Rains in Karachi

Rains in Karachi bring joy and a level of happiness that is not readily available to majority of us on daily basis. Rains, if they are heavy, bring shutters down, people on the roads; street urchins go dancing on the beach. And most of us go down - or above - to wash ourselves.

Our elders tell us that first rains must be avoided at all costs. But what if the first major rains comes after a gap of say 11 months? Can the rain-starved Karachi wallas avoid rains at all, first or last? NO.

And rains - hopefully & Inshallah - will bring more business to me!

Cheeky Choo.

I am happy, I am happy

I am happy, a term one heard last night when celebrations erupted across Pakistan and everywhere else where Pakistan damned Sri Lanka to 8 wicket victory. It was the match to behold, and as everyone had predicted, KESC dared not switch off electricity or else...

The celebrations were phenomenal, keeping in mind the grim situation Pakistan has been facing since the loss of Benazir Bhutto. Even the ever-joyed President was over-joyed and hastily announced Rs. 1 Million cash rewards for Afridi and Yonus Khan.

I have never been a fan of Pakistani cricket ever since my favs Inzi, Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar and Waqar Yonus retired from the scene. Their absence have made all the difference. But now, with this increasingly important victory, Pakistan looks right back on the track. And with the future inclusions of Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Yousuf, Pakistan will be a formidable team in world Cricket - INSHALLAH & GOD WILLING.

Yesterday, I was with my school friend, Habib Effendi, at his posh home at Defence phase 2. We are around 12 there and we sat chattering over glasses of water and later boryani and yummy korma salan and discussed the merits and demirits of sending Afridi in after our opener was out the old fashioned way.

We were all wrong about Afridi, to be honest.

He did what many good players often fail to do in the finals. He smashed Sri Lankans when there was the need to. He did not play rashly. He did not do anything to earn curse. He impressed the goras and the Kallas. And he just smashed a sixer when it was most needed. And then he scored the final run - from his legs.

The celebrations were so brilliant that when I left Habib's home at 2:30 night [the match had finished around 11:12 PM] there were still shezores and trucks and suzukis full of people shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad'.

I am not so sure if I was so happy on my wedding day as I was yesterday. This happiness is not personal, like my wedding on 20th March; it is national. And it affects us all. Our team has made us happy. And we are once again proud to be Pakistanis.

IDP and our war

Now that world has realized, after much delay and haggling, that Pakistan has the largest concentration of displaced men and women, people who have left their cities and towns to save their lives due to a war which remains suspect.

Pakistani govt. led by former Army General could not see the outcome of supporting Taliban in one area and kicking them in another. Talibans were allowed not only a peaceful valley in the form of Swat for their recreation, religion and war, they were also allowed a name, Pakistani Taliban, to make them look good. And they looked good to hell lot of people called Pakistanis some 8 months ago.

Fortunately, some horrible videos of woman being beaten in public, men being slaughtered in Swat [some version suggest that they were FC men] forced Pakistani Army to take notice of the entire situation. Then came Pakistanis.

This is the first time, besides last war, that Pakistanis of all shades have come together to support military operation in Swat. Let us see what happens next.