Like any other people, all the transgender community wants is to live with dignity. But in Pakistan, dignity for this sexual minority is almost impossible to find. From birth to their death beds, they are ostracised as if they are the bearers of some invisible disease. Forced to live with their own communities, forced to take menial jobs or to beg on the streets, forced to put up with mental and physical abuse, forced to deal with sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and rape, from their fellow citizens or even those tasked with protecting them, the transgender people of Pakistan are constantly swimming against the tidal waves, and we ignore their plight, because pretending they are invisible is easy. In a recent heartbreaking case, Alisha, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Trans Action Alliance coordinator was shot six times on a Sunday in different parts of her body. While details are still emerging, some reports suggest this was a hate crime, while others claim it was the act of a criminal gang that exploits the community to shoot pornographic videos. One can imagine that Alisha was shot because she resisted. Let’s hope that the K-P government looks into this case and brings the gang to justice, but for a government that until recently believed in negotiating with the Taliban while minority groups burned, what chance does the transgender community have? For any other Pakistani, getting horrifically shot six times would be bad enough, but for Alisha, the nightmare continued at the hospital. According to a report on The Express Tribune, while in critical condition at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, she was kept waiting for an hour while the authorities debated on whether she belonged in the women or men’s ward. Finally, after protests from the patients, she was shift to the men’s, where incredibly enough, she was treated in front of the lavatory, as far away from the other patients as possible. What did she do to be treated like this even when dying? She was born differently than the other patients, but is that a crime? Did it make her less human? The details on the Trans Action Facebook page are even more disturbing. It is disturbing that even the employees of a hospital cannot treat transgender people with respect. It is shocking that even when there to support a friend suffering from gunshot wounds, the transgender community suffered from sexual harassment at the hands of the hospital staff. Eventually, Alesha died at the hospital. Trans Action Khyber Pakhtunkhwa says it is because she didn’t receive the treatment she needed on time. All she wanted to do was live her life in peace. All photos: Screenshots [poll id="571"]

As of 2015, Pakistan’s estimated population was frighteningly over 190 million. We are growing so fast that the United Nations estimates we will hit 300 million by 2050.  Now, I am sure some of you read this and thought, “Masha’Allah.” But the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) warns that we will start running into water scarcity by 2025. Yes, we are already overpopulated, and our resources can’t sustain our growth. In essence we are a giant growing elephant riding a tiny single-wheel cycle. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="430"] Photo: Jusscope[/caption] And this unicycle is going to fall, except we are told by our easily offended right-wingers that the growth is good for us.

“Grow elephant, grow. It’s a blessing!” they yell.

“What is this? What the hell is sex? I forgot that’s how we created our children.”

“We will multiply our descendants,” he said.

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, better known as simply Rumi, is one of the most beloved poets of all time from Asia to the United States. An Islamic scholar, thinker, and Sufi mystic, he was born in the Eastern part of the Persian Empire – now Afghan territory – which is why it is surprising that Hollywood wants to cast Leonardo DiCaprio, an actor of Italian and German descent, to play him. What’s more, Hollywood wants to cast Robert Downey Jr as Shams Tabrizi, who happened to be Rumi’s spiritual instructor, close friend, and a source of inspiration for his work. The intentions behind the Rumi film certainly seem noble. According to The Guardian, Stephen Joel Brown, the producer of the film, and David Franzoni (Gladiator) the writer, both believe that their film will challenge the stereotypes of typical Muslims in Western cinema. Franzoni says that Rumi should be held in the same esteem as Shakespeare,

“He’s a character who has enormous talent and worth to his society and his people, and obviously resonates today. Those people are always worth exploring.”

A terrible incident took place in Multan a few days ago when a young person was attacked with acid, suffering burns on over 50 per cent of their body. Usually – as much as 80 per cent, in fact – when an acid attack takes place in the country, the victim is a woman. In this case, though, the genders were reversed. The victim, a 24-year-old man, had been invited over by a 36-year-old woman to her house. I am sure there is more to it than this, but the woman, who apparently was already married and the mother of four children, proposed to him. When he refused her, she threw acid on him, before fleeing the scene. She was arrested a day later, but the awful occurrence for the man has sparked a rather nasty reaction on the internet. On Facebook pages of both leading Pakistani news websites, commentators have reacted with laughter. Some have gone as far as to suggest that the scores have been made more even; after the multitude of women that have been made to suffer acid attacks in this country, it was good that the tables had turned. It boggles my mind that I even have to write this, but it is complete and utter madness for anyone to suggest these thoughts or to find humour in the situation. Yes, women have suffered more acid attacks, but how does this young man hold responsibility for the crimes of others? There is no scorecard. This isn’t India versus Pakistan in a cricket match. A victim of an acid attack is a victim, regardless of gender. So please spare a thought for this human being with hopes and dreams like anyone else, whose life has been turned upside down in a nightmarish incident that has left him permanently disfigured and possibly without the use of his eyes, ears, and more. On the other side of the coin are numskulls claiming this was the case of a woman acting out as a result of the women’s protection bill. Let’s get one thing straight. The bill protects women from being attacked. It doesn’t grant them the rights to throw acid on anyone. There are also misogynists asking feminists to explain the incident, which would be as stupid as asking every American presidential candidate of all time to take responsibility for Donald Trump. Acid attacks are a serious issue in Pakistan. The victims are usually women but, as this case shows, it can be men as well. We have a problem in this country where we can’t take no for an answer. Our sense of self-entitlement has reached such heights that anyone who refuses our wants is to be mistreated. If we are going to tackle the issue in Pakistan then we need to regulate the sale of acid. This morning I asked around at a few shops for this blog and learned that certain stores will still sell a bottle of the stuff for less than Rs100. Yes, that’s how inexpensive it is to destroy a life. Why isn’t law enforcement taking care of this? On a deeper level, both the incident and the weird reactions to it display how little we value life in this country, and our lack of respect for other people’s boundaries. This is why we abuse, threaten, burn, maim, rape and kill so easily. It’s our way – or the highway. All photos: Screenshots

Pakistan is the land of topsy-turvy, where the righteous are punished and the wrongdoers thrive. In what is a thoroughly perplexing decision, The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) imposed a ban on Hamza Ali Abbasi’s Ramazan program. What was his crime? To open a dialog on his show on the plight of one of the most viciously persecuted minorities in Pakistan, the Ahmadis. Not a few days ago, Hamza Ali Abbasi asked why Ahmadis were treated so poorly in the country and why we were so afraid to talk about it:

“The community is being suppressed but if you talk about it, people say ‘You’re from that community that’s why you’re saying this. “I am not an Ahmadi, I am a Sunni Muslim.”

“It had received 1,133 complaints through Whatsapp, Twitter and telephone calls regarding the transmissions.”

