The liberal lynch mob

Pakistanis in general are peaceful and religious, but have been taken for a ride by their arrogant and ignorant clerics. The clerics who were against the creation of Pakistan, who refuse to condemn suicide bombing and who label a section of peaceful law-abiding citizens as wajib-ul-qatal.Recommend

I agree to what you have said. Perhaps a lot of us got too depressed. Fact of the matter is that what happened in sialkot happens almost frequently but it is not captured live. We hear about it and it diminishes away in the evening news or ticker. But this time the tragedy unfolded in such a live fashion that the whole nation was horrified and i think much of it depressed. Its mostly anger and frustration i guess on part of the ones that can express that has resulted in such generalizations.

We a majority have lost hopes from our leaders and have kept positivity and hope from our people but such incidents have shaken the most positive amongst us in our boots. Its like losing trust in humanity.

Having said that I understand your side and respect it and welcome it. Thanks for jolting some of us who were passing over to the other side!Recommend

Fully agree with the author. Well done!

Barbaric incident of Sialkot have been given so much exposure that the nation has been immunised. If it happens again and brutality is a little bit less, no one will notice.Recommend

Wonderfully written.The writer very rightly elucidates each point in the article.Recommend

Thank you Mahreen for responding to the vitriol from these columnists. What really saddened me was how many of the youthful readers of the Tribune applauded this self-hatred. Having lived in the West, I have seen numerous dreadful episodes of violence and hate crimes but it never leads to the kind of self-loathing that many of Pakistan’s elite indulge in. No wonder the English press gets ostracized by many and the Urdu press gets more radicalized. I was going to write my next column in this vein but you have said what i intended to say far more eloquently.Recommend

Let’s accept the fact that by and large we are a ‘Jaahil Qaum’.

It would be unfair to blame that English man, he wrote what he has experienced and majority of Pakistanis have endorsed his views. Its a matter of collective shame for Pakistanis but we haven’t stopped yet. Even today a man stoned to death in Shujabad. What did we learn from the Sialkot tragedy ?

The so called Khadim e Aala of Punjab who should have rushed to victim’s parents place right after the incident invited the family to Khwaja Asif’s home and “ordained” condolence to them and that too after 8 days of the incident.

This shows their priorities towards “Humanity”, let alone Governance — but I am sure they will elect the same people again.

So the fault lies within ourselves.Recommend

@ Hassan
That’s what the writer is trying to say. America is much more than Texas Chain … and so are we. She used that as comparison with Maula Jutt analogy of George.Recommend

In defense of Fasi Zaka & George Fulton: they were shocked, angry and frustrated like any other Pakistani. They didn’t mean all that.Recommend

Injustice can happen anywhere and is not exclusive to Pakistan (no evidence to prove yet about aid being denied). Look at these examples:

India’s untouchables being denied flood relief, say aid agencies
Relief supplies in Bihar are going to the highest castes first, ignoring plight of the most desperate, according to reports
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/02/india.naturaldisasters

INDIA: Flood victims face caste discrimination
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7610999.stmRecommend

Dear Barrister Sahiba
People of Pakistan have been brutalized for the last eight years with suicide bombings, video taped beheadings, target killings and now this inhuman killing of two teenagers. Madam, normal people feel disgusted by this abhorrent acts of violence, this is called empathy and can be expressed in words. Instead of attacking these conscientious objectors you should be condemning the cockroaches of our society that have inflicted unbearable pain on their victims and the general populace. Hiding behind generalizations and labeling people will not help nor will they stop the barbarians knocking on our doors. People of Pakistan deserve better Madam, they deserve the truth, no more lies please.Recommend

if we’re as good as other nations, why are we facing this collapse of society, that other nations dont?Recommend

couldn’t agree more. thumbs up!Recommend

thank you! brilliantly exposes the weak arguments and the hypocrisy of the so called liberals who sit in judgement on us. excellent article – thanks for articulating what so many of us were feeling when we read those 2 abusive rants. The truth is exactly as you say – good and bad. We should never accept this kind of abuse from anyoneRecommend

@ArifQ – the gross generalisations were in George’s article not this one. No one is lying – but abuse and self hate is no answer to injustice – otherwise people will just be abusing each other all the time. abuse isn’t constructive. And the George and cockroach articles were just abuse.Recommend

now THAT’S what i call a rebuttal! nice job, mahreenRecommend

For 30 years we recruited civilians to wage proxy wars. Teenagers belonging to poor families faught in Afghanistan and Kashmir and all this happened with total support from the public. Doesnt this reflect the callousness of our society?Recommend

Just loved this piece of work and to be honest, she answered to articles mentioned in best possible way..

