Pak Tea House » Opinion » That thing you call life
That thing you call life
Traffic: a small price to pay for your country
By Sadia A Ahmed
The writer holds a bachelor’s degree from Mt holyoke college and a master’s degree in human rights law from the School of Oriental and African Studies. She likes writing and has worked as a journalist.
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In Karachi, traffic jams are quite common, as they are in any other busy, over-populated city in the world. Laying on the horn, or sticking ones head out the window trying to get a view of what is ahead has become so natural that most of us use the ‘I got stuck in a traffic jam’ excuse every time we are late. However, those of us who experience traffic jams on a daily basis know that there is some truth to this excuse as well.
A couple of weeks ago I got stuck in a traffic jam myself on way to the Arts Council. Not only was it irritating and uncomfortably restive to get caught up in this jam during the scorching summer heat, but what was even more annoying was to find out that the traffic was held up because of the ‘VIP’ culture in our country. After getting delayed for a good thirty minutes, I was left aghast as some high-up government officials flashed by in a blur, in their seven-car convoy. I wonder where they are rushing to in this ‘in time’ culture anyway. It is not like they pride themselves in getting to a location ‘on-time’ like our western counterparts.
Last year a baby was delivered in a rickshaw in Quetta when the president’s motorcade trapped the traveller in a traffic jam while he was visiting the city. Such incidents are not only unfathomable and disturbing to hear, but also speak to a larger question of the extreme power divide in our country. With democracy now restored for a while, it seems that our leaders who have been chosen to represent and help their citizens, in reality are actually slowing them down by holding them up in the most unnecessary ways possible. What is required at this point is a thoughtful reflection and a change in the ‘VIP’ culture for those who are most important: the citizens.
Filed under: Opinion · Tags: karachi traffic traffic holdups, traffic issues, vip vulure












Ahem,
All o9f your 5 comments are wrong…. They r just ur opinions, and a product of extreme mentality. No need to add more…
to MZ
what is wrong in them?
why can’t opinions be correct? is something wrong merely because it is an opinion?
I base my judgement of islam and muslims on reading pakistani newspapers. Are pakistani newsapers anti-islam? Are they all wrong?
Ahem,
Your judgement is wrong. Pakistani newspapers may publish negativites of tour society, but the way u express it is hindu extermism, and antiIslam, antiPakistan sentiments. Think about the difference. Go and spend time on Indian newspapers.
He finds Indonesia least extremist in the survey. Sixty-six per cent had an unfavourable view of the US but a more modest 16 per cent had a very unfavourable view (p.21). But the latest issue of The Economist (June 8, 2012) says: “During an Ascension Day service on May 17, 2012, about 100 Protestants were attacked by a Muslim mob at their church on the outskirts of Jakarta. The mob hurled stones, bags of urine and death threats at the congregation. Since May 2, local government officials in the Muslim province of Aceh, in northern Sumatra, have closed at least 16 Christian churches, citing lack of permits”.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/394729/scanning-the-fault-lines/
According to author, Farhat Taj, (a Pashtun and a research fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research, University of Oslo and a member of AIRRA ), the drones have only killed a handful of civilians as compared to the militants who were struck down by the strikes.
http://dawn.com/2012/06/17/smokers-corner-of-birds-and-beasts/
to MA
Islam is already 1400 years old. Hence it has to be judged by human beings on the basis of its real performance. Islam’s performance is bad and worsening. Mankind should not waste any more lives (esp. non-arab lives) and resources on islam. Islam is an instrument of arab imperialism-hegemony and hence arab lives are being also wasted on islam. Creation of Pakistan was a result of false hopes and promises, slander against hindus and deceit upon muslims (=quislings of islam). Muslims, esp. pakistanis, do not wish to hear this. They want to be flattered. And when they are not flattred then they use abusive language and justify it by making false accusations against the one who is abused.
You deserve to be spoken only with abusive language, cuz that’s how we Muslims treat ” a hindu extremist terrorist minded person” like you, who blows up trains like samjhota express and kills innocent people , who were about to meet their relatives they parted away from, 60 years ago. Shame on you terrorist shame on you…..You have no write to criticize any other religion or sect even if it has faults, cuz you support terrorism and violence yourself.
to MA
Wild, angry, false accusations against me because you can’t get rid of the fascism and terrorism that is inherent in islam.
Since I did not blow up any train or kill anyone – I don’t know why you address your anger to me.