Capping off a year already filled with terrible news was yesterday’s tragic incident. A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crashed on the way to Islamabad from Chitral, killing 48 people on board and leaving the country in shock. To start with, the pain being faced by the families of these lost 48 lives must be incalculable. To lose a loved one so abruptly without closure is a terrible ordeal. At the very least, the loved ones should be provided with grief-counselling by the government at the earliest, though the chances of this happening are low. There must also be questions asked about PIA, a bloated organisation that has limped along for years with dozens of national and international incidents of corruption and misconduct. I myself have flown on PIA flights that were delayed, worryingly enough, because of mechanical issues. A thorough investigation must be conducted. Pilot error should be forgiven – we are all prone to mistakes – but negligence, especially in the shape of avoidable problems must be tackled. Unfortunately, there is little hope in this regard. PIA has often reacted to attempts at accountability or reform with vicious backlash. PIA Chairman Muhammad Azam Saigol was quick to take away blame from the airline stating,

“I think there was no technical error or human error.”

From CNN to Al Jazeera, Adam Saleh’s video has made headlines across the world. https://twitter.com/omgAdamSaleh/status/811531782982078464 Retweeted over 769,000 times on Twitter, the shocking footage shows him being escorted off a Delta airlines plane where he expresses outrage for getting booted. His crime, he says, was speaking a few lines of Arabic on the phone to his mother, an offense that was too much for his fellow passengers. As expected, many online reacted with disgust. https://twitter.com/cvffvdeus/status/811708169433088000 https://twitter.com/coldsolos/status/811866157321961473 https://twitter.com/HelenRPrice/status/811865628344782848 https://twitter.com/JustinItalyHelp/status/811627410919657472 In this volatile climate where Muslim extremists are committing horrific crimes, every day peace-loving Muslims are being targeted with acts of prejudice and violence in an increasingly right-wing leaning world. It is, therefore, natural to expect sympathies to fall with Saleh. But dig beneath the surface, and there seems to be more to this story than meets the eye. For starters, Saleh is a video blogger and a YouTube star who attracts viewers with provocative clips. In 2014, a video produced by Saleh and his partner went viral where he exhibited racial discrimination at the hands of a New York Police Department (NYPD) officer. It started with the duo being ignored by the officer for starting trouble while wearing western attire, and ended with the pair being frisked when wearing traditional Arabic clothing. The purpose of the video was to show bias against people of Middle Eastern origin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeQbuTigFos The now removed description of the video said,

“We were filming another video for our channel with our cultural clothing but we kept getting followed by police. So, we decided to film this social experiment on racial profiling. Too many innocent people get stopped and frisked every day because of what they wear or their skin colour. We’re against people stereotyping others because of what they wear or what skin colour they are. Hope you all can spread the message and help bring an end to this.”

Sitting in his jail cell secretly armed with a cellular phone, a British mobile SIM, and the contact details of world leaders, a murderous psychotic terrorist, in the hopes of killing countless, sat plotting nuclear war. His plans were so ludicrous that you’d think this was a work of fiction straight out of a bad spy novel, but I assure you that this incident was frighteningly real. First, he called a nuclear-powered nation itching to retaliate to fresh terrorist attacks on its soil, pretending to be the head of state of a nation whose countrymen were allegedly responsible for the attack. Attempting to call the foreign minister, he was unable to get through the security protocols, and gave up after being promised a return call. Next, he called the secretary of state of the most powerful nation of the world, but was once again unable to pass the security of checks. Finally, he tried his luck calling the president of the country that stood nervously accused of orchestrating a terrorist attack on its neighbours, and wouldn’t you know it, he got through to former president, Asif Ali Zardari. Yes, it would be amusing if it weren’t so pitiful that according to reports, while sitting in his Hyderabad jail, British terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh, linked to organisations such as Taliban, al Qaeda and others, convicted for the brutal kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, was unable to get through to Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee or American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, yet had a conversation with the president of Pakistan. And not only did he have a conversation, he also managed to convince the Pakistani leader that he was the Indian foreign minister threatening him with dire consequences. Here, the Pakistani leadership went into panic mode. What followed were phone calls between Zardari, former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, and eventually, between General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and the call was traced to Hyderabad, but for some time, the hoax calls drove India and Pakistan to brink of war. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a change in administration has helped Pakistan. A few days ago, Pakistan once again became the laughing stock of the world, making headlines in India, Israel, the United States, and more, when Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif read a piece of fake news and responded to it in his official status on Twitter by threatening Israel with nuclear weapons. https://twitter.com/KhawajaMAsif/status/812370140507545600 https://twitter.com/Israel_MOD/status/812662633686069248 Perhaps, if Asif was the minister of agriculture or minister of sports, his mistake could be forgiven, but for a defense minister to threaten another nation with nuclear power over a piece of fake news is unforgivable. Where was our defense minister’s intelligence? Does he, like other members of the government, not get briefed by security agencies? Does he do his job based on what he reads on social media? Also, why is Pakistan so quick to speak of nuclear weapons, like the stupid unemployed man who can’t feed his family or support himself, but boasts about how well-endowed he is? Our literacy rates are low, unemployment rates are high, our government is corrupt and consisting of unofficial citizens from Panama. We can’t protect our women, children, or minorities, yet we can surely bomb your country to regress to our levels. We are so quick to mock Donald Trump even though we have a Trump on every street corner. No wonder Trump said “he loves Pakistan” in that viral video. After all, he has plenty in common with our own leadership.