I have been reading some articles here where some foreigner keeps humiliating Pakistanis for few unpleasant incidents witnessed in Pakistan, ignoring the major incidents occuring on daily basis in other parts of the world against MUSLIMS Minority.

I just liked this piece.. and would encourage such people to write who still feel we are not as bad as been portrayed by our fellow country men.Recommend

Oh Mahreen, why are we afraid to see ourselves in the “Mirror of International Community”??? Remember, If it is George ka Pakistan then he also has the right to say what he sees on the streets. Fusi is also correct. It is time to come out of our hidings and the “State Of Denial”. We are the worst when it comes to Human Rights Violations, Maiming the Minorities, a society with Intolerant Mindset” and as such morally bankrupt. We hear from every citizen that Muslman ye nhi kr sakta, Muslman woh nhi kr sakta then why are we all citizens in so much “Shock in English and Saqta in Urdu”.Recommend

A feel-good article from Mahreen! Oooh, that felt so refreshing…

Ok, now, lets get back to the real world. Whatever Mahreen might say about West, India, Rwanda, this and that, there are several unavoidable facts. None of these places have an instituitionalized culture of violence, terrorism, and religous bigotry. And, they do not export terrorism to other countries the way we do. Yes, there are instances of these things in any country. But, not an everyday occurence that threatens the very state itself.

As Pakistanis, we are brain-washed since a young age about many many things: about our history, our heritage, and our identity. And, we are taught to blame everyone else for our problems: Zionists, Americans, Indians, RAW, Hindus, whatever. Some one has to come out and call our own bluff. That is the only we can get better. I really don’t care what the West and Rwanda does or does not do. I am worried about the “man in the mirror”.

AhmedRecommend

I agree entirely and completely with Mehreen.Recommend

Yes! I agree with this, writer wonderfully pointing out the things which were openly shared by above mentioned two writers in a pathetic manner, even I was very surprised to read that how it is possible that a man coming from another country, spending few years and commenting on Pakistan’s culture, history and society in very harsh manner. I would say Mr. George, you cannot understand how much our ancestors have sacrificed to achieve this country, even you cannot understand the word sacrifice. Mr.Fasi Zaka writing some thing, reflects the mentality of the writer so get out of that mentality and try to do some thing positive.Recommend

the very fact that every segment of society has condemned the incidentreflects the human approach of pakistanis. however people looking at the barbaric view should be viewed as saddist atendency developed by gen. ziaulhaq by publically flogging and hangings during his barbaric region.the nation needs psyclogical treatment. not only the real actors in the incident also the people enjoying the incident should also be tried in the court for abetting.Recommend

Excellent article, Ms. Khan. I completely agree and I am glad you wrote this.Recommend

Mahreen you seem to have completely failed to see what the writers who’ve tried to rouse some ‘shame’ into us are actually trying to acheive. What harm can asking us to view ourselves a little more critcially cause anyway??

The purpose behind such artciles is far more constructive and positive than the effect your ‘we’re not such bad people’ ,’america/rawanda did the same thing’ artcile does. Please open your eyes and look around, this country is not a mess because of our leaders or the natural calamaties, it is a mess because each and every one of us has failed to play are part. The first step towards reconstruction will involve accepting our faults identifying our problems! All you’re doing is indulging our petty egos. We don’t need that molly coddling, we’ve had 60 years of telling ourselves, its not us, its America/india/israel.