It only shows that you cannot refute my arguments that expose islam’s fascism and totalitarianism and hence you resort to some bursts of anger. This is a typical irrational muslim mental slavery under a fascist ideology.
The hindus who are doing terrorism (I am not one of them nor do I justify it) are only reacting to what was done to the hindus by muslims during the past 1200 years. Muslim terorism-fascism is as old as the time of Mohammad. That fact you can not deny or refute or make vanish or ignore. That is your real islamic problem.
You think your bullshit are arguments…. get a life. I mean look at ur last paragraph, hindus are terrorists because of what muslims did to them.. It’s funny. Keep barking. You are not realizing what amount non-sense you r. Just like ur own fellow countryman said that you are an embarrassment.
to MA
My arguments don’t become wrong because you declare them to be so. The very fact that you use filthy words shows that you are only angry and cannot refute my arguments. And that makes you more angry. That is the result of your islamic and pakistani upbringing. No wonder Pakistan has slid down into fascism (what else can result from islam?) – persons like you are the result thereof, and also the cause for a further slide downwards.
Your betterment and the betterment of your society depends upon taking this criticism seriously and not in insulting it. How long will you take to understand that?
Don’t react with anger and filthy words to this. It does not hurt me – it only dirties and muddles your own mind.
Many muslims explain the terrorism practised by muslims by pointing to what non-muslims (esp. USA) did to them. Do you also call these muslim explanations as barking?
Quote from your post:
“You are not realizing what amount non-sense you r.”
Ahem,
Your arguments don’t become true because you think they are true. I don’t get into a debate with you, cuz why shud I. A religious extremist like you who is actually performing suicide bombings online, and that’s too by getting into Pakistani territory, y shud I debate with such an ememy. I shud just treat him the way I treat you.
to MA
You accusations are false and you are making them in order to hide your inability to disprove my arguments. Just bringing in accusative words to ridicule me does not make any sense, but you think it helps you (that is what you think) to have the feeling that you are winning the argument.
Whether my arguments are true or not will not be decided by you or me – but by the reality. And the reality in ALL islam-based societies is proving that islam is a fascist, totalitarian, arab-chauvinist, primitive, misogynic, deceitful-tricky ideology.
Unless you bring up the honesty, intelligence and courage to face this bitter truth about the lies which have been indoctrinated into you by the pakistani ruling elite and muslim propagandists you and your society will slide further down into fascism, irrationality, anger, mental slavery and violence.
Letting loose abusive and false accusations against me will not help you. You know that, but your irrational anger and islamic upbringing does not allow you to escape this trap.
We don’t argue with an enemy. A cross-border terrorist who has got into our country and now peforming verbal terrorism. We treat them as I have been treating you. You can continue to say whatever makes you happy.
Don’t you urself get sick of the repetitions of ur words, ” islamic fascism, totalitarian, arab boot-licking, blahblahblah.
to MA
It is the agents and zombies of islam which entered into our non-arab and non-muslim lands and raped, robbed and killed. Muslims are the cross-border terrorists, rapists, kilers and thieves since 1400 years. They also perform a lot of verbal terrorism since 1400 years. The kuran itself contains a lot of it.
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We treated these muslim invaders and thieves too mildly, humanely and decently. They misused this tolerance and fooled, intimidated or bribed many hindus into becoming quislings of islam and these quislings (like you) have turned out to be even worse in their treacheries, violence and bootlickiing habits.
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Aren’t you yourself sick of practising islamic fascism, totalitarianism, boot-licking of arabs, kuranic blahblahblah … although it has pulled you down into the abyss of closed-minded darkness and mental slavery and lack of self-respect? When will you stop being quislings?
So I repeat:
“Letting loose abusive and false accusations against non-muslims will not help muslims. You know that, but your irrational anger and islamic upbringing does not allow you to escape this trap.”
Ahem,
Excellent. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Every now and then u bring up this Muslim rule of 1400 years. That’s what I mean. It’s your inferiority complex and hatred which you reflect in ur comments.And that’s the reason I tharsh u like the way I do, cuz that’s wat u deserve. No need to get into a debate with you. I feel sorry for u guys. U continue to say whetever helps you to take this anger out. It will make u feel better. Wat difference does it make to me.
to MA
The inferiority complex is only among muslims and their reactions prove it. That is why they resort to violence and propaganda and deceive their own children. So much lies in textbooks used in muslim schools prove this.
