of them do not have the qualification that they claimed when they submitted their papers for elections. Some of them were not here when we needed them, and some of them looted Hajj pilgrims. Term it anyway you want but it all happened under the current leadership.

In the second week of February, I was invited to a event called 'Inqilaab-e-Pakistan'. They proposed a protest on the lines of the one which was done on Tahrir Square. Over the last month, they carefully picked places where they would demonstrate. They prepared a line of action and a set of demand.

Come March 23, while Pakistani cricket team was sweating in Bangladesh for World Cup glory; 200 (more or less) people gathered in the city of Karachi. Similar amounts gathered in Lahore and Islamabad. Even though, their Facebook group have nearly 60000 people; a very small fraction showed up. This shows that at one hand, it is not as easy as it looks. However, rather than telling them that they failed, we should tell them that it was a brave try. I agree that Inqilaab-e-Pakistan is not the wisest of ideas our generation could come up with but it is a start. It is a start that shows that Pakistan is now changing. It has more intellect. It has more courage.

I am sure that few of these 200 guys would have ever met each other in life but these guys have shown that it can start here as well. The call for new elections given by these guys is not something out of ordinary. Governments around the world tremble when the youth comes out on the street for a cause. If these 200 were out on a cause, it seems that there are unsolved problems. There are grievances that should be addressed. Their protest was for Pakistan. They did not represent any political party. They are concerned not about their future but also about the future of Pakistan, a country which feels more divided then ever. Their act not only showed that it can start anywhere but it also represents the unity this country has when it has a cause.

I am not in the fullest of support for these guys but I am not going to stand in their path either. I will try to facilitate them and I would advise our elders to guide us. It is time that we should think about our country. Revolution is a sexy word but it has scary implications. If we all build up concusses upon our issues, it would be good. A lot of blood would be saved but if the situation remains at status quo, I can only pray for all of us.

Shall we laugh on this?

Well, this particular video is going VIRAL on Facebook, these days. It comes from Islamabad. While a lot of us will sit and joke about this one, we should all ask ourselves some questions. Why a guy like him is on the streets? Why are we here joking?

Yes Pakistan, it is easy to joke. It is easy to make fun. It is easy to laugh off things. It is easy to blame it on "conspiracies" but then again why this guy was on the streets and why we were not there.

I saw this video from a friend. The remark from him was "HAHAHA! Agaya Inqilab! (Here Comes Inqilab!)". I am sure that my friend would have been staying inside his cool office on that Friday afternoon, continuing with his hobby of making OneNote books of 'Why Shias are not Muslims?'.

I believe it would not be wrong if I say that I am equally guilty of not coming out as well. Past Friday, I was not working. I should have been out as well, protesting.

Guess what guys?

سالا برگر جیت گیا! ممی ڈیڈی ہوتے ہوے بھی مردانگی دکھا گیا!

I am not going to translate that one line. It is not for the world to read but it is for Pakistanis to read, especially those who live in the urban centers.

This video is a mirror for a lot of us. For people like you and me, this guy shows that the courage Pakistan has. He showed that for the right cause, with the right voice, he can make a point. With all the "oddities" in his life, he is responsible for his actions. Even though, he complains about the weather and the "harsh" conditions, he is there.

There is a message for a people who will every day write how Pakistan is a mess. This guy shows it is not. Pakistan is different now; it has a different young mindset. A part of the last generation who lived in urban area has pushed the future to study. This new generation is young but it is waking up and it has logic which is louder than rants.

There is a message for the people sitting in the Parliaments. An elite kid is out on the street; something is going wrong. Quick, fix the situation or this elite kid would not support the Bilawals, Hassans and Mounises. Then again, it is kinda too late. I hope you will buy him an iPad 2 but I think he is not going to accept it.

However, there is a point which impressed me when he asks the crowd if he is lying. The crowd agrees that he is not and he is not lying, indeed. Had the Raymond Davis being caught by the Punjab Police, he would have been released in a matter of minutes. Raymond Davis was caught by the People of Pakistan and he should have not been let free that easily. The 'bloody money' smokescreen is bullshit. We do not care if the family wanted to prosecute or forgive the killer but we would like to know why Raymond Davis was carrying a 9mm Glock in Pakistan. Even if he had the gun by any chance, where did he get the ammo from. It was the responsibility of the state to do that. Furthermore, if the families have forgiven him, why the sudden urge to disappear?

I guess the Davis matter will be forgotten as time passes by. However, it would be best that we take a note of inspiration from this guy and do something.

Brain... and then... Brain Buster...

Well... 25 years ago... I was born! YAY! But 11 months before my birth, 'Brain' was born.

Of course, I am not talking about my brain but what I am talking about is something REVOLUTIONARY. Two brothers in a small town of Lahore created the world's first PC virus. They called it 'Brain'. It infected 360 kb (kilobyte) 5.25 inch floppy disks and is considered to be the world's first full-stealth virus. The virus used to copy itself in the memory and then transferred itself to other floppy disks meanwhile, it did not effect the hard disk. It changed the disk's volume label to (c)BRAIN as well.

Intentionally, Brain had no intentions of harming computers. It only slowed down the disk access or cause timeouts due to which floppy disks failed to work in some of the cases. As the virus marked its 25th year of inception, F-Secure, an computer security solutions company, went out to track the original creators and made a documentary out of it.

If you think that trailer is dramatic, then I agree too. I am not sure what was F-Secure's point behind the orchestral chanting music with half dialogs but it surely makes the virus look bad.

Indeed, with all the bad things going around in Pakistan, having the title of being home to the world's PC first virus not adds much to our glory. However, it seems that there are several points which we do not cater to look at when we talk about this. Had this been created in the West, the whole outlook would have been different.

N00bilink

Aray! Mobilink is burning... its hot... bewares bixches!

If you were in Islamabad (or in Northern Pakistan), chances are that Mobilink has gone all the famous "MaybeLink" on you. Apparently, there was a fire at the Mobilink databank at I-10 in Islamabad which kinda killed the network for all of the Northern Part of the country. Some blogs are telling that the network throughout the country is affected and they are reporting it as a second incident in this month.

During the past decade of of service, there has been a number of times when "Pakistan's favorite cellular company" turned unfavorite in seconds. Somewhere in 2002, I even remember them that under a Court ruling, they had to compensate their subscribers for incompetent service. Overcrowding and overcharging has been a practice of this company in the past as well. Furthermore, it is the same company which promises a "treasure chest" in their ongoing SMS-based promotion (for the 5th time).