It was in the dargah compound of Ajmer when our phones started buzzing with friends and relatives wanting to share grief on the loss of a woman who was both loved and hated but never ignored. This was the typical winter dusk and we were returning from a soulful traditional dua-i-roshnayee (pre-sunset prayer) where candles are lit in remembrance of the much revered Khawaja. Amidst frantic phone calls from grieving friends, the shock was cushioned in the mystical atmosphere as one reaffirmed that God’s will was above everything. But the aching sense of loss for Pakistan haunted us despite the calming effect of Ajmer.

It was this strong faith in God and in her mission that brought Benazir Bhutto back to Pakistan after an exile of nearly a decade. She returned despite the knowledge that she was on borrowed time; and there were heinous elements who wanted to physically eliminate her. Benazir was a lover of the mystics and had visited Ajmer thrice as we found out from the deeply-shocked residents of this small medieval town. Coming from Sindh, the land of the Sufis and poets, Bhutto was a devotee of Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz. Like a true Bhutto she was not afraid of death as the believers consider it to be ordained by God in the first place. But the truth is that she is no more; and this is hard to reconcile with.

One cannot miss the symbolism of the location where Bhutto was killed. The place, Liaquat Bagh, is named after Pakistan’s first prime minister who was also shot here. The reasons for his death are still not known other than the simple imperative that in Pakistan, legitimate politicians need to be eliminated. This tragic place in Rawalpindi is also not far from the place where Benazir’s father was hanged in 1979; and whose legacy refuses to go away.

At least in Benazir’s case, the battle lines were clearer. A patently violent brand of political Islam masking itself as anti-imperial and aided by powerful elements within the Pakistani establishment is hell-bent on destroying Pakistan’s political and social fabric. Contrary to what many believe, this embedded dysfunction is above all a threat to Pakistan and its burgeoning population. The region and the world come next. In India, the comparisons between Rajiv and Benazir have been unavoidable as the two countries have suffered from the endemic violence, dynastic politics and a symbiotic relationship defined by cyclical political turbulence.

Today’s subcontinent has all but forgotten the tolerant and inclusive Islam that was practised by the Sufis and which in large measure shapes the belief system of a vast of majority of Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This is what the militancy and its official backers are now set out to achieve but they forget that centuries of tradition of peace and inclusion can be dented but cannot be reversed.

Bhutto’s mass appeal remained a formidable challenge to the Pakistani establishment that failed to undo the legacy of people-centred politics for three decades. The Bhutto brand of politics came about without the manipulations of the bureaucratic steel-frame that shaped Pakistani politics, often in tandem with foreign interests. Benazir’s return in October showed that her popular support was intact despite the corruption charges, trials — real and media-led – and continued impression of incompetence and opportunism in a culture of misogyny and violence against women. Her worst opponents could not deny her dazzling articulation and grasp of global politics. And, now like her father she also demonstrated an uncanny sense of history, of seizing the moment and dying for the cause of political process in the militarized Pakistan.

This fearlessness of death is a Sufi trait as death is just another phase in our journeys and struggles. The inclusive and multicultural legacy of the Sufis is endangered by the rise of militant Islam and politics of elimination. Benazir Bhutto had drawn on this legacy and in her death we are reminded of the urgency to revisit and build on that legacy.

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This is not the only story; one can find many such characters who are suffering silently and facing every day of their life with a traumatizing experience. Other such incidence was of another lady who used to visit her professor and she got trapped some way. Now he is not ready to marry her and according to her, she is no more than a tool in hands of this organized mafia who has specialized in trade of trapping the innocent females with expert techniques. Though they are getting money for what they use to do but money is not something they wanted. They were in search of love and were trapped instead.

This list does not end here; there are numerous others who have got their tales of suffering to tell but they are voiceless. These stories of innocence and anguish use to bury with them in their graves and they have accepted it that way. In a society, where, talking about sexual abuse is a taboo, what else could be expected, except shunning their voice?

How unfortunate it is for those poor souls who are facing this fate? When Tahimna Durrani wrote ‘My feudal Lord’, it was declared an icon of freedom of women, but what about all those whose voices are unheard? Though, Domestic violence against women is a great problem but issues related to sexual exploitation are equally important and need consideration. They need to be dealt on equal footing with domestic violence and other such matters but no one is there to raise the voice. Who is responsible for all this? I think we all are responsible being silent observers. The need of the hour is to listen to those sobs and at least say no to all this in our own spheres. Let’s get to it before its too late!