These articles were written in pain and rage, because that mob included each and every one of us!! Thats what mobs signify! Till we repent for who we’ve become, we’ll never be able to undo the harm we have caused ourselves. One would expect a slightly more objective response from the educated elite like yourself.Recommend

An excelent article and very well timed. No doubts that we, like all other nations do have Black sheeps amongst us and I do not think the entire nation be blamed for the wrong doing of a few.
Mehreen, Your positive approach is appreciated and please keep it up.Recommend

You are absolutely right, I fully agree with you.Recommend

Glad Mehreen brought up this issues. I am sorry it was bad editorial judgement to let George fulton write about us as “we”. I don’t think he has any right to write about us and then pass crude judgments abt us as people. We are Pakistanis we have a mix of good , bad , and ugly amongst us like all nations.Recommend

Two thumbs up:) mahreen rocks…Recommend

Thank you for writing.

Moreover can anyone tell me how come two cameramen were there with their cameras and still it took three days for the video to reach News Channel. I am from Sialkot and I know it is not a mere Co-Incidence that these Cameramen were there.Recommend

this article is a breath of fresh air, keep it up mahreenRecommend

well expressed and balanced response to stereo typing of some columnists. we are aggrieved and ashamed of Sialkot incidence and others like them but it does not mean that the whole nation is like this. we have good rather great examples like edhis, imrans, abrars, shehris as well. what lacks is only the central leadership. that is also not too far. so there is no point in getting disappointed.Recommend

To those using Sialkot incident to demonize Pakistanis: STOP IT!

Stop generalizing. The Sialkot incident was a mob action and it’s representative of nobody except the people who were involved in it. There is also government failure here beca…use the perpetrators allege rightly or wrongly that the two kids killed one of their own. Nothing justifies this crime and all involved must be punished but this is mob action. There have been many cases where people arrested and killed thieves and burlars because your democracy and politicians can’t run the police and the justice system right. Where were you when Sindhi waderas threw pregnant 19yo Nasim Solangi to hungry dogs? Where were you when Balochi sardars buried 3 women alive? When Chaudhries in Punjab abuse and kidnap women? How are poor Pakistanis responsible when these powerful people do this and are brought to power because people like you ‘love democracy’ and see them as having the right to rule over us? Plz check your own hypocrisy before generalizing a single incident.Recommend

Fasi and George, to give them the benefit of doubt might just have crossed the line with some in order to get their point across. I sympathise with their feelings of outrage but generalisations especially in these sensitive cases are never a good idea. Yes I do agree that more and more people in my country are crossing the divide into bigotry and intolerance….But
When just existing is so hard for an average man that getting up in the morning is difficult. When you dont know if you will have food to feed your family. When you see a loved one die because you dont have money to treat them. You tend to develop a very harsh shell around your heart. Imagine a parent willing to sell a child for food ! Its comparitively very common in Pakistan.
These harsh conditions give rise to a very hard talibanised way of seeing the world and life, it gives rise to them and us and black and white and it colours our souls in brutal shades of Black and white, without any tempering shades of grey.
I cried when I saw what happened in Sialkot but I cry more everyday when I see what’s happening every day in Pakistan.
I can see where George and Fasi are coming from as I have felt the same anger and hate almost everyday but they are letting events colour their judgement.
Thank you Mahreen for providing the balancing shades of grey.Recommend

So glad someone responded to those over dramatized articles. Thankyou Ms Khan.
The articles by Mr Fulton and Mr Zaka were upsetting on two counts. Firstly, Instead of providing an intellectual response their emotional arguments were merely attempting to ride the wave of populist anger on this tragedy. Secondly, it was depressing to see how easily their readers got caught up in their insulting generalizations, as evident from the reader comments.
Mr Fulton may be partly excused upon the grounds that he may lack deeper knowledge of the region. But Mr Zaka’s rant was a cheap trick attempting to rouse reader emotions and anger to further his own liberal line that he often advances in his columns. And then how is the mentality of our so called liberal columnists any different from the mob when we all know what their positions are on issues such as the killing of the girls of Jamia Hafsa and the drone attacks in the tribal belt. If they are such concerned citizens of Pakistan, they should begin by checking their own hypocrisy.Recommend

All Mr. Fulton and Fasi have only shown us the mirror. We can,t blame them for our ugly face.
As far as Rawanda or Sudan or Palestine etc. are concerned, I fail to understand how attrocities there justifies one carried out in Sialkot. Should we not talk about injustice in Sialkot because of those carried out elsewhere?
We should be greatful that liberals would only keep their lynching verbal, which can’t be said to be true for rest of us. Let’s not also forget that this is not first such incident in Pakistan of this kind. Have we forgotten about the mobs that attacked cristians few months ago and tourching of people in Karachi? What about Ahmadis massachered in 1950s and then in 70s by similar mobs. Closing eyes to a problem does not solve itRecommend