BBC’s Revolting: The Real Housewives of ISIS skit has earned mixed reviews across social media, from praise to explosive anger. The video is a brilliant and hilarious piece of satire. It takes aim, not only at lowbrow reality shows like Big Brother but at the United Kingdom’s growing radicalisation problem, where, over the years, a large number of young Muslims have travelled through Turkey to Syria and Iraq to join the world’s most infamous terrorist group. Inexplicably, a fair percentage of these Muslims happen to be British women, ranging from girls in their late teens to early 20s, who leave behind perfectly good families without giving an indication towards their radicalisation, carrying a naïve and romantic view of a new world. To them, the foreign Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters aren’t terrorists but freedom fighters, and have rock star status despite their well-documented horrific actions. Soon after arrival, many of them are hit with reality; ISIS isn’t as glamorous as they had been brainwashed into believing. Married off from one fighter to the next, they don’t have the daring lives they had imagined, but instead are turned into baby-makers tasked with taking care of their families while under strict rule. It is speculated that those disenchanted with their new lives have their social media accounts taken over in order to recruit new brides and have no access to their own passports. Escape is strictly discouraged. Some, like 17-year-old jihadi bride Samra Kesinovic, were reportedly beaten to death when found attempting to leave, while others, like 17-year-old Kadiza Sultana, were killed in airstrikes. Kadiza, of course, made international headlines when she, alongside two other young women from London, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum, fled without warning to join ISIS. The trio were said to have been recruited by Scottish Jihadi bride Aqsa Mahmood, who uses social media to target impressionable young women intoxicated by ‘jihadi girl power’. Under the guise of humour, Revolting: The Real Housewives of ISIS sends a message across to young women thinking of joining the terrorist group. It might seem obvious, and some even argue that these new recruits deserve their fate, but the message is important in order to nip the issue in the bud. Yes, teenagers can be naive, but that’s what makes them teenagers. Rather predictably, the Muslim world has reacted with anger to the video. The biggest argument from our keyboard warriors is that it is insulting to Muslims and their religion. My question is, how? The video never mentions Muslims or Islam. In fact, the satire only takes aim at ISIS. Wasn’t the main argument from Muslims that ISIS doesn’t represent them or Islam? If that’s the case, then why take it so personally? Perhaps they are taking ownership of the fact that ISIS fighters are Muslim. This is the first step towards reformation. However, we can’t have our cake and eat it too. If we deny ISIS as Muslims, then we can’t claim the video is offensive to our religion - because their actions are offensive to our religion. Of course, religious people lacking a sense of humour or being overly sensitive isn’t a new phenomenon, and it points to a major issue that is deeply ingrained. It starts from childhood when kids are taught that their religion is superior, they must spread it, to judge those who don’t do things the way they do, and how God has a special punishment for rule-breakers. This air of superiority leads to thin skin, a combination which results in a terribly low threshold for humour. The bad-tempered hypersensitivity is why property is destroyed in violent demonstrations across the Muslim world when an amateur video or cartoon is published. Yes, the works that offend Muslims are often in bad taste, but the reaction is as disproportionate as a man burning his own house down because a stranger on the North Pole apparently said something mean about him. It is also why skits like Revolting: The Real Housewives of ISIS lead to a meltdown on Twitter. https://twitter.com/LaloDagach/status/816695636309540865 https://twitter.com/ozhassan/status/817079959164506113 https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/817304159070326784 Curiously enough, actual atrocities by ISIS don’t lead to similar demonstrations; instead a finger is pointed at Western nations for not expressing more sorrow for the attack. Similarly, problems like honour killings, murders, rapes, persecution of minorities are either ignored or painted as Western conspiracies. Those who highlight such issues are attacked as well. Playing a role in this is the regressive-left of the West. So intent on appearing open-minded, that they validate and enable concepts that fly in the fact of their own values. My message to them is that they aren’t helping. Instead, they are only adding to this sense of victimhood culture and superiority. It’s a bubble that can’t grow forever. And when it splatters, everyone will be in the firing line.

Salman Haider, Ahmad Waqas Goraya, Asim Saeed, Ahmed Raza Naseer, and Samar Abbas have disappeared in the space of days. Some, like Haider, who happened to be a poet, writer, professor, and an editor at the fiercely outspoken publication Tanqeed, and Abbas, who stood as the leader of Civil Progressive Alliance Pakistan, were more prominent. Others, such as Goraya, Saeed, and Naseer kept lower profiles but were known among some as activists on social media. Upon their disappearance, there was outrage in both Pakistan and international circles. In a country known as one of the most dangerous for free thinkers such as journalists and activists, the incidents were frightening. The first question that sprang to mind is who is behind their disappearance? To answer that, let’s look at the common threads. All of these men were apparently critical of the government, the growing level of the religious radicalisation in Pakistan, and of the military. To start with, it would be difficult to believe it is the government. This would be like believing a monkey has started riding a bicycle. I mean, it could happen, but it’s also highly implausible. It’s also difficult to imagine it was religious zealots. The efficiency and chillingly organised nature with which all five men disappeared is beyond the capabilities of common extremists. For one, some of these men had just returned from overseas. For the other, the common zealot would not have been aware of the pages they may have been running in secrecy. Interestingly and perhaps equally alarmingly, there has been a backlash. It is clearly an organised attempt at changing public opinion. In what is an old pattern, a vicious social media campaign against the abductees began on Twitter. The old signs were there. The character assassination, powered by identical tweets from dozens of different accounts simultaneously started a snowball effect. Anyone who has seen it happen before can recognise the patterns. These professional elements with fake Twitter profiles usually start the opening over of the match with a combination of keywords like ‘blasphemer’, ‘Indian agent’, ‘anti-Pakistan’, ‘anti-Army’, ‘atheist’, and ‘anti-Islam’ amongst others. The accusations are all unsubstantiated, all often sporting the same spelling mistakes, pointing to a symptom of copy and paste. But it takes little to fire up our imbecilic ignoramuses, whether online or on the streets, who are easily triggered by such phrases without bothering to do their own checks and lacking the intellect to interpret words taken out of context. Once the snowball is rolling and the mob has raised its pitchforks, the fire starters draw back into the shadows, letting the mob mentality do the work for them. As far as the activists are concerned, the snowball has now turned into a rolling mountain, with frostiness spread to television. Just recently, someone who claimed to be a family member of one of the missing came on TV to hurl the sort of accusations at his own family member that will get you killed in Pakistan. One of the guests, our brightest star for human rights, Jibran Nasir was also the target of these accusations, and could only watch bemused. Many of our keyboard warriors are now are calling for heads of these activists, so easily are they played like a piano. Let’s say that these men did break laws, then why haven’t they been arrested and tried? For those behind their abductions, it seems like a trial in the public court is a far more a pressing matter than a trial in the court of law. I have bigger concerns with our bloodthirsty public. Why are we so thin-skinned? Why must we fight words with violence? Perhaps more disturbing is that these pages that allegedly were run by the activists who did not have more than a moderate following. It seems that scripture was used once again as a weapon by the mighty to sway the easily swayed public. The ones who simply can’t be spoken against, weren’t bothered by anti-radicalisation activism, but certainly used that as an excuse to silence chatter against them, themselves. This isn’t a new story, and it only fans further the flames of radicalisation. What’s also bothersome is that while five activists who only harmlessly shared their opinions have disappeared, far more dangerous men walk freely in Pakistan, campaigning as they please. Have a look: https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/819552897105096706 https://twitter.com/alisalmanalvi/status/819170368736862209 https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/818992654025363456 https://twitter.com/SaeedShah/status/819073890139930624 https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/813515555714007040 https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/814407574598647808 https://twitter.com/YawarOfficial/status/819422525193121792 https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/804404400156512256 https://twitter.com/bilalfqi/status/809885095033245696 https://twitter.com/SalaarOfficial/status/819807202881867776 https://twitter.com/soniahassan50/status/815980172377780224 Clearly, these five abducted activists were the most dangerous men walking the streets of Pakistan. Where are our priorities?