To Ahem,
Reactions of Muslims !!! What about burning Babri mosque, the massacare of muslims in Gujarat and violence committed on Kashmiri muslims everyday. I wish you had spent same amount of time in doing research on India and ur own religion. I bet this world and especially the subcontinent wud be a better place, only if India and HIndus change it’s antiPakistan and antiMuslim stance, ignore the inferiority complex of 1400 years of Muslims rule and learn to live in hormony.
to MA
Your reach into history is very limited and biased. The hindu-muslim conflict takes place in the indian subcontinent (ISC) and not in Arabia. It is arabs, turks and muslims who came to India and imposed themselves on the hindus through violencce, rape, maraudery and imperialism. The muslims are the original aggressors. The hindus are only reacting since centuries.
If hindu-muslim conflict takes place in Makkah and Madinah then you can accuse hindus of being the ones who started this trouble.
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This is how your islamic upbringing/indoctrination makes you incapable of far-reaching thinking into real causality.
For all violence done by hindus to muslims it was always a reaction to what the muslism had started earlier, begining in 710 AD or even earlier. This is a fact of which the muslims are actually taught to be proud. Muslims have always presented hindus as cowards hiding in their own lands and the muslims as the big allah-blessed conquerors of the world. Muslim children are taught to be proud of the arab and turk imperialists/invaders.
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There is no inferiority complex among hindus but a desire to take back what the agents and quislings of islam snatched from them during the past 1200 years. The hindus have not snatched anything from arabs or turks.
We have to be anti-islam and anti-pakistan because both are based on violence, theft and lies and misleading muslim children by telling them falsified narratives of history to justify/glorify muslim thefts, rapes and marauderies. And you too are a product of these very deceitful teachings (as can be seen from your posts).
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Islam was not created in Kashmir and hence the dignity and self-resepct of Kashmir demands that islam and its agents and quislings should have no say in kashmiri matters. Islam can determine events only in Arabia (in Makkah and Madinah) – outside of Arabia it is an alien imperialist-fascist ideology to be rejected. Muslims have proved this to be so since 1400 years, especially in Pakistan.
whatever makes u happy my friend. It is better that u take this hatred fed in ur heart by ur ancestors, in the form of words here, rather than butchering muslims in Gujrat, kashmir etc etc.
to MA
No hatred was fed into my heart. I read pakistani newspapers since 6-7 years and warn human beings about islam on the basis of real events. No one taught me any hate – I came to know about islam and its dangers, evils and lies by reading pakistani newspapers only. Muslims are not aware of the dangers, evils and lies of islam. That is not surprising.
You muslims are taught that only muslims have the right to self-defence and revenge, only muslims have the right to practise imperialism and own the world and degrade and enslave the non-muslims or exterminate them (if they resist). Your islam is a totalitarian imperialist ideology and you are its zombies and instruments. But more and more non-muslims are now recognizing and realizing this evil nature of islam. If you are honest then you will realize how correct I am in this evaluation. But islam does not allow you to be honest.
to MA
Pakistan is and will be an evil, violent, bloody and deceitful capital in the history of mankind. By slandering me and ridiculing my rightful criticism you are pushing yourself and your so-called ummah into that direction all the more. I am doing my human brotherly duty to warn you. Flattery is not genuine brotherhood or friendship.
To ahem,
I sometimes wonder u r a very innocent man. Look at ur first sentence , and then later u say ” I am doing my human brotherly duty to warn you”. I mean what can I say. Like I said on our other debate on nuclear arsenal article , about hindu bunya with dagger in armpit and ram ram on his lips, this is exactly wat it is. To be honest I now don’t even get upset with ur ugly, dirty, filthy, existence on pakteahouse. I am kinda starting to like ur innocence now.
to MA
I don’t carry any “chhuri” in my armpit. I talk out my experience. It is you muslims who wear baggy clothes (even your women) so you can carry weapons under them. How many killers are muslims all over the world?
hindu bunya with dagger in armpit and ram ram on his Lips is actually a good translation of often repeated dictum claiming “Islam is a religion of peace”.
don’t know about dagger, but bombs under clothing is definitely a serious threat in modern times…
MA wrote:
“hindu bunya with dagger in armpit and ram ram on his lips…”
At the airports and elsewhere it is the pious muslims who are very much more likely to be found with weapons. In their hands they have a chain of beads on which they chant the names of their fascist arab god. And when they use their weapons or bombs and kill then they always shout “allah hu akbar, here I come”.