Mahareen, I am stunned at your utter insensitivity towards horrible lynchings of two young boys. You have the audacity to question the Pakistani media’s outrage at the brutal killings? Your anger and argument expressed in the article are ridiculously trivial. Your reference to Gujarat massacre, New Orleans, Rwanda are inconsequential because these horrible events of human history were universally condemned. In India, Gujarat killings took many a long years to fade away from the mainstream media.
Let me remind you those immortal words uttered perhaps by Lloyd george “defeat of modern society lie in the comparing an evil with other, instead of calling an evil as an evil”. Aren’t you proving him right?Recommend

Your article brings relief to me, at least to know that there still are people who have optimism and a sense of patriotism. I SERIOUSLY LOVED THIS ARTICLE ! Hats off !
All the journalists must understand that they heavily influence the direction of the society with their pen. Even in the worst situations you guys can create optimism and vice versa.In these critical times, when we need hope, when history is in the making, we need some optimism and encouragement.
“Love Pakistan, OR leave Pakistan”.
Thank You Ma’am for this beautiful defense, especially by countering the totally senseless logic george came up with. Maula jutt huh ?!!! are you kidding me ?
Self criticism is social and moral suicide. Our ancestors were always positive in the worst of situations and we’ve seen that in the life of our Prophet PBUH repeatedly.Recommend

It’s futile to argue with people or the writer through the comment boxes.

But I will say this, at least the people you call the ‘liberal lynch mob’ are not out there killing people with their words or actions. Neither do they advocate such a mentality.

However you, the authoress, never cared to condemn the brutalities in Sialkot in the entire article, shifted the focus to Gujrat in India as ‘people amongst us’ and provided justifications for such savage behavior. Now this is sic!Recommend

//The reality is that Pakistanis are inherently no better and no worse than any other people.

True! After looking at the reaction and the number of protests against the lynching, I believe that we are not that much bad.Recommend

Firstly, anyone who even contemplates the massacre that place in 1947 as indicitive of our [Pakistani] mentality, pry drink some really strong coffee and face facts! Though britalities occurred on both sides, the most definitive acts of barbarism are well demonstrated when train loads of refugees were butchered en route to Lahore. Did ‘we’ do the same? Nay!
As the writer rightly highlights the fact that individual acts of evil cannot be used to vilify an entire nation, what logic is this?
Jhalianwala Bagh where the British massacred an entire rally, as they did in US, and every other part of their wonderful empire.
The Germans in WWII, remind me again, 5 million ‘unwanteds’, hmmmm
US bombing Hiroshima Nagasaki when they knew the Japanese were going to surrender? Hmmmm (add Iraq, Afghanistan etc etc etc)
The French in Northern Africa, hmmmm
So we use lone, horrifying incidents to paint an image for an entire people – hypocracy, double standards and down right prejeduice against us [the Pakistanis]!!
Surely, the revoltion felt through every strand of the populous is more demonstrative of the Pak people’s mentalitity?
And as far as these liberal ‘do-gooders’, ‘morally higher than thou attitude’ are more of a hinderence than an asset for us. They have yet to do anything good practically, save a few mug shots with the destitute.
If you are so concerned – donate your houses and your VIP life styles to these people… Abdul Sattar Edhi can? Even the most liberal, yet MOST SINCERELY concerned person put his money where his mouth was… Who? Muhammad Ali Jinnah!Recommend

Ms. Khan, can you make up your mind? Didn’t you express the following views about Pakistanis in another article on this very website:

“However, the coverage of the Airblue crash reflected our insensitivity and immaturity as a society. In death, as in life, we accord our citizens scant privacy, dignity or peace.” “Another layer added to tragedy — gruesome relish in uncovering what should remain alluded to — of ripping the shroud of decency and dignity from the dead and destroying even a semblance of compassion for the living.”