Yet another tour of Pakistan to the continent of Australia has ended badly. After a good Test series in England, followed by achieving the number one Test ranking, they have been outplayed in the ODIs in England, New Zealand, Australia, and of course, the Test matches in New Zealand and Australia. There is a lot of blame being placed on the shoulders of Misbahul Haq for the losses in these last two Test series and for good reason. At the same time, cricket is a team game, and as the abysmal performances in the ODIs prove, there is only so much a captain can do. Gone are the days of Imran Khan, when one man could galvanise a playing 11 into utilising their innate skills and performing miracles. The game has changed, as obvious from the out-of-touch Imran Khan’s comments when he takes the time out from his busy political life to talk about a match. His thoughts seem straight out of the 90s, and as the new coach Mickey Arthur said, so does that of the team itself. Cricket has grown more sophisticated, especially in ODIs, where every ball counts. Watch footage of a game from the early 90s and you’ll be surprised to see batsmen perfectly happy to let dozens of innocuous deliveries pass harmlessly outside of their off stumps without any reason as if it were a Test match. In that age, with Pakistan’s talent and untamed aggression, it was possible to hustle the team with pure firepower. Today, every team plays the same brand of cricket, except with more finesse. Every team has a Saeed Anwar on top, a great batsman like Inzamamul Haq in the middle order, a wicket-keeper like Moin Khan followed by a Shahid Afridi and an Abdul Razzaq in the late order to blast some extra runs. Except these players are polished, play in harmony, are professional, and more consistent than our former superstars. Meanwhile, Pakistan has regressed. With natural talent no longer shining through, we aren’t (with all due respect to the African side) even a sure bet against Zimbabwe. This is why from India to New Zealand, Pakistan is depressingly outmatched in ODIs. Of course, while the captain isn’t the only one to blame, he should take his share. Misbah has always been a defensive captain. When push comes to shove, he regresses into his shell, perfectly happy to fire mortar shells from a distance with the shields up. Let’s not forget that this strategy has served him incredibly well, at least in Test cricket. He brought respectability to Pakistan after Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir added disgrace with the betting scandal. On the deadest pitches of the United Arab Emirates, Misbah’s old-school game of attrition proved too much for touring side after touring side. What’s more, in England, in admittedly less than hostile conditions, he secured an excellent 2-2 tie in the Test series. But Misbah’s style of leadership did not translate to ODIs. Had it not been for his defensive mind-set, Pakistan may have performed better in each of the World Cups he participated in. In Australia in particular, Misbah stocked the team with batsmen and would only attack when push came to shove. Against Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals, the counter-punch came too late. Even the Test matches played in Australia and New Zealand, where only attacking cricket prevails, Misbah came up short. Yasir Shah’s poor field placements – as much as the leg spinner wants to take the blame himself - are purely Misbah’s fault. On the other hand, I feel sorrier for Azhar Ali. While his leadership has admittedly lacked inspiration, it’s easier to lead a Test side with two excellent batsmen like Younis Khan and Misbah (neither of whom have the mental alignment for modern ODI cricket anyway), especially because Test cricket can still be won with a traditional mind-set. Azhar, meanwhile, leads a team of ‘have been and never were’. I believe that both men, Azhar and Misbah should be replaced immediately by Sarfaraz Ahmed. When Azhar was initially made captain, sadly at the recommendation of Misbah who wasn’t a good ODI captain and shouldn’t have been given weight, I called foul. Sarfaraz was the younger man with a more modern cricketing nature. Clearly, replacing Misbah with Misbah Junior wasn’t a good idea, as Azhar has proven. One good thing came out of Azhar’s appointment, and it’s his batting, which has improved by leaps and bounds due to the responsibility. Pakistan has always had a problem with openers and Azhar has shown himself to be more than competent. Replacing Azhar with Sarfaraz will be an easier decision for the management than replacing Misbah with the wicketkeeper-batsman in the longer format. I have a feeling that the 42-year-old Pakistani captain wants to stay on till the West Indies tour to achieve a historic victory for his side in the friendlier conditions and go out in style. I would personally love to see Msibah play under Sarfaraz for his final tour, but if a man who has taken Pakistan cricket from the depths of hell to dignity wants to have one final hurrah, then there is no harm in it, especially considering how his style of captaincy will work in the Caribbean. That being said, Sarfaraz should be readied as the next skipper. Giving him Azhar’s job is the first step. The bigger and more difficult step is reforming the Pakistan domestic system so that a flashy player has a team to choose from that belongs in 2017. Unfortunately, Inzamam, who was a mediocre leader on the field, has other ideas as the chief selector. According to a report, he has recommended that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan to appoint Sarfaraz Ahmed as ODI captain and Azhar Ali to replace Misbah as Test captain, after Sarfaraz leads the Test side during the West Indies Test series. The reliable PCB source said,

“Inzamam has conveyed to PCB Chairman and other high officials about some radical changes needed in the national team set-up following the disastrous tour to New Zealand and Australia. It has been decided in principle that Misbah would be advised to announce his retirement after the Test series against the West Indies as captain while Younis would also be advised to call it a day after he completes 10,000 Test runs in the three Tests in the West Indies. But Sarfaraz will be appointed as the captain of the one-day squad before the West Indies tour in addition to his responsibility as captain of the T20 side.”

The latest news is that the World Cup opener Nasir Jamshed has been arrested alongside a bookie by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) in London. By the time this blog is published, one can only imagine what other new developments will have taken place. As is now common knowledge, Sharjeel Khan and Khalif Latif are already in hot water. There are also suspicions casted on other players, including Mohammad Irfan, who is currently under investigation. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Nasir Jamshed.
Photo : BCCI[/caption] I would normally take anything the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says with a grain of salt, but PCB official Najam Sethi is adamant that the evidence is damning. It certainly seems to be so with the arrest of the former Pakistani opener in the United Kingdom. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sharjeel Khan struck 16 fours and 9 sixes in his innings.
Photo: AFP[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Khalid Latif (L) playing for Pakistan against England.
Photo: AFP[/caption] So the question is, how did we get here, again? Who is to blame? How did these cricketers not learn their lesson after Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir became a national embarrassment? [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Salman Butt plays a shot in a domestic tournament.
Photo: AFP[/caption] Well, clearly, the corrupt are to be blamed primarily, but it’s time we took some of the blame onto ourselves. We are an emotional nation; our thought process is dictated more by sentiment than reason. The fixing scandal has hit Pakistan in a big way at least three times, and not once has this cancer been treated in a surgical manner. And the problem lies with us. When Pakistan loses, we call for the heads of everyone involved with the team, and when Pakistan wins, there is disproportionate joy. Take for example how the local Twitter sphere reacted when the tourists won the second One Day International (ODI) Down Under. Pakistanis berated Ian Chappell for suggesting that their team not be invited back, sadly letting one ODI victory wash over three Test losses. That this joy was disproportionate became evident when Pakistan lost the rest of the games in the series. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Cricket Australia[/caption] Unfortunately, it isn’t just the fans, but Pakistani sports writers as well, who fall victim to sentiment. I recall when I questioned the hero worship Wasim Akram was always receiving, a couple of sports writers grew offended and asked me on private message not to raise the subject. This brush-it-under-the-rug attitude is exactly why we keep returning to this position. Let’s look at things factually. Wasim Akram was accused of match-fixing by several fellow cricketers. One of them, Ataur Rehman actually testified against him in court. Later, reports started to appear that Rehman was being pressured by threats of violence, and he recanted his testimony. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Wasim Akram.
Photo: AFP[/caption] Justice Qayyum headed an inquiry into the corruption and banned Salim Malik as well as poor Ataur Rehman – a bowler with a terrible record who was apparently picked angrily by the captain over the selectors for only one imaginable reason. He also fined Akram but didn’t take stricter action. Later, he explained:

“For Wasim, I had some soft corner for him. He was a very great player, a very great bowler and I was his fan, and therefore that thing did weigh with me. Two things – one, I didn’t want that the cricket should be deprived of his participation, and the other was that I didn’t want that towards the end of his career... he should be banned or something like that. My idea was not to find people guilty and then punish them. It was more of a case where I had to do something to put an end to the practice in future. What had happened had happened. You couldn’t turn the clock back but you had to make sure they wouldn’t repeat what they were doing.”