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With the declaration of Bilawal Zardari, at moment, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, people might have felt the pain but they kept tight lipped. My immediate reaction was a sentence that I wrote in my drafting pad, “You are welcome to the world of un-democratic democracy.”

The election of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to me was just a start of injustice to party’s intelligentsia but what else they would have done, they were in utter shock and if any one, say for instance Mr. Ameen Fahim, would have said even an iota against this, would have been named an infidel and in extreme circumstances, he would have been nominated a covert ally of those who are considered the assassins of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. This risk at the moment was not worth taking so everybody kept silent. In fact it was pinching to see many near comrades of Benazir absent from the fore front on this important event that was potent enough to change the course of party. My eyes kept searching for Nisar Khuhro, Qaim Ali Shah, Naheed Khan, Senator Safdar Abbasi and many others but my efforts were in vain, though cameramen of all the media channels captured their glimpses in their cornered hideouts away from eyes of people, watching the drama unfolding quietly.

The press conference was complete and it went clear too that Mr. Amin Fahim was offered the conditional nomination as the party’s candidate in forth coming elections as Prime Minister, I will not name it a political bribe but will at least consider it an attempt to keep this foreign cuisine palatable for him. Here, Mr. Zardari, I mean Asif Zardari not Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was sagacious enough to keep it conditional as a check over Mr. Ameen Faheem and I think Amin Faheem will cash this opportunity because he is at such a stage of in his political career where he will accept anything, literally anything for his loyal services to PPP and would love to die content with a feather of being Premier of Pakistan in his cap.

Let’s take a u-turn, let’s have a look at the things that this scribe found positive with them. It felt good when they spoke of Pakistan, the unity of Pakistan. It felt equally good to hear that they want to work for poor around and they have democratic ideals, though their party offers a look of fiefdom or a family business where they even take care of the brand name to satisfy the loyal customer after the merger. I wonder if they will full fill these promises or not? At the moment, I would say, the future of party is based on their efforts to improve the condition of nation if they come in power. Apart from this I would appreciate one thing that; it takes a great deal of courage for some one in Pakistan to break convention and the way Bilawal has adopted the surname of his mother is commendable if has willingly done this in order show his love to his mother and her sacrifice for democracy.

One last thing, I heard Bilawal Bhutto Zardari saying that Democracy is the best revenge, you all must have heard it too. I can understand the grief of this gentleman and if he has tried to pour his heart out in this sentence, his feeling and emotions must be respected. After all, the poor fellow has suffered a shock, the extreme sorrow of losing his mother but I would like to advice him not to consider democracy as revenge when he will practically join politics. If, in case, he ever needs a strong expression in favour of democracy, he must consider restoration and fight for democracy, more a punch, a spit on the faces of dictators then revenge since revenge is a negative emotion after all!

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Yes, the independent Pakistan and all the sacrifices our ancestors gave and went through all the brutalities by British Raj. How can we stop thinking of those mortal immortal of 1857 who suffered on our behalf. Don’t you think we have spoiled it all and in no time? Look back at our 60 years, martial law, martial law, martial law and again martial law? I don’t know when this cascade will stop. Can anybody tell me; are we there to see martial law only? What worse can happen to us after dismemberment of Pakistan, for God sake we already suffered the loss of our east wing, please stop acting stupid, don’t you have some respect for your country? We are no more interested in losing some other vital part of our country. You might be thinking that it’s easy to say and write all this by staying on an arm chair with a computer in front. True, we are a generation of couch potatoes, right???

It was former East Pakistan in first place; Sindh later, then came the turn of Balochistan with Bugtis and Marris and now in Swat with Islamic radicals. Gush….Enough is enough!!! Will you please tell me, why it is happening? I think it has deeper roots with far reaching consequences.

