Autumn is here to bring relief to ever ungrateful man from the scorching summer. Soon it will be winter and he’ll be complaining about the cold and longing for summer again.

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  I like to sit on the grass at FJ Park in the afternoon to enjoy the perfect weather. But this year is different, and, I’m afraid, things will never be the same. At the back of my head, is the nervousness about the recent terror that has been created in the capital. I avoid going out as much as possible, and when I do, I eventually get stuck in some queue at the police checkpoints, and wonder how many cars ahead of me an ‘incident’ would take out if it were to happen now. And when it’s my turn to be ‘checked’, I see a fear in their eyes too and feel a slight sympathy for them. We can curse the terrorists all we want, but thinking about it now, it was us that chose this enemy when the 9/11 tragedy happened.

How sad.

Some 4 stupid terrorists attacked GHQ.

What were they thinking…

Oct 8 was one catastrophic day in the history of Pakistan. While the official death toll is about 80 k, people speculate about a hundred thousand casualties happened that day.

Living in Islamabad, it seemed a big thing but not that big a thing.

I still remember I came back from office early in the morning to sleep and then waking up at about 9 am ( I had a night duty that day ) due to the earthquake. Islamabad only suffered the collapse of the Margallah Towers. It wasn’t until sometime in the afternoon that it was partially revealed as of what a ruinous disaster has hit the country.

I lost a few close relatives myself.

Like they say – time doesn’t stand still.

I salute all those who helped the reconstruction, and who moved forth with a positive attitude helping Pakistan getting out of the hard times.

I salute you all…

Blast Inside World Food Programme Office in Islamabad - Courtesy AP

I am shaken and traumatized after the yesterday’s blast which took place inside my office building ( UN-WFP) only a few paces away from my glass-cabin . The blast was so sudden and strong that it took me sometime to register what actually had happened there with all of us. It was so strong that I was thrown from my chair to a few feet away on the floor. Everything was shattered into pieces only in a matter of seconds. When I tried getting up from the floor, I had broken wooden pieces in my hair, my head and body were aching badly as something had hit me severely. I was not in my senses and my whole body was shaking badly, the sound of the deadly blast was resonating in my ears and I was so shocked that I could not move a step. There were injured colleagues lying on the floor. My room was on fire and pieces of paper, broken pieces of doors, broken pieces of my glass cabin, windows and tables were lying here and there. I was looking at my injured colleagues in a state of shock and horror. “Vacate the building immediately”, I heard one of my colleagues saying. But I could not move till the time one of my colleague dragged me outside the building. But that was not the end of it.

The real horror started when my colleagues started taking the dead and injured bodies outside the building. Yes, bodies drenched in blood of people I worked and used to spent a major part of my day on regular basis… It was such a heartbreaking scene……We had tears in ours eyes. We were horrified and traumatized …

None of us in the office had ever imagined that this Bloody Monday will change our lives for ever and we will be left with haunted memories of the incident. I have not recovered from the shock yet, the whole scene is playing back again and again in my brain, even the sedative pills failed to calm down my nerves. None of my other colleagues are out of trauma yet. Those innocent souls who died in the blast would never be there in our office again and our office would never be the same place again….. I pray for all the departed souls ( Gul, Farzana, Wahab, Abid Rehman and Udan ) and I am going to miss them forever …..My mother says that it is a miracle that I have only minor injuries and I survived despite the fact that the bomb blasted only a few paces away from where I sit But I am thinking why this miracle did not happen in case of Gul, Farzana, Wahab, Abid Rehman and Udan. Why these innocent people lost their lives?? What will become of their families now?? What was their fault or What was our fault that all of us became victims of a bomb blast and are left with haunted memories ??

The music scene in Pakistan over the span of the last couple of years has really evolved. Not like there weren’t any bands performing or making original music. There was very amazing talent playing small shows in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. But that was it, small shows. Limited audiences. Not much mainstream exposure. The only exposure was at the helm of people who made Bhangra or pop songs. There wasn’t general acceptance of more heavier forms of music.

But that changed with the very famous “battle of the bands” airing on national television.Sponsored by Pepsi and having Ex-Vital Signs members Rohail Hayat and Shehzad Hassan as judges along with media person Fifi Haroon. The show saw some of the best bands come up. Bands like The Mekaal Hasan Band, Aaroh, Entity Paradigm to name a few. Ever since then lots of people have stepped up to the forefront backed by the ever growing styling industry and a large number of Music Channels and “apparent” record labels. Only a few have actually maintained a qualitative approach making good music, good videos and playing good live shows.

One such band is Overload. I remember when they came out with their first album I heard many critics deem them “short-term fun” and giving out remarks like ” who will listen to an all percussion band”. But they defied all “critics” and made their way into the Industry and quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Not only did their album get acclaimed by avid music listeners, their live concerts were an experience. Overload has since then played concerts all around the world making Pakistan proud.