In Pakistan, we are all used to seeing overcrowded minibuses force miserable commuters to travel standing because they are carrying customers beyond capacity. And when the vehicles are crammed to the point where it is impossible to fit anyone else inside, they dangerously accommodate passengers on top. People only travel like this because they don’t have a choice and are helpless. Of all the ways Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has mistreated its customers over the years, I never thought it would force passengers to travel like they would on a minibus. Yet on January 20, 2017, PIA flight PK-743 forced seven paying customers to stand for a three-hour journey after overselling tickets. Over the years, the national airline has certainly used its monopoly to push customers as far as it can. But before we get into this incident, here is a recap of PIA’s other recent abuses of its customers, from drunken pilots, to blackmailing passengers who posted pictures of PIA food with fungus, to a pilot who refused to fly for two hours until a sandwich was delivered to him from a hotel. As far as I am concerned, this is a new height (or low) for PIA. If you think about it, the return airfare between Karachi and Madina is around Rs50,000. Don’t customers, at the very least, deserve to fly comfortably for their hard-earned money? Imagine standing on a flight for three hours. Sadly, this goes beyond comfort. One can’t even fly on any other normal airline without being constantly reminded to stay seated, and during moments of turbulence have their seat-belt fastened. Even if the weather is clear and no instability is encountered, at the very least, during take-off and landing it is imperative for passengers to stay secure. During either take-off/landing or through turbulence, a passenger who is not seated or is not seated securely is at risk of serious injury or even death. This is no exaggeration. It was just recently reported that on an Air Canada trip where turbulence was encountered, several passengers were seriously injured only because they didn’t fasten their seat-belts. When the plane landed in an emergency, these people were carried off in stretchers. It is reported that those affected actually went flying because they had ignored simple safety precautions. Meanwhile, we have PIA here, flying passengers who were forced to stand. Imagine if PK-743 had run into a storm or encountered any other kind of irregular weather. What would the fate of those passengers have been? This aside, these people also didn’t have access to oxygen masks either like other passengers. What’s more, they were crowding passageways creating further safety risks. I can’t imagine the frustration faced not only by these passengers, but their fellow passengers as well. I also can’t comprehend the pain of making extensive travel arrangements, especially in a busy city like Karachi, only to be told that you were mistakenly sold a ticket. I used to travel frequently between Lahore and Karachi a few years ago and PIA flights were a nightmare. On one occasion, one-third of our aircraft was without air-conditioning, making the situation insufferable and especially hazardous for senior citizens. On another instance, our flight was delayed by two hours because we were waiting for an engine part to arrive so we could it carry to Lahore. In yet another instance, the flight was cancelled without warning and passengers were kept in the dark. In all three episodes, the PIA employees treated us like dirt, not even bothering to apologise or having the courtesy to provide refreshments to passengers sweltering in the heat. As far as this incident goes, according to news reports, ‘the pilot, senior purser and traffic staffers’ are refusing to take responsibility for the possibly criminal negligence and are passing the blame on to each other, which is not surprising. Other sources indicate that officials ignored the proper protocol of returning to the airport to disembark the extra passengers in order to save on fuel costs. Glad to see that as far as PIA is concerned, the bottom line is more important than the lives of paying customers. Unless the government starts pressing criminal charges against the guilty, and guts this bloated organisation like a fish, the national airlines will continue to be a source of vexation and humiliation for the country. As far as things stand, with few other decent options, customers are left at PIA’s mercy, much like travellers on a minibus. I wouldn’t be surprised to see PIA strapping customers on top of the plane with oxygen tanks to keep them company in the near future. Perhaps some employees will be hanging from the door as well, chewing on paan.

The 89^th Academy Awards are over, and after an embarrassing mix-up during the ‘Best Picture’ winner announcement, the Twitterati are at it again, terming it a conspiracy. https://twitter.com/ChloeHughes92/status/836154438024904704 https://twitter.com/foppish_dandy/status/836101962512879616 https://twitter.com/beastmodejireh/status/836102069249441792 Amusingly, it always seems to be easier for us to believe it is a collusion (though admittedly, conspiracies are more fun) than believe in the fortunate and unfortunate happenstances of life. Well, just because the dog meows like a cat, doesn’t make it any less a dog… though that sounds like a fun mutt. On that un-segue-able note, here are five reasons why the mix-up wasn’t possibly staged: 1. Warren Beatty says him and co-presenter Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope While Beatty seemed to have noticed that the envelope he was handed was for the ‘Best Actress’ category, where Emma Stone won for her role in La La Land, Dunaway noticed the name of the film, and ran with it in the heat of the moment. Later, Beatty clarified that ‘Emma Stone, La La Land’ was written on the card, explaining why he stared at the actress in confusion rather than go ahead with the announcement. https://twitter.com/asrulmm/status/836121395838930947 https://twitter.com/SandyraN4/status/836118866946375681 2. Very few in the Academy are privy to the names of the winners Neither the host Jimmy Kimmel, nor any of the presenters or guests knew who would win. In fact, the winners don’t know either. This is why it took minutes rather than seconds to get across to the stage manager that the incorrect winner had been announced. Once Kimmel and company became aware, they were left sheepish to say the least. Who are these mysterious secret keepers? Well, the accountants, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) know, and as soon as they realised an error had occurred their officials passed the message to the stage manager. Of course, by then, the horse had bolted from the stable and was galloping around the stadium. Here is the official statement from PWC: https://twitter.com/BBCBreaking/status/836133988708335617 3. Yes, there are at least two envelopes Emma Stone added to the confusion when she said that she was holding the ‘Best Actress’ envelope, in an ill-advised statement. But in reality, there are at least two of the same envelopes, which would explain the confusion. This was confirmed by previous Oscar winners such as Michael Moore. It was also confirmed by PWC in an article dating February 10^th:

“The producers decide what the order of the awards will be. We each have a full set. I have all 24 envelopes in my briefcase; Martha has all 24 in hers. We stand on opposite sides of the stage, right off-screen, for the entire evening, and we each hand the respective envelope to the presenter. It doesn’t sound very complicated, but you have to make sure you’re giving the presenter the right envelope.”