Islam will go down in the history of mankind as the religion of violence and lies, fascism and imperialism, backwardness and arab chauvinism – no matter what muslim propaganda likes to say or make you/us believe.
To ahem,
Whatever makes you happy mass murderer hindu extremist.
its better to move away from Islam while you can so that the next gen does not have to face the hard situation…
http://tribune.com.pk/story/404683/punjabs-cleansing/
jihad never stopped. Its been 14 centuries.
To ahem ( and co.)
Although like yourself, I don’t tend to search for articles especially, but just by chance came across this, I thought you would be interested in this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/opinion/sunday/indias-blood-stained-democracy.html?_r=1&smid=fb-share
I already know that your response would be that Indians/Hindus do this because of 1200 years of muslim rule of Turkish bootlicking etcetcetc.
to MA
By calling me mass murderer (of what?!?) you are proving the muslim need and compulsion to slander others in order to hide your own worse crimes. Your inability to refute my arguments is also reflected in this.
Any objective study of history will reveal that agents and quislings of islam have been far greater murderers, rapists and robbers and that started with Mohammad himself. Bootlicking arabs and turks over centuries has robbed you muslims of every honesty and self-respect and even of the ability to know what self-respect means. Take a look at the blood of the muslims killed by muslims (with “allahu akbar” shouts) in your islamic paradise of Pakistan.
People like you will push Pakistan further down into fascism and bloodshed. No wonder, even indian muslims are disgusted with Pakistan.
Ahem,
Come up with something new man. I am almost bored of same wordings. Do me favour, tell me your gender and age roughly. You have started to sound like an old woman ( domestic mother-in-law). Just confirm it to me. Reagrding abusing you, I like it. You are a motherfucker. I enjoy sying it. Yeah yeah sure, I am a rapist, arab bootlicker etcetcetc.
And funny, you still think you post “arguments” here. haha. If I write a paragraph full of negative comments for your 100 different gods, and hinduism , I would call it an argument ? haha, never.
to MA
Don’t bring in some 100 gods of your own making. You are used to using filthy language and making false accusations. That is your habit which you need to get over at your age (may be your mother-in-law will teach you that). You are watching how your islamic paradise of Pakistan goes further down the drain of fascism, lies and bloodshed. And you keep laughing over it? You think you are laughing over me – but in reality you are laughing over the increasing fascism, deceits and bloodsheds in your islamic-paradisical land. You don’t have the intelligence to realize this?
To Ahem,
I enjoy when you get pissed off. Be happy, even if these comments are the source of happiness for you, then keep making them.
to MA
Your language is typical muslim – filthy. You enjoy bathing in this. Islam occupies your brain and soul and makes it impossible for any reason or decency to get a hold in it.
Everyday I read pakistani newspapers and it is the same story of islamic fascism and violence proudly taking over the command on Pakistan. You belong to the ruling sunni-fascist elite (be it on the periphery) and hence you don’t care a damn.
To ahem,
I have been reading other articles on PTH and realized that you are the least respected person on this forum. Even your very own Indians and Hindus have been bashing your ass for the kind of filth you are. So I have decided to take a break. let other’s have the honors. It seems that nobody is happy with your filthy existence in this world. It’s about time you shud end ur life.
BTW just came across this comment written by someone for you. :
tajender says:
July 13, 2012 at 10:37 pm
ahem,
can u produce one paper or name of movement spearheaded by brhmns against muslim rulers.i will accept name of any underground.u cannot talk on behalf of indian because u are not hindu.u are brhmn and kept indian pauperized and illetrate for 2 thousands year.it was the effect of poisous cocktail of dharam shastra and arthshastra that ASHOK KILLED ENTIRE POPULATION OF KALINGA(ORRISSA)BEFORE CONVERTING TO BUDHHDISM
And yes, Sure I belong to ruling sunni fascist elite and my job is to eliminate dirty worms like you from this world.
to MA
Whether I am respected or not on the PTH matters little to me. If tajender is your opinion-leader then no wonder that islam will go down into more fascism.
The sunni fascists are violating each other in large numbers. So I don’t mind remaining a worm in your considerations.
tajender is a man who has no rationality or honesty left in him due to his love for islam.
to MA
For a muslim destruction of human life is a source of joy. His islamic “logic” is:
-If the killed person was a good muslim then he will go straight to heaven quickly and early – thank (the arabic) allah.
–If the killed person was a bad muslim or a non-muslim then he will go to hell quickly and early – again thank (the arabic) allah.