And now Ms. Khan claims that we are no better or no worse than anyone else. Contradiction, anyone?Recommend

And an addition to Ahmed Qureshi’s comment: how is that people like you dont talk about generalizations when it is all positive? That Pakistanis are a wonderful hardworking lot, is equally gross a generalization. What empirical evidence do you have to support the tall claims that you are making? Sialkot incident is not an anomaly, it is indicative of the mindset. Just like denying that we are a morally, socially, politically and culturally degenerating is also indicative of your ostrich-approach and feeding on textbook version of Pakistan and history is.Recommend

These barbaric incidences tend to occur in lawless societies. Sialkot incident is the prime example of lawlessness, and the failure of the law enforcing bodies! Mahreen has a valid point, and thanks for writing an article like this one.Recommend

I am from India – women are raped and lynched here too and it does not always even get reported. At least your media in pakistan showed it to you. This is a problem in our country. We need to spread message of peace not hate. i like the article.Recommend

@Mariam – totally agree!
pakistanis take more criticism and bashing than anyone else – the fact that those 2 articles got printed shows our tolerance.

Great response MehreenRecommend

The reality is that Pakistanis are inherently no better and no worse than any other people.

Mahreen let’s see, here is the worst;

Pakistan relief organisations ‘discriminating against Christian flood victims’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7968046/Pakistan-relief-organisations-discriminating-against-Christian-flood-victims.html

Where is the equivalent good?

The same people who are raising aid for us in millions (British kafir public has raised $30 million so far and German kafir public $10 million in just one night) are making fun of us for discriminating on religious grounds even in distributing this free aid. What an incentive for them to help us. We want compassion from others but have none ourselves. How are we as good or bad as others, specifically west? And why do we not act like developed nations if we are just as good or bad?

Even God hates us. What more evidence do we need that we are the worst of the worst? Fasi you rock.Recommend

Self check and correction is the first step towards progress which Mahreen fails to understand.Recommend

Wah wah jee – tussi great ho! Mahreen ji.

Ridiculous rubbish from george – if we are all maula jutts how come you still wanna live here? Havent been “maula jutted” have you? Stop Pakistan bashing. We are not going to take it.Recommend

wonderful response mahreen – thanks for taking a stand for all of us.Recommend

Pakistanis are good people. I have found them warm, hospitable and kind – never hateful or spiteful. Their family values are something we have lost in the west. Your “rule of law has been eroded” – quite right and that is the reason for the barbarity of Sialkot, not your race or history.

Good job mahreen.Recommend

I like how you equate the publishing of two blogs on a website with being beaten to death by a howling mob, as if the offending of your tender sensibilities is as grave a trauma as the lynching of two boys. The very fact that anyone can seriously equate the two actions shows just how deep-rooted the malaise is in our society. While I personally found both the articles in question to be tasteless and hyperbolic in tone, they don’t come close in offensiveness to your own.Recommend

Looks could be so deceptive,degree from a foreign university can not change a mindset.Our educated people are uneducated.George knows our society more than a NINJA without a hijab.Recommend

“Muslims were more the victims of communal violence, as documented by various noted historians who also describe the role of the departing British colonisers as culpable.”

Firstly, as a History major, I am appalled to see a qualified writer utter something that is historically as inaccurate as this. What writers may I ask is the author referring to? I suspect these ‘noted historians’ are apologists for Islam and in addition blame everything on colonialism. Perhaps this is where the fault lies.

Very few writers offer a balanced view on Pakistan anymore. Either they are sympathetic toward the country’s plight and in turn offer glimmerings of support, or they revel in hating the roots from which Pakistan emerged. It is very simple to fit into either of these two categories. I am perhaps guilty of falling into the latter category as are many others who were deeply disturbed by the barbaric acts committed in Sialkot.