They have recently released their second album titled “Pichal Pairee” through their own record label and it’s available for download on their website:-

I got the chance to interview their new vocalist Meera Rahman and talk to her about her role in the band, their new album, the new sound and the plight of the current music industry:-

1) Being a painting graduate, a model, and now the vocalist for Overload, do you think that these three forms of expression differ in their approach even though the core of all three is “creativity”. If yes, then how do you approach them differently?

The three are actually very similar, each is a creative process which develops steadily after you realize what it is you are trying to express. Writing a song or figuring out what to paint on an empty canvas can be quite alike. The only difference is input. When producing a song, I’m working with the other musicians in the band. Their input can influence me to steer the lyrics into a different direction. Or to soften the melody, build up the tempo etc. Every painting is a completely solo project. Even if there are influences or inspirations that show in a painting, an artist has to seek them out for him/herself. Modeling is probably the most different of all. Often, a fashion model has little or no creative control. Although, I have observed over the years that if your opinion is credible, your team will be very receptive.

2) Who are your favorite singers/musicians and who did you listen to when you were growing up?  Being a musician myself I know how your first influences have a deep impact on the way you make music.

I grew up listening to any and all kinds of music. But what always appealed to me more as a vocalist were big, powerful voices. Vocals that come from the pit of your stomach, as opposed to hoarse, whispery crooners. Breathy vocal delivery and acoustic guitar strumming type songs which became very popular in the early 2000s were not my cup of tea. To name a few, some of the artists I have been listening to for many years now are Fiona Apple, Jill Scott, Robin S, Erykah Badu, Laurin Hill and more recently Moloko, now a solo artist calling herself by her real name, Roisin Murphy.

3) How did you come across joining overload as their vocalist? How do you think you added to the sound scape of the already very unique overload sound i.e their first album which had ethnic beats and papoo sain magic on dhol?

The band wasn’t looking for a vocalist, neither was I looking for a band, we both realized that their was an exciting potential in putting together my vocals with the band’s sound and we took it from there. The biggest difference obviously is that before, Overload was an instrumental band, and now it has lyrics, vocal melodies and a more user friendly language. We are musically very complex and our compositions can be quite complicated, I feel that my band members have become a little less intense on some tracks because some of my lyrics and melodies are happier than the moody music they are known for. But we still have many intense, brooding tracks on the second album.

I joined an already very well established band. So I have had to carve my way into their signature sound which was challenging but exhilirating at the same time. Their sound was unique before I joined them, and is unique still. This was one of the biggest reasons I was proud to be on board. The band consists of musicians who have been playing their respective instruments for over a decade now, they have immense knowledge, aesthetically, they have very high standards and they do not compromise on their music for popularity. The sound has reinvented itself with the second album, but in order to keep your work from stagnating, it has to evolve with time. That is what I have seen since starting jamming and then recording with them. The new album has a lot more electronic music, has a lot of heavy guitar parts, and is less dhol intensive. But without a doubt, it is still loud, fun and sometimes aggressive.

4) “Pichal Pairee” is a rather interesting name for an album. What made you guys name it that and having said that, is the music on the album as unique as it’s name?

The music is definitely unique. Altogether, the tracks on the new album make for a very eclectic sound. Everyone of us has very different tastes in what we listen to, what we have grown up listening to, what has influenced us and inspired us. Pichal Pairee is not the only unique title you’ll find on the album. The album is named after the title track, which is actually an English track but has a desi name. This track has vocals that we thought sounded a bit haunting and crazy. In Punjabi folklore, a pichal pairee is a mythical witch with inverted feet.

5) Having seen the first video titled ‘pichal pairee” I can’t stop but think how slick the camera angles and the overall production were. Who directed the video and is it just your usual performance based video or does it have a theme?

No theme, no storyboard, no characters. Personally, I am quite sick of everything having a theme just for the sake of having a theme. I think it helps people decide where to start when developing an idea. We wanted a very clear, crisp, no-nonsense video and we got it. The video was directed by Hasaan Ashraf. He is a film making major at the National College of Arts and was our junior. We picked him because he is formally qualified and trained in film making, and understands music since he himself plays bass and has great musical taste and plenty of exposure.

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6) You guys decided to release the album via your own label. Do you think releasing an Album in Pakistan is tough business keeping in mind the expenses are way more than the actual income?

The state of affairs as far as the legal infrastructure of our music industry are appalling, virtually non existent and highly useless. There is no copyright law, no royalties, no payback even if you go through a distributor or a label. We’re at least a hundred years behind the rest of the world as far as artists’ rights are concerned. Our primary objective is to get our music across to as many people as possible, that’s what makes us happy. Our audience and our fans are what motivate us. Releasing the album online on the 5th of October on www.overloadbeats.com is the way we want to do this.

