Local paper warns of "Iraq-like invasion of Pakistan"

On thursday this week I was at a friend's house when another American called to tell us about an alarming article in the local Dawn news. It was titled: "US plans invasion of Pakistan."

This local reporter, whose name was not given with the article, had just spent a week in the United States. Upon his observances that Pakistan's political situation was the top story on all the major news networks and in all the national papers, he concluded that the United States government was preparing the population to launch a full scale attack on Pakistan. The anonymous correspondant also claimed he had inside information about this upcoming military operation. He claimed that currently the US government is just looking for a general who wants to take on the task of "liberating" Pakistan.

Interesting how he could make such a bold claim after only one week in the US. The article was not on the front page of the paper, and the English could have used a thorough editing from the middle school English teacher, yours truly. Yesterday I had to chance to see this article myself and I proceded to read it aloud to a group of other ex-pats. We had a good laugh, but I was running out of breath due to all the run-on sentences. I couldn't even really make sense of some parts of it due to the poor writing and sentence structures. The mysterious author certainly did not note how the logistics of this attack would work out. Is the US going to pull troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to come over here? Who exactly would be the enemy? The US supplies training and supplies for the Pakistan army. Pakistan is thought to be a staunch ally in the region.

In my opinion, the author of that article could use some further study in politics and grammar.

Watching from the Sidelines

It's been a while since I've been blogging regulary. It seems that since this emergency rule thing started that the net here has become excruciatingly slow. It could just be our provider but you never know.

Many friends have been writing me asking how things are under the "emergency rule." Honestly, things haven't really been much different. Our school was cancelled for one day, but that was just because Benazir Bhutta was under house arrest in the same block. There were mutliple death threats out against her and the security forces had blocked most of the streets leading to the school. After they decided to keep her in house arrest for a while, we just got used to the road blocks and the riot police. I haven't felt any more or less safe than before the emergency was declared.

What I try to explain to people who aren't here in Pakistan is that the political scene here is a game where only the players are involved. Yes, politicians, lawyers, and some journalists were affected by the emergency, but the regular person in Lahore is not. Kids still go to school every day, and people still go to work. Most Pakistanis here amuse themselves by watching the political drama from the sidelines. I just read on www.dawn.com that Nawaz Sharif will be flying into Lahore tomorrow. How does that affect me? Well I will be sure not to drive around near the airport, and I'll be sure to check BBC online to see if he's arrested or shipped off to another country again. Apparently Saudi Arabia isn't taking him back this time.

Northern Areas Trip

Sorry I haven't been posting recently, as internet connection is quite slow here. We just had a week long break from school where we travelled to the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

From Ultar Meadow

We took a day hike to the Ultar Glacier and Ultar Base Camp with Hunza Guides Pakistan, www.hunzaguidespakistan.com

From Karimabad

800 year old Baltit Fort in Karimabad, Hunza Valley

From Minapin

Minapin Village offers stunning views of 7000+meter peaks set in a flower-filled garden. We definitely recommend staying or eating at the Diran Guest House in Minapin.

From Karakoram Hig...

We drove for over 2100km, most of which was on the Karakoram Highway or the "KKH".

Pakistan: A High Stress Country?

I was reading the BBC and found a quite accurate description of life in Pakistan.

Humour - Pakistan-style
The BBC Urdu service's Masud Alam in Islamabad tries to see the funny side of life in Pakistan, where humour allows a country in crisis to let off steam.

"Pakistan is a high-stress country.

Tensions rose in Islamabad after July's mosque siege.

Its population has to contend with long power cuts at home, various types of discrimination and injustice in the work place and routine humiliation at the hands of security officials on their own streets - and at airports all over the Western world.

There's always the possibility of a lunatic blowing himself up in a busy market, a park or a mosque. Or one can get caught in cross-fire between uniformed and civilian gunmen, and not know who to run away from.

Hot weather, pollution, rich and spicy food, an abundance of sexual desire - and no way of satisfying it - only add to the strain on already volatile tempers.

If this society is still functional then it's all down to "comic relief" which, thankfully, is in no short supply in the Islamic republic."

Read the rest here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6984262.stm

Just yesterday two women were found beheaded by tribesmen in NWFP. Notes were left with their bodies accusing them of prositution. Next week nobody is quite sure who will be in charge of the government. High stress is a good way to describe the situation! I have to read the news every day at least twice to see if anything dramatic has happened. At the same time, if I didn't read the news life would be going on just as it always does here. Wake up early, go to school, come home, visit with friends. Without the news we likely wouldn't even know about the chaos, political and otherwise, happening right here. It definitely makes our lives a little more exciting. School things happen in the same way as the government. We go there every day not knowing exactly what our schedule will be, what classes we will teach, or even if the students will be there or not. Last minute field trips and schedule changes don't seem to be out of the ordinary, and when we finally think we're almost getting some sort of a groove with the timetable, Ramadan is going to start. That means everything has to change again! There also might be elections coming up and formerly ousted political leaders might try to come back to our city. I'm wondering if this will affect school or transportation at all. As everyone seems to like saying here: "Let's see what happens."

Sixty Years After Partition

This coming tuesday will be Pakistan's 60th anniversary of independence. If you're not familiar with the birth of Pakistan, the partition that led to the largest mass migration in history, or the sixty years of political turmoil that has followed - the BBC has some great news archives and articles.

Pakistan's and India's independence in 1947 is bittersweet. Despite ousting the colonial power of the British, one of the bloodiest episodes in the subcontinents history followed the drawing of the borders. Basically, a British man who had little knowledge of India just drew a line right down the middle of the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Many Muslims were left on the 'wrong' side of the line in India, and many Hindus and Sikhs were left on the Pakistani side of the line. Families' farmlands were even cut in town between the two new countries. Mothers and fathers were separated from their children on the opposite side of the line. In the ensuing violence between 10 and 15 million people left all they had and fled for their lives to the other side of the line. Many lived in refugee camps along the way, where women were rounded up at night, gang raped and deposited back at the camp at morning. Entire trains of migrants were torched and many of those fleeing had their arms and legs chopped off by marauders. The blame lay not with only the Muslims in Pakistan against the Hindus and Sikhs, or with the Indian Hindus against the Muslims, but both sides seemed to be equally violent towards the other.

Personally, I am not sure whether August 14th should be a national day of celebration or of mourning and repentence.

See BBC News articles here:

Pakistan's political history: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6940148.stm

Sixty bitter years after partition: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6926057.stm

Partitioning India over lunch: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6926464.stm

Quick Guide: Partition: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6924732.stm