But we cannot say it is one or the other and be done with it. We must carefully look at and understand these two points of view. Is there something so wrong in thinking that there still exist leftovers from the era of Partition as Fulton suggested? Contrary to what the author has argued, any historian will confirm that both Hindus and Muslims did in fact “revel in bloodlust,” giving the most sinister of definitions to Hindustan or Pakistan. The question is why not let 1947 deduce who we are as a people? The answer is simple: visiting 1947 for any Pakistani so often means blaming the Hindus and English for everything that went wrong and victimizing the Muslims. This victim complex still exists. It is ostensible in this very post. Only when we learn to overcome and fully heal from the scars of Partition will we ever be able to define ourselves as a people and fully understand our roots. Then such articles wouldn’t be necessary.Recommend

A well reasoned and more than adequate rebuttal to Mr. Fulton. Thank you for balancing both sides of the arguments so diplomatically, we are not a nation of feral beings, we are a proud people with a rich heritage. Granted, we have flaws and are usually connected with the most heinous of crimes, but even the most disciplined person in the world is a potential barbarian at the best of times. Unless there is alleviation of poverty and an imposition of the rule of law, and a general acceptance of this, such atrocities will continue. The sad fact is that we cannot attribute blame to any one specific factor, however, self loathing is not the answer and neither is a change in government.Recommend

dear Mahreen, for some reason from the tone off your article one is trying to comprehend for some odd reason that you are trying to justify the actions off the lynch mob, yes just because it happens in other countries doesnt mean it happens here in pakistan, giving its due ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN , in history if i can recollect only two countries have been created on religion as its foundation pakistan and israel, the fact that these atrocities were committed by the muslims towards the muslims its painful..the countries you have quoted rwanada has a muslim population of 4.6 percent, majority being christians, similiar statistic probably apples to america…AND MOST ABOVE ALL THEY ARE NOT MUSLIM countries.. secondly this is not an odd occurance here or there but its a regular occurance off unislamic behaviour from the people whose belief is islam…fortunately for the BUTT brothers theyre might seem a glimmer of justice but i wouldnt hold my breath..so Maheen its not about pakistani hating or not patriotism its about standing up for what is JUST..and highlighting the pitfalls off our nation…surely for us to progress as a nation we need to identify and realise PAKISTAN IS A FAILED STATE, and hence we can move forward..since independance what have we really achieved bar the one atomic bomb???Recommend

Yeah, that’s right. Rant & rave against others when they criticize you. Turn a deaf ear to your own barbarism, corruption, lack of any decency and general inhumanity that passes for a nation!Recommend

Any one can remember by going through the youtube video of Italy where a 21 year old lady was also lynched. People kicked her to death. Even she literally had a peice of cloth on her body. So making generalization (based on only one incident of its own kind) is not unacceptable. And also as said that the five fingers of a hand are not equal so good and bad are everywhere even that may be in England or in USA.Recommend

How is the author going to deny what has been going on this country ever since it’s inception. We deserved to be cursed and that has nothing to do with liberalism or western civilization. I don’t even know why the author brought that into the discussion.

Let us not be blind and use this oppurtunity as a wake up call to mend our ways!Recommend

Masha Allah, Madam. You have done an excellent peace which brought me back to senses after watching the cruelity of some misguided people amongst us. I know there must be more than what we have seen but it goes unreported and unseen. Every nation has their their shaiateen amongst them and we have seen their cruelty. Why blame the whole nation when some people do wrong. Do we or the world blames German, Americans, Africans Indians and others for the wrong their people have commiteted and do commit every day. No. Then why Pakistan and Islam is always in the news. There is a big international conspriciy to downgrade us and we must all wake up and realise it sooner.Recommend

Excellent piece! very well done! We really needed this..a reply to all those keyboard warriorsRecommend

Dear Ms. Khan
First of all, my heartfelt thanks for setting the record straight concerning, the “pure lynch mob mentality of the western and some so-called Pakistani pseudo- intellectuals”. It is a shame that instead of condemning an individual act of inhumanity or violence of a group of people, these opportunists – disguised as liberals – always criticize Pakistan as failed state and Pakistanis a violent prone nation. You are spot on, when you say that these columnists would not dare to write in such sadistic terms about western cultures. The media would not even allow it.
I work with Islamophobia in the western societies and monitor the media on daily basis. You would not believe what is being said, written and propagated against Islam, Muslim communities and Pakistan in this part of the world – right from serious magazines like Economist, Time and Newsweek, Der Spiegel and many more. BBC World, CNN, Fox TV, Deutsche Welle and Danish TV on daily basis insult Islam and the Islamic world. All this with the help of reporters, journalists and experts who have Pakistani/Muslim background and should know better.
I am all for freedom of speech, critical view of a society and relentless information to the public for their rights but and this is a big BUT, it must be done with objectivity, nuance arguments and with the purpose of bridging the gap between people. The last thing, Pakistan needs right now and in the future is that its elite should not spit in the plate, they eat. Western powers have their own interests and not Pakistan’s. Many western politicians are even saying that we should help Pakistan in its worst disaster otherwise Taleban would take over. What a way to help the needy.
Keep up the good work.
Kind regards
Bashy Quraishy
Chief Editor – MediaWatch – Denmark
Board Member – Institute for Human Rights -Denmark
Board Member – World Cultural Center – Copenhagen
Mobile; 0045 40 15 47 71
Phone; 0045 38 88 19 77
http://www.bashy.dkRecommend