Amna, a 35-year-old from the Mingora part of Swat and 26-year-old Meeno from Peshawar were killed in Saudi Arabia this week in police custody. The death of any prisoner at the hands of law enforcement is already disturbing as it is, but these two were allegedly tortured to death. Alongside 33 others, they were arrested, placed inside sacks, and beaten, and beaten, and then beaten some more until the two succumbed to their injuries. Imagine being helpless, alone, inside a dark claustrophobic sack, and struck on the body and head with canes and kicks until dying painfully. There is very little that would justify such a gruesome death. Were they murderous criminals? No. Were they terrorists who had killed others mercilessly? Wrong again. Their crime, sadly, was a crime they had been committing since they were born in the eyes of hard-line Islamists; they belonged to the transgender community. They had offended the Wahabi-minded extremists enforcing draconian interpretations of Islam by wearing female clothes, because they gender identified as women. Imagine being born as a transgender, enduring abuse and sexual harassment all your life, having limited education and job options throughout your life, and dying by torture at the very end of a life cut woefully short. Transgender rights activist Qamar Naseem has been rightly left disgusted by the murder. He said,

“Torturing humans after throwing them into bags and beating them with sticks is inhumane.”

“No one is there to save them as the life of a transgender is not of any value to anyone, not even for our own government.”

“Gender fluid people are treated badly, sometimes flogged, and if someone is arrested on the same law for a second time they can be executed.”

Prejudice has flown through Pakistani society across generations. We have held open biases against ethnicities that aren’t our own, against women, against religious minorities, against those of a different sexual orientation, and of course, against people with darker skin tones. The latter is especially common, even today. For example, our film, advertising, and modelling industry features very few artists who don’t have light skin. In fact, there is so much pressure in Pakistan that skin whitening creams are advertised and sold to reinforce every other stupid potential mother-in-law’s view that their son, regardless of his skin tone, should marry a girl with a fairer complexion. These indefensibly grotesque views, thankfully, are evolving for the better with each passing generation. At the age of 36, I meet Pakistanis close to my age or younger who reject these warped inclinations, as evident from the choices they happily make in their lives. But certainly, most of us have had to fight these views in some manner growing up. Yes, we all have at least one cousin, uncle, aunt, parent or grandparent who still carries casual or openly aggressive prejudice. Because our generation has had to combat these views so consistently for decades from numerous quarters, we have understandably grown sensitive to the issue. Recently, a clip of Imran Khan blasting the government for holding the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore in light of recent terrorist activities has gone viral, where he mocks them for attracting “phateechar” (low-class) players instead of top-flight talent. [fbvideo link="https://www.facebook.com/HassamSajjadOfficial/videos/278231379256548/"][/fbvideo] In particular, there is an unsavoury portion where he says,

“The rest of these phateechar railoo khatay players were going to come anyway. [Heck], I don’t even know any of their names [who have been paraded by the government] as foreign players. It almost feels like they [the government] picked some from here, some from Africa to say ‘look we have foreign players’.”

“He has no political enmity with the foreign players. There is nothing to gain by berating them – not judging them for the content of their character but by the colour of their skin. Martin Lurther King Jr would be turning in his grave. According to Imran’s logic, a player does not qualify to be foreign if he is darker than Imran. The Punjab government has shown that racial profiling is not beneath them and the PML-N ministers have often targeted certain ethnicites, associating their ethnicity with their terrorism.”

“I don’t know any of these foreign players, I have not even heard their names – the government seems to have grabbed someone from Africa and said look it is a foreign player”.

“The rest of these phateechar railoo khatay players were going to come anyway. [Heck], I don’t even know any of their names [who have been paraded by the government] as foreign players. It almost feels like they [the government] picked some from here, some from Africa to say ‘look we have foreign players’.”

“From a purely semantic point of view, Africa does qualify as being foreign for Pakistan but in Imran’s colonised mind only the white overlord would qualify as foreign. Ironically the only player from Africa was Sean Ervine from Zimbabwe, who is white.”

“Chris Jordan plays for England – a country Imran would know well as he visits often and bows his head to our British colonial overlords. Maybe Imran should have looked up his name before assuming every black person is from Africa. At a time when the entire country was showing their gratitude to the entire West Indian contingent, particularly Darren Sammy, the megalomania filled mind of Imran was just looking at how dark their skin colour was and dismissing them as phateechar. A two time T20 world cup winning captain is a phateechar player because he looks like he is from Africa in Imran’s world. When you are ready to compromise on your fundamental sense of decency and humanity just to gain the least bit of political capital and hope for support by appealing the lowest common denominator in all of us then you know that you have truly lost all sense of your ideals.”

It may seem disingenuous of me to criticise another writer for employing ‘click-bait’. When I contribute to The Express Tribune Blogs, I do suggest attractive titles for my pieces designed to earn reader interest. After all, aside from publishing well-written pieces every editor wants to boost traffic numbers on their publication, while every writer wants their work read. But the difference between an eye-catching title and pure click-bait is like the difference between mixing a few spoons of sugar into your tea versus adding the contents of an entire sugar mill. After all, aside from publishing well-written pieces every editor wants to boost traffic numbers on their publication, while every writer wants their work read. But the difference between an eye-catching title and pure click-bait is like the difference between mixing a few spoons of sugar into your tea versus adding the contents of an entire sugar mill. Recently, a heavily editorialised report by Daily Pakistan made waves across the country when it suggested that Pakistani human and labour rights activist, Syeda Ghulam Fatima, founder of the NGO Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF), had misappropriated the 2.3 million USD in funds, raised by the world-famous photo blogging page, Humans of New York (HONY). Starting with the incendiary title, “Remember Pakistan’s ‘Harriet Tubman’ who got $2.3 million from Humans of New York? This is what she has done with it”, the piece cross-stitched half-truths and incomplete information into an article that suited the publication’s agenda. Using the absence of evidence as evidence of grave crimes, the article drew conclusions on a shaky foundation, in a manner highly reminiscent of untrustworthy sources such as Donald Trump’s favourite Breitbart. The article implied that just because Fatima had offered very little cooperation to Daily Pakistan (and let’s face it, why should she offer intimate details of her organisation to a publication that publishes vile pieces like this one). Furthermore, it stated that she had ‘swept under the rug’ funds donated for ‘liberating bonded slaves and the eradication of bonded labour’. The allegations were startling, especially because there was nothing to support them. Consider this: Fatima is a woman fighting for the rights of the voiceless, opposing powerful businessmen, and has been threatened, shot at, beaten, and electrocuted for her cause. If she was unwilling to cooperate with a tabloid, she was well within her rights. But now, in light of recent reports from Dawn and The Express Tribune, these allegations read nothing short of disgusting. According to Dawn, the money is accounted for. What’s more, after explaining the money trail, Brandon Stanton of HONY himself vouched for the activist’s character,

“I stand behind Fatima’s work and have complete faith in her integrity”.

“Anyone who understands how freeing bonded labour works understands there is a lot of expenditure at play. It is on record that by June 2016 alone, BLLF had rescued 470 labourers, these cases are all officially filed through the high court, that doesn’t account for the many who have continued to be rescued since, but the larger changes to challenge the systematic problems around bonded labour will take years to implement, and anything else would be wasteful”.