7) Being the daughter of one of the best Actresses Pakistan has ever seen, do you see yourself acting or have you ever tried your hands at acting?

I have done a lot of theater and some T.V. Both take a lot of time and I have too many other things to concentrate on to be able to take out that kind of time for something I don’t have too much passion for. I don’t want to be a jack of all trades. When God blesses you with talent you shouldn’t be ungrateful, you should master what you are good at.That for me is not T.V. Besides, Pakistani T.V is not what it used to be, there are some great plays being made these days, but the glory days of our plays are gone. Maybe they’ll be back, when we stop following in the footsteps of all the horrific Star Plus, Zee T.v soaps.

8) Since this IS for the Islamabad Metblogs, have you performed in Islamabad? If yes, how was the response, if no would you like to perform here?

We have indeed. Since I joined the band, we’ve only performed once, but what a night that was. The crowd was a lot cooler than I expected, but it was a very select crowd, consisting of only the rich and famous, the movers and shakers, whatever you want to call it. Also it was invitees only, I’d love to get the true feel of the average Islamabad crowd at a proper, big concert. Besides, the youth is where the energy always is!!!

9)How do you feel about breaking the norm of the female pop star image (hideous make up, no substance, out of scale vocals) and standing out in a genre where girls in general are virtually non existent?

I’m not moving towards becoming a pop star at all. What that asks for and represents in Pakistan specially, I am not ready to do. My standards are high and my quality control very strictly administered. I’m all for doing crazy things and taking chances, but sub-standard and tacky are words you will never use to describe me. And that’s a promise!

Competition is always a good thing, unfortunately I don’t think I have any. The only successful female artists we have are making very different music from mine. They and their music is in a whole different catagory. Besides I’m the only girl I know who’s part of a band and not just playing with session players.We write, produce and record together, we make videos together. That in itself is a first, and yes, it does challenge the norm here. I joined Overload to sing, not to become famous. I see a lot of girls in this industry concentrating on everything but how they sound. Very sad.

10) Any message for the Youth?

With the passing of youth, start focusing on what your strengths are. Work towards realizing what you’re good at and what you’re great at. When you’re young, you want to try giving everything a shot, which is great. But with time, It’s essential to prioritize and focus on what you can really achieve. Otherwise, you’ll just end up being mediocre at a lot of things and outstanding at nothing.

I also want to take this opportunity to tell everyone who’s reading this that we have released our album for free, and you can all download it at www.overloadbeats.com

Hail-storm in Islamabad – Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…

This is the “largest bird cage in the country” under construction at the Lake View Point Park. When it was opened, it was a neat and clean place for people to go and enjoy the serenity and the calm of the water currents. Now going there on a Sunday is like paying a visit to Murree on a national holiday = HORRENDOUS.

Absolute chaos. Someone like me can’t help but wonder, if this IS supposed to be an attraction, what will become of the birds in this cage? The same fate that the Zoo animals meet or will the CDA maintain something for once?

Yesterday night, Pakistan beat India by 54 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy. I did not watch the match myself but witnessed a running commentary on Pakistaniat and I got the news of Pakistan’s victory from my friends’ status messages on facebook. Funny but creative, the status messages on facebook were reflective of the immense pleasure my fellow countrymen and women had derived after India’s defeat by Pakistan.

A friend of mine felt like dancing over Pakistan’s victory and his status message was “bhangar-ing over Pak victories in ICC Trophy….. dil bolay Hiddpaaa!!!! :):)”. A couple of friends expressed their joy through songs “we will..we will rock u..!! (We beat india) keep on rocking the free world…. “Hum hein Pakistani hum tau jeetein gay haan jeetein gay!!! :)))))))))))”. Few of my friends felt blessed to watch this match live and their status messages were “Pak Vs India ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan won yayyyyyyy… and we saw it right there :) and now my throat is badly scratched because of all the “na’ara bazi” of PAKISTAN ZINDABAD and JEEWAY JEEWAY PAKISTAN”, “”Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy Match against India and we watched it live!! Awesome!!! :)”. Somebody happened to give credit of Pakistan’s victory to the newly appointed Psychiatrist for Pakistan team in this way “ First ever defeat to India by Pakistan in any ICC event. Thanks to Psychiatrist :-) Congrads !”. A very close friend of mine who considers himself a cricketer but everyone knows he faces the ball with his legs rather than a bat admired Pakistan team’s yesterday performance and called it a brilliant game, his golden words were  “ PAKISTAN SMASHES “TEAM INDIA”. A guy born after Sachin had started his international career got his wicket!!! Way to go Aamir!!! You made us proud!!! Brilliant game!!!!”. Another gentlemen tried to keep a check on his and other’s emotions by calling everyone to appreciate players of both the teams in these words “I love India/ Pakistan matches …no matter who wins ..One team has to lose..People keep ur emotions in check and salute the players from both the teams..Great game of cricket” . A friend of mine had sent birthday wishes to another friend (whose birthday is on 27th October) and called Pakistan’s victory a great birthday present for her… and this list is never ending.

