Pak Tea House » Opinion » Life in a Failing State
Life in a Failing State
By Hazel Kahan:
I recently returned from Pakistan, a sentimental journey to Lahore, the place I was born and which I hadn’t seen for 40 years. Providentially timed, it coincided with the brief lull after the assassinations of the politicians Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti and the furor over Raymond Davis’s espionage activities but before last month’s killing of Osama bin Laden. I’ve come home to hear Pakistan castigated as an untrustworthy and ambivalent partner undeserving of the billions of dollars of American aid it has received since 2002.
“What do you think about Lahore? Can you believe how much it’s changed?” I was asked over and over again there, as my friends listed the traffic, the crowds, the new subdivisions, the restaurants, the box stores. Yes, of course (I’ve changed too in 40 years), but really their question was rhetorical. They were telling me how their Lahore has changed, how it has been transformed from the green and pleasant place of my youth, a place of order and predictability, still basking in the afterglow of the British Raj, where we worried about contracting dysentery from improperly washed fruit or about being jostled by hideously mutilated beggars in the bazaar.
Today, home, sweet home requires high walls and iron gates, reinforced by fierce dogs and quasi-uniformed men. Today, my Lahore and theirs has grown to a city of over 10 million, still the cherished cultural heart of Pakistan but now also menacing home to the daarhiwallahs, the bearded fundamentalists in traditional shalwar kameez who easily outnumber the clean-shaven men dressed in the Western style of my day. Lahore is also home to the “khaki,” the unpopular and feared military. Click here to read full article
Filed under: Opinion · Tags: Hazel Kahan, Lahore, Life, Pakistan
22 Responses to "Life in a Failing State"
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- roamin
said Hi MA,
loved your retort!!!! But Ahem did get u... - tajender
said evidence” that Rajiv Gandhi received a bribe, bu... - tajender said I have never seen a bigger idiot than you. You sta...
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,BRHMN IN...
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- MA
said Once again I would say, that your obsession with P... - MA said Dear Ahem,
I feel sorry for you, as your variou...
- tajender said Ethnically speaking all Subcontinentals are Hindus...
- AKB
said How utterly amazing is someone who flees from some... - AKB said UGLY INDIA!!
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India’s slide leads to an i...
[...] Life in a Failing State [...]
When it comes to doing mischief for helping islamic or Chinese imperialism and fascism then Pakistan is very very efficient.
Hiob jii, in stead of wantonly (and randomly) blACKENING THE pages of the pakteahouse, why dont you,instead, merrily masturbate models tunning (doyenne included!). Try it you like it!
to iqbal
I request you to remain decent in your language.
The one who criticizes is the true well-wisher – not the one who flatters. Develop the habit of thanking the one who criticizes and does not flatter. Muslims need to learn that and I am teaching that to them very patiently.
deer Hindi- Mullah hiob, Saat Siri Akaal Ji,
remember that i am a priori decent. good muslims do not need you and bad ones do not deserve you.
have you taken umbrage over the use of the word “masturbationm”. It refers to your mastyurbating the fountain poen with your own legerdemain. It may be sound sexy to you. But you are wasting your time…. you wont make TIME magazine with suchlike chicanery.
You even lack tyhe courage of your convictions to reveal your true identity, and your scholarship and impartiality is independent but … leaking.
Cheer / Cherries or Chair? Heinji???
be sound sexy , be ids surplusage and a typos.
scholarship and integrity ARE independent but … leaking.
(Hail my Primary School in Kamoki Maandi , Dist guj RAN wala!!!)
i cannot type well, clerklikeness was never my destiny. ig
“click here to read the full article”! Are you guys nuts are what? Who is running this website? Try clicking on it and you cannot pull up the rest of the article. What a joke or bad job by the author of this article. RAZA- PLEASE TAKE NOTICE!!!!!
Lady Guinevere
P.S. Raza-It looks like a good article, See if you can get the rest of it for us please!
Mr Hazal Kahan
How you campier a country with British raj when the populations of this part was few thousand .I have seen London when my flight was landed at the heath row air port .I ask my fellow when we will be going to London he said to me this is London . I was so sad .
to iqbal
Quote:
“have you taken umbrage over the use of the word “masturbationm”. It refers to your mastyurbating the fountain poen with your own legerdemain. It may be sound sexy to you. But you are wasting your time…. you wont make TIME magazine with suchlike chicanery.”
Your own above-quoted sentence is exactly applicable to your own self.