“These funds were raised by Brandon Stanton (of Humans of New York). We never invited him. He himself came to Pakistan, met us, did his work, and later told us that he was going to launch fundraising campaign titled, “Help Fatima to End Bonded Labour’”.

“I have not insinuated anything, I have only raised questions”.

“In Pakistan, NGOs receive hefty donations with little or no oversight, with the result that very few projects exist beyond documents and photographs. Neither the government nor the press follows up on these grand projects, and foreign donors are shown lengthy but misleading reports or fabricated photos, in attempts to satisfy them. When some donors insist, they are fobbed off with excuses of “security situation”, and those who swindle these foreign donors are easily let off the hook. It is shameful that, despite the best of intentions, a great campaign and a huge fundraiser, HONY has been unable to put a dent in the slavery situation in Pakistan. If mismanagement and corruption continue unabated, even $2.3 billion will not be enough to alleviate Pakistan’s slavery situation.”

It takes a lot of courage to see a mental health professional. When you enter that room for a one-on-one discussion with your therapist and open up about your burdens, you leave yourself vulnerable. Whenever someone approaches me about mental health issues, and I recommend they see a counsellor, I tell them that the first step is the absolute hardest. But when you schedule that appointment and somehow make it to the rendezvous, and find it in yourself to let your guard down, you cross the biggest and toughest hurdle on the road to better mental health. Of course, this process only works when the person you are working with is a trained professional who follows a code of ethics and provides healing in an environment free of judgment. I am in close touch with the therapist community in Karachi with dozens of friends and acquaintances in the field and am happy to say that there are some excellent mental health professionals operating in the city who can help those in need with the mending they need. That being said, I’ve also heard of a minority of unsafe mental health professionals, which is why I advise people to only seek treatment from those who come with personal recommendations from family and friends. A bad mental health provider can do some damage, but a bad mental health provider who is armed with chemicals rather than words can be downright dangerous. Recently, Faisal Mamsa, who is something of a celebrity thanks to his work on radio and television, raised controversy when he came on FM91’s Analyse It and blatantly slut-shamed women who battle harassment. It was outrageous, and there was instant backlash on social media. https://twitter.com/AbbasAiShah/status/847162215467769857 https://twitter.com/AbbasAiShah/status/847162314826694657 https://twitter.com/AbbasAiShah/status/847162719186898944 I am not surprised by this incident in the least. Recently, I’ve heard from an alarming number of sources that Mamsa is judgmental, a sexist, and doesn’t carry the ingredients of a good mental health care provider. At the same time, in the interest of fairness, I am compelled to share that a friend told me that Mamsa was instrumental in saving his life and is the best amongst the professionals he sought help from. Personally, I’ve had two experiences with Mamsa. The first one was goodish, while the second one was shockingly poor. Six years ago, I was having relationship issues with my father. I had been urging him to take us to a professional to speak of these problems together. Seeing Mamsa on TV, my father finally booked an appointment, which was a breakthrough in itself, considering my father’s stoic nature. The session was pretty good and helped my father and I find common grounds, thanks to Mamsa’s counselling. There was one really odd moment in the middle where Mamsa asked me if I was in a relationship. When I said that I was in a good relationship with my girlfriend, he immediately asked me if we were having sex. Now, this felt completely out of context and almost a little perverse. Even if I am wrong and it was in the right context, it felt out of place considering I was sitting next to my ultra-conservative father, and not in the privacy of a one-on-one session. Regardless, I left with a positive opinion of Mamsa from that sole interaction because of his ability to provide insight, though I was certainly creeped out by that one question. While I can’t say that Mamsa’s session singlehandedly improved our relationship, it did push it in the right direction. Sometime later, I joined a mental health Facebook group helmed by Mamsa. The group had six admins in total, but there was no doubt that it was Mamsa who was calling the shots. At this time, I had been trying to overcome my habits to stress eat (nom nom nom!), so I felt the group could help. On this very group were a number of friends of mine, some of whom happened to be counsellors, while some were psychiatrists in training. When I first entered the group, I was pleased to be a part of it. I even told Mamsa on the group that it was a pleasure to absorb educational material on mental health. But gradually I was startled by Mamsa’s harshly judgmental and sexist attitude. A number of friends shared that others had similar worries. As I said, a mental health professional that projects from their own unresolved issues and prescribes brain altering chemicals can be dangerous. Just how dangerous? I was about to find out when I discovered that Mamsa was paranoid and resorted to gaslighting when questioned. Someone with numerous complaints about Mamsa saw her long post deleted. When she posted about it, that post was deleted also. I brought up these concerns and the next thing I knew, my post was also deleted. One day, a potential patient posted on the Facebook group in obvious pain. The patient was clearly in grief and suffering from suicidal thoughts and it seemed like their life was on the line. Mamsa offered this patient a session. Sometime later, however, the patient did not show and Mamsa blasted him on the group for wasting his time without an ounce of empathy. In my view, the patient wasn’t in the right mental condition to make sound decisions, or was possibly dead, but it didn’t seem like Mamsa was able to look beyond his own ego. A mental health professional was startled by Mamsa’s behaviour and posted on the group, but his posted was deleted as well. Then came the removals. People who had legitimate questions about Mamsa’s behaviour had already seen themselves mysteriously kicked out of the group. What followed was a comical post from Mamsa claiming someone had hacked the group, was removing members, and that Mamsa was investigating. He further said that everyone removed would be added immediately. Of course, this never came to pass. Sometime later, the two of us (me and a friend) who questioned these events, were kicked out too. But then it got worse. Another friend of mine shared on her Facebook wall (without naming anyone) that she was disturbed by what had happened in a Facebook group. She had neither named Mamsa nor the group. I added my concerns to her post as well, again without naming anyone or the group. Surprisingly, not only did Mamsa stalk her wall (perhaps to see what people were saying about him), but berated us in private messages as well. In the interest of clarity, I am sharing all the conversation I’ve had with Mamsa one-on-one here. Note: I never said anything bad about the group. I was expressing my grievances. I also never asked my friend to join the group to take my side, as he had been added before the controversy. Once again, it seemed like an attempt at gaslighting. I had earlier contacted him about setting up an appointment for my stress eating. He used that in a rather amusing attempt to gaslight me. It was pretty clear what he was trying to do, but I was later horrified by the thought that someone in a more vulnerable position than me could have easily been manipulated, especially if placed on a concoction of medication. What’s disturbing about this is the abuse of power. Mamsa clearly didn’t remember me, but was using his position of authority to put me down. This was a pattern. Others with complaints against him on the group had been similarly gaslighted. I admit that I was irritated by him at this point. No, I was never added back to the group, and no that ‘hacker’ was never discovered. I personally do not have anything against Mamsa, but coupled with the radio incident, I am concerned about those whom he prescribes medication to. If you are seeking mental help, then do not hesitate to take the first step. It can change your life for the better. But certainly do your homework on your health care provider before taking the plunge.