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This evil-stupid attitude will keep increasing among muslims in future. That is the muslims’ only connection to “logic” and “thinking” and “truth” and “salvation”.
Muslim societies are proving this everyday.
To ahem,
To be honest I don’t even read your replies fully now. I mean how long can you go through the same non-sense again and again. All I do is enjoy you burning in this fire you have set up around urself. And ofcourse now it’s a pleasure to know that you get the welldeserved insults from everyone here. Infact now I am beginning to realize why u r like the way u r ………..
to MA
You can accuse me of whatever (to please yourself) – but the REAL EVENTS in muslim societies are unfortunately proving me to be right about islam’s unreformable and unstoppable destructivity, fascism and lies. ALL muslim societies are proving this to be true, not only Pakistan. But the pure-islamic pure-paradise of pure-Pakistan is leading this pack of tribals, machos and fascists. Don’t remove your attetion from that. I am not the cause of it. Your islam and kuran are the cause of it. Concentrate on that.
To ahem,
And what religion are you ? Would you mind telling us.
to MA
I have let go off this word “religion”. It makes no sense to embrace the arguments, feelings, so-called revelations and heroes of bygone days.
We can learn from old religions – esp. what is wrong with them and through them and because of them. And the worst case, the most evil and dangerous case is islam.
Islam was created by an arab in 7th century Makkah for his own needs (even perverse needs). We today need not uphold it and become fools under it. I don’t identify myself with al that stuff at all. It it disappears I am not hurt or sad about it. You muslims have been indoctrinated to regard kuran and Mohammad as your souls. You fear your own self will be lost and defeated if the two are rejected or defeated.
Why don’t you come into the 21st century and learn new things. How obnoxious and stupid islam and muslims are today. There are some good sentences in the kuran, I know that – but that does not make the whole thing good. One gram of poison in 99 grams of honey makes the hole thing poison. Why can’t you comprehend that after 1400 years of trials and errors, crimes and tragedies, lies and violences?
To ahem, Sure if that makes u happy. So y r u reluctunt to tell us ur religion ? Is it too disgraced even among Indians and Hindu community ??
to MA
I was born in a hindu brahmin family. This allows me to go on my own journey of truth-seeking – unfettered by any jewish or european or hindu or arab “prophet or saint or leader”. No hindu or brahmin despises me for being like that. Nor do I force others to be like me.
A human being must live at least 40 years on the earth before he can think up something like religion for himself. And that too is never the final viewpoint.
(read my reply to rejTOO in this context).
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I can understand that a muslim born and brought up in a totaliatarian arrogant finalist “we-muslims-are-the-best” system has difficulty understanding this and wants to see others mentally enslaved like himself. A slave can be “happy” in his slavery and he may want others to be “happy” like him.
I do not have a totalitarian finalist god-concept like you muslims have or are forced to have.
Sufism actually is an indirect and nonviolent victory of hindu religions over islam. That is why sufism is more and more resented, rejected and hated in the muslim world today, esp. in the islamic paradise of Pakistan.
Well then that’s ur choice and beleef. 40 years, 50 years of life that ue choice , ur right. . Just like u criticize Islam/ Muslims for forcing their beleifs, u r doing the same here, by criticizing others ( infact insulting) based on ur beliefs. That’s y I say often, that u practice excatly what u criticize. Infact above is obvious that u probably think of urself as a prophet or maybe a god. It’sobvious by the way u have written, as if ur beleifs are the ultimate revealation. That’s y I say u r a pile of shit, a person who has nothing but hate in his heart, mind, the whole body …
to MA
No one is going around killing or bribing or intimidating in my name or in the name of my philosophy.
But many are doing that (killing, bribing, intimidating etc.) in the name of this arab allah, Mohammad and kuran and mustafa-e-nizam.
Why did you fail to see this crucial difference?
Why has islam made you blind to such simple things which even a child can notice?
There are no street-gangs being sent out by me. But islam and muslims has been doing it since the days of Mohammad.
Let us see how long you take to react calmly? How long you take to learn to react calmly, without using filthy-emotional words?
You could not avoid using the word “shit” anyway. I hope you will learn.
Once again, Y wud I bother to reply to even a single comment of yours. You just write to take ur hatred out, since u r a religious extemist, it’s just ur brought up, and u have proved it on 100s of comments on this forum. Y wud anyone reply to you. U can say whatever u want to for Islam, Muslims, Muhammad, Allah, if that pleases you.
I just treat you the way u deserve to be treated.