Mr Hazel . Pakistan is not going to fail Inshallah. You better be concerned about London demography , lootings and IRA. Loss of property in London in riots was more than the whole Pakistan in last one year, let lone Lahore. Our Lahore will blossom, Pakistan will blossom. You better serve stay at London never come back. Pakistan will soon overcome this extremism problem.
@ hiob: Helping chinese is better than helping Israel who has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians. You make your choice
Imran is right . OTOH,Islam is resposnible for killing over 100Million Indians in last few centuries.Indians need to make their own choice.
1oo million? when did it happen?
i remember 100,000 Sri lankans and 8o,ooo kashmiris both killed due to indian stupidity? how many hindus killed by muslims count?
and sachbol why did Indians imparted training to LTTE for civil war in Sri Lanka? what were the choices made? elaborate please? enlighten us.
What about Un worried on 65 million untouchbales living a third rated life in India?
What about Sachar report on muslim condition in India? open your eyes and see your choices
@Hiob : what do you mean by Chinese fascism? Can you compare it with capitalism? which one is a bigger curse?
please enlighten us. Also give your nationality, I am a pakistani, please tell us who you are?
Imran Miyan,
The genocide of Indians by Muslims is well recorded by Muslims themsleves and corroborated by many Non Indian sources.Muslims and Islam have no business in India after 47. There existence is not equal to acceptance. Sachar Com just noted the same phenomenon which is prevalent in all the Muslim societies.How much better are Muslims in Pakistan, BD, Africa etc .The prosperity of ME is based on natural resources. The abysmal performance of Musalmans in UK and other European countries is similar. Just like inbreeding is skewing up UK’s health indicators , same way Norwegian crime rate is, espceially rape is going northward because of Muslamans. Sweden is sick and tired of crimes committed by Muslamans and fed up with freeloaders. Consesus is builidng up in Europe and other civilized societies that Islam is the major roadblock in achieving global human understanding based on multicultural tolernace , acceptance and co-existence. Musalmans have no right to demand any thing from Kuffar which they themsleves dont grant to Kaffirs .It is only fair that in Kuffar societies they shall live with rights and obligations equal to Dhimma. Hope you have no objection to the safety and freedom granted in Dhimma.
Indian, social economic indicators changes drastically sans the data from Muslims pockets. As the man said, Indics are defending their own land , people and civilization from Mleccch alien inavders. Defensive steps taken by the Sons of soil cant be compared with quislings who has not legitimacy to begin with.
Imran
The so called low caste, untouchables surviving in Pakistan keep rejecting islam inspite of the torturous life they live. This should tell you about their civilizational loyalty , spiritual strength and adherence to the Truth. Its all in their blood. It is unfortunate that while their brothers in india are capturing power and playing leadership role in all walks of life,these virtual prisoner in Pakistan are yet to enjoy the same. Good news is now the migration have started and we Indians hope they all come home to enjoy freedom. betetr late than never . The doors of India are always open for these children of Mother India and we excpet islamic Pakistan does same for the Muslamans living in current Indian land mass.
Imran is a typical product of Pakistan ideology propaganda and indoctrination. According to this indoctrination muslims are the ever-noble, brilliant, innocent, allah-loved guys and non-muslims always the scoundrels, criminals and fools. Muslim history-writing is done with this intention only.
Many crimes have been committed in the past by all groups of human beings. Crimes are being committed even today.
What is important is that on a pakistani website (like the PTH) one has to describe crimes by muslims and pakistanis and not by India or hindus. Otherwise it becomes just mud-slinging and polemics.
Violence committed by hindus against muslims is retaliatory or defensive and hence cannot be equated with the violence by muslims against hindus since islam was not created in the indian subcontinent (ISC). Islam and muslims represent foreign aggression and imperialism in the ISC.
On the PTH muslims and pakistanis must always first ask the question: “What wrongs, crimes, sins, idiocies etc. have we muslims and pakistanis done? How can we get out of the bad situation in which we muslims and pakistanis have landed ourself through our own deeds?”
Problems within India need not be spoken about on the PTH. Solving these problems has to be done by indians in India through honest self-criticism and sincerity.
Imran must undergo a paradigma change and mental transformation if he wants to do something good for his Pakistan and not waste himself letting loose his anger against India (which no doubt is not a perfect land or society).
HIOB,
you can type, re-produce and copy better than i ever can or could.
by the way i made the TIME magazine during the Sixties more than ten times while i was residing in the United States.
to slarpore
I am am honored to have beem praised by a person like slarpore. It is fun to read your posts – I wish you put your talent to use to liberate the muslims from islam. We are in the 21st century. Enough of 7th century.