Do you really think that we are on the winning course? What America achieved out of Iraq and Afghanistan with all her might, nothing but dead bodies of her soldiers. What we are gaining out of Balochistan and NWFP, again the dead bodies, it is moving no where and this war is not a conventional war, it is war of ideologies where strategy is hit and run. Moral of our defense personnel is at all time low, why? The answer is simple, they feel like fighting against their own brethren, how can they find enemy with a Muslim and holding an ID of a Pakistani? Here you might ask that what makes the other side fight with such courage, it is simple, they feel like having a stronger cause, they are thinking that their fight is a fight to uphold the right and negate the wrong. Did you see the essential difference??? It is there and it will stay there. We need to think out of box to tackle these issues but it is not that easy to achieve. The solution lies with shifting paradigm of our rulers.

Now you might ask, to what are those shifts I am talking about? Many changes are required to deal this menace. Our policy makers and masterminds must consider the situation with ground realities in their minds. We can not simply do with out seeing things in Pakistani perspective; we need to prioritize our interests over the interest of international community, that’s the magic formula.

Being a student of International Relations, I know the slogan of inter-dependence and impossibility of isolationism but inter-dependence on cost of our own national interest is not legible. Don’t you think our rulers always stay ready to run an extra mile in want of a pet from global war mongers? It is high time now for them to think that they are not pets and they don’t need pets, if they need any pet, it should come from the nation in form of support for their popular policies.

Tail piece

I am feeling tired of thinking all this at the moment and I know you are bored too. I want to dream now to relieve myself of this agony. Do you enjoy dreaming??? If so, let’s dream together. I want to dream of a bright tomorrow when everything will just be fine. I want to see Quaid’s Pakistan, a Pakistan with peace, tranquility and harmony. I want to dream of a Pakistan that Faiz wanted to see while writing the anthem of democracy and freedom (Hum Dekhain Ga). I want to get lost in the words of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who said in his historical speech to first constituent assembly of Pakistan and I quote,

“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State…Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State…I do not wish to take up any more of your time and thank you again for the honour you have done to me. I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fairplay without any, as is put in the political language, prejudice or ill-will, in other words, partiality or favouritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality, and I am sure that with your support and co-operation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the world.”

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Google took 0.24 seconds and fetched 1, 940, 000. I was really impressed with the number of search results and got encouraged to analyze it in a little bit detail. The result that topped the list was a tag ‘Sindhi’ from wordpress. Apart from this tag, other independent blogs got listed too. I randomly tried to hit few links and found wonderful links. The first thing felt obliged to follow was Sindhi tag from wordpress. In that tag, I found blog of Agha Gul on top.

From Agha Gul’s blog, I gather that he is based in US and teaches in some university. In his blog he writes about many diverse topics ranging from History to education. Animals, Autobiographical, human rights, Education and folklore were few noteworthy categories under which he has posted his writings. In Agha Gul’s blogroll, I came across links to other Sindhi blogs too and they were 12 in number.

Here, I would like to mention a very interesting observation. While following the links to Sindhi blogs, I came to know that Sindhi bloggers are using three scripts, instead of two traditional scripts (Arabic and Devanagari) and that third script is a recent development, the Roman Script. Though many Sindhi Scholars do not accept the Roman script but the Sindhi youth in India seems adopting it and bringing it in vogue (it’s a long discussion and requires a separate post).

In Arabic Script, apart from Agha Gul’s blog, Ayaz Rind’s blog Sindhi stands out prominent and he appear updating the blog relatively frequently. His last post is dated Sept 30, 2007. Ayaz has categorized his post in poetry and prose. He appears a fiction writer. Another Sindhi blogger who appears actively blogging is Fayaz Soomro. His blog is named Indus Asia Sindhi Blog. Fayaz writes about contemporary political and social issue and represent the Sindhi mind set.

Now about blogs in Devanagari and Roman script, since Devanagari is no more taught in Sindh Pakistan so, almost all the bloggers who write in Devanagari script are from India. The Indian Sindhis appear blogging in mixed text with both scripts side by side. One such example is Deepak Bharatdeep’s blog.

After going through a substantial number of Sindhi blogs in all the three scripts (sorry can’t read Devanagari), one can realize that it’s a wrong impression that there are very few Sindhi blogs in Cyberspace. In fact, this scribe found a good number of Sindhi blogs and can claim that Sindhi blogs are growing but the problem starts when Sindhi bloggers, after trying for few days, quit blogging in Sindhi or stop updating.

In order to claim their presence in blogsphere and make themselves heard, Sindhi blogging needs serious blogger with motivation to carry this task forward.