Had the United Airlines controversy occurred a few decades ago, it wouldn’t have even made a drop in the ocean. But in the year 2017, everyone is armed with a smart device, and any unusual incident can be instantly shared across the world by bystanders on social media through posts, pictures and even live video. The controversy involving the forceful expulsion of Dr David Dao from United Airlines quickly trended on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms. Everyone was shocked to see how brutally the elderly doctor was dragged off the ‘overbooked’ flight by security personnel after he refused to ‘volunteer’ his seat. Initial footage showed him bleeding slightly with his shirt pulled up to his chest as he was taken off the plane like livestock struggling to avoid slaughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dASATLLvGRM Video that trended later showed him coming back on to the plane, bleeding profusely from the mouth, repeatedly saying, “Just kill me… just kill me… just kill me…” establishing that he wasn’t ready to comply at any cost. Eventually, after a few hours of delay, the plane flew without him, but not before Dr Dao had suffered concussions, a broken nose, and two broken front teeth, requiring serious reconstructive surgery. What exactly did Dr Dao do to deserve the sort of treatment you would perhaps see dealt out to a criminal or even a terrorist not complying with law enforcement? Well, his only offence was to stand up for his rights. Earlier, United Airlines had overbooked the flight by four seats, which it wanted to give to members of its crew so that they could conduct another flight later. Had the management realised this before boarding all the passengers, the whole ugliness could have been avoided. Instead, they seated everyone, boarded their luggage, and then made an announcement that they needed to vacate four seats. Initially, they offered a voucher of $400 and hotel arrangements, but no one took the deal. Then, they upped the sum to $800, but they still had no volunteers. Here, they should have continued improving the offer until someone accepted, or transported their crew by other means, but instead they used a computer to select four seats to vacate. Three of the passengers left with some resentment, but Dr Dao stood his ground, and he had every right to do so. Some have called into question the mental faculties of Dr Dao for resisting so stubbornly, but it’s perhaps because they’ve never been in a situation where they are helplessly facing injustice. Here in Pakistan, many of us have faced unfair scenarios where our rights have been violated. This could be while driving on the road and suddenly having to dangerously make way for a VIP vehicle, finding our car needlessly stuck for hours in the parking lot behind the SUV of someone in the position of privilege, attending a local university and having to deal with incompetent faculty hired only because of their connections, or facing any other form of abuse from someone in a position of power at a government office. And this is what exactly the United Airlines incident was, an abuse of power. In this case, United Airlines could have resolved their mistake in a manner that inconvenienced them more, either by offering higher compensation or by using a more expensive method to transport their staff, but they didn’t because they didn’t have to. Similarly, whenever a person in Pakistan faces injustice from someone in a position of greater strength, it’s because the privileged party is able to get away with it. And when you are on the receiving end of wrongdoing against a more powerful entity, you either swallow your pride, cut your losses and give in, or you resist... your obstinacy only growing stronger with each blow you take. We can all look at what happened and point fingers, but let’s also consider that at the end of the day, there is justice for Dr Dao. The stock of United Airlines has fallen, their brand has become a source of mockery and suffered serious harm, and Dr Dao will eventually earn a settlement worthy of his grievances. On the other hand, let’s look at Pakistan. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has apparently released a few ads boasting about how it would never treat its customers like United Airlines. https://twitter.com/sabena_siddiqi/status/852099130340106240 Well, they should cut the crap! From delaying planes for carrying parts, to employees who smuggle goods, to pilots who delay flights for sandwiches, to seating passengers on toilet seats or forcing them to travel standing, to people fainting because of broken air conditioners, PIA has done it all. But let’s look back at the PIA incident most closely resembling this one, where a passenger, Sara Zafar Malik was handed dangerous fungus-infested food and posted about it on her Facebook account. After her post gained traction (to her surprise), PIA contacted her to offer compensation. When she reasonably suggested being given free ticket, they used that to malign her on their official social media account, and conducted vicious character assassination. Was this any way for an airline to behave, attacking a passenger they had wronged? Well, it was in Pakistan. Sadly, there is no recourse for anyone in the country. If someone stronger than you wants to screw you over, then you don’t have a chance, unless you too can conjure up connections. As far as Dr Dao is concerned, he is to be commended for defying such unfairness, but let’s be honest, he also did so because he was in a country of laws and civil rights. Had a Pakistani faced something like this in Pakistan, nobody would know his name, and those who had crushed him would live to crush more another day.

Since Imran Khan rallied voters to his cause on Election Day on May 11, 2013, selling the promise of real meaningful change for Pakistan in the fight against the status quo, he has fallen from the pedestal in the eyes of many voters. Those who once believed in the former cricket superstar as the person to take the country past its problems have been left disillusioned by multiple problems, the majority of which have been discussed on numerous occasions, including by myself on this blog space. Whenever Imran is in the news on Facebook, a significant portion of the reactions show disdain. That’s because even his most loyal fans are tired of hearing his tired spiel, especially in light of some of his more amusing blunders. While this is certainly understandable, it is also unfortunate, because it has blinded us to the greatest political achievement of his career; the fight against Nawaz Sharif’s family in light of the Panama Papers leaks, which showed unexplained wealth stashed away through companies in the British Virgin Islands. After a few decades of relative prosperity since independence, Pakistan slowly became a victim to corruption. This malaise has now gripped the country. From policemen and mechanics to government employees and civil servants, the disease has spread far and wide. But while some at the bottom of the food pyramid eventually go punished, it is the fat cats at the top who are never brought to justice. Of course, we are speaking of politicians, the majority of whom are notorious for living affluent lifestyles on modest government salaries, thanks to kickbacks and worse. Two of the most infamous symbols of corruption have been Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari. We Pakistanis have a habit of eulogising, so after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was assassinated, it seems like all was forgotten, especially by our media who are particularly sympathetic towards the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for reasons one can’t understand. But the cases against Benazir and her husband are well documented. This includes tens of millions of dollars frozen by the Swiss government in 1997 that was hidden away by the duo as well as $1.5 billion the couple generated through criminal means. Don’t believe me? Here are some excerpts from The New York Times:

“The Geneva magistrate has been conducting a wide-ranging inquiry seeking to account for more than $13.7 million frozen by Swiss authorities last fall. The money was allegedly stashed in Swiss banks by Ms Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Judge Devaud, who indicted three others in the case in June, also asked Pakistan last month to indict Mr Zardari on similar charges. It is unclear if or how soon Pakistani investigators would act on the Swiss request, or even whether Ms Bhutto could be tried for a breach of Swiss law in a Pakistani court. The Swiss request – which concerns a relatively small portion of the vast wealth the Bhuttos have amassed – may be far down on the list of concerns for the Pakistani investigators. Only last week, they brought the first criminal charges against Ms Bhutto in their efforts to track down what they estimate is $1.5 billion the couple received in bribes, kickbacks and commissions in a variety of enterprises.”