Mehreen you have your heart and mind in the right place. A couldn’t agree more with your concluding paragraph. Bravo!Recommend

Very well written article. Thank you!Recommend

Really glad you wrote this…A true Pakistani you are. Proud of u :)Recommend

@Farheena
I Second your comment…regarding da Hypocricy of these “liberal” & “enlightened” columnists…who condemn da killings of minorities but at da same tym raise slogans in favour of Massacre & Bloodshed of hundreds of muslim sisters & children at Jamiyah Hafsa…tht’s called PURE Hypocricy..!Recommend

Pakistanis seem so keen to belittle themselves. I have had friends at uni from Pakistan. Great people and I love Pak culture – but you are always bad mouthing each other. In India wev too has a lot of problems like poverty and illiteracy as well as religious fanatics. Stop scratching each other’s eyes out and sort it out.Recommend

The Texas Chainsaw is not reflective of the American society since the movie’s plot is not seen happening in everyday American life, at least not since the KKK lynchings 60-70 years ago. A few months ago a cab driver of Pakistani origin in Britain attacked the alleged boyfriend of his soon to be wife with acid and went on to torture the girl. Incidents such as these have become so common that there is an organization within Pakistan called Acid Survivors Foundation (not that there aren’t similar organizations in other countries but, is this the company we want to keep?). If anything this incident should prove that Taliban are just an excuse for us to ignore a strand of exremist behavior underlying the fabric of our society. George Fulton or other journalists may have nothing vested in Pakistan but we are all ‘in’. We must relegate concerns for a positive image for the sake of a healthy society.Recommend

Wonderful piece mahreen. Thank God someone is writing sense instead of peddling racial stereotypes and self recrimination. If you dont like Pakistan and you think we are cockroaches – then leave.

I like the way you ended – absolutely right. We will get justice for the victims in Sialkot because that is the right thing to do. Not through shame or self hatred.Recommend

Ms Mahreen – I am so glad that not all young people are suffering from an inferiority complex where they indulge in self hatred and swallow western stereotypes and policies just to be accepted in our “elite” circles.

This country was created through many sacrifices. Fulton’s remarks about partition were deeply offensive and totally biased. I lost many relatives and to this day the pain is unbearable. It saddens me deeply to see the state Pakistan is in but abusing this country and its people is the sign of a weak and juvenile mind.

Your analysis is intelligent and solid. Well done.Recommend

Glad to see this and Salman’s responses. Those 2 columns by zaka and george fullton were unworthy of publication in my view for the sheer stereo typing displayed. If they had been about any other nation/race they would never have been printed. We are the punching bag. As are Muslims in general.

Thanks for setting the record straight although mahreen you need to write about the way forward – solutions to the our social degradation as evidenced in sialkot.Recommend

@Marjan – name calling/abuse is the lowest form of communication – no wonder you enjoyed the fulton and cockroach pieces.

Barrister Khan – keep it up. Very good column.Recommend

the fassi and george pieces were laughable and shallow. why give them any credibility by penning a response?Recommend

I agree with A Waseem – I dont trust the Sharifs at all. Justice wont be done for the two boys. our politicians are all above the law and so are their friends. Rule of law has been shattered.

Great writing though – talented.Recommend

Loved it! You are amazing! Thank you1 thank you! A well deserved right hook, Ali Style, to those who think they can keep punching Pakistan.Recommend

loved it! awesome!Recommend