Great were all such status messages of people on facebook but they also made me think if people are happy because Pakistan has won against India or whether they are happy because Pakistan’s chances to enter semi-finals are bright now. I have not seen such an enthusiasm of people in the first match Pakistan played in this ICC Champions Trophy. I have got my answer “My fellow country men and women are happy and jubilant because Pakistan has defeated arch-rival India. Yes, our traditional arch-rival and the cricket game between these two countries is not a mere a match between two teams but a fight in a battle ground between two arch-rivals. Yes, it’s a love-hate affair between two teams, two countries and two nations”. Since 1947, more than 60 years have passed but we the people have not forgotten anything, we have not moved forward and we still consider India as our only ‘enemy’ even if it a cricket game we are talking about. I wonder when we are going to get rid of this deep rooted hatred against India….

As we are well aware of the fact that the entertainment industry has flourished in Pakistan over the recent years. Call it enlightened moderation or general acceptance or even the ignorant mullah regime but we have seen tonnes of talent come up and do wonders for the country (Of course in ways both good and bad). But what I’ve noticed and observed is that there are city biases when it comes to entertainment. The Lahore and the Karachi “party” takes the cake home and the Islamabad people are left to scratch on the leftovers. I still haven’t come to grips with the fact that a so called “Izloo-ite” has to fly all the way to Karachi to make it big when talent-wise the “izloo-ites” can kick the “karachi-ites” or the “lahoris” in their bum.

What is it then? Politics DOES play a very major and massive role in the entertainment industry. Contacts, money flowing right left and forward, other acts of kindness (all pun intended) are just a few of the keys that the a person can get hold of to make it big.

The reason for this series of articles is to showcase what Islamabad has to offer when it comes to entertainment. Whether it is models, photographers, musicians, artists, writers etc.

(A scene from a short film called ” My November in Chains” )

One such person that I would like to introduce is Fatima Salim. Fatima is in her last year of a bachelors degree in marketing from the American University in Dubai and is a true “Islamabadi”. (Whatever that word means to all of you). A 22 year old who believes that every individual should work towards their goals. Something she realized when she was away from home in Dubai trying to study and work at the same time. Fatima is an aspiring model/actress who has had a fair bit of experience when it comes to both modeling and acting. She has acted in numerous plays in her school life and has done a few shoots here and there.

She recently got approached by the Makeup mogul Tariq Amin to do a show with him but due to some unforeseen circumstances she had to turn it down. She has had to face the big fist of the “big fish” in the industry because for her it seems impossible to make it through the swampy modeling business in Islamabad. And to be honest, according to me all it takes is “one” break. But that one “break” comes at a point when either the person in question has given up. Fatima has a very solid career waiting for her in the field of Marketing but it is the dream that keeps her wanting to do something.

I think being from Islamabad, Fatima deserves the chance to showcase her talent and be appreciated in this field which is Governed by the heiresses of the Karachi/Lahore union.

Viva la revolucion :)

Ramadan seems to be coming along fine in the capital with men and women spending the day staying hungry, waiting patiently for the time the sun sets down so they can chow down the unhealthy delicacies waiting for them on their dining tables. The samosa and pakora manufacturers are having a great month by selling those onion, mince meat, and vegetable filled foods to all and sundry. Right next to them are the jalebi engineers, and the kachori developers. A typical marketplace, like the Melody Food Area for example, is a fun place to go minutes before iftari. All the fruit sellers are trying their best to sell all their rotting fruits so they pack up and go to the nearest mosque for the iftar. Eateries like the Melody Savor branch are thronged by people to grab a shopping bag full of their favorite pulao kabab (I personally find the act of stuffing a royal dish like a pulao in a transparent polythene bag quite disgraceful). Everyone is in a hurry to run back home before the sirens go off, and before the muezzins in every mosque in Islamabad announce the time to break the fast.

There are people, like yours truly, who enjoy wandering around right at the time of iftar. Walking down in the middle of the erstwhile busy roads at iftar time can be delightful. You can see all the policemen huddled up under trees and behind their concrete barricades with disposable plates full of the aforementioned delicacies. Yet there is always one of them standing guard, just in case a truck full of explosives with two euphoric men would happen to go by. There are also small time fruit sellers standing at street corners, and one of them was kind enough to offer me five dates for free at the time of iftar (I accepted two though, ate one and shoved the other one deep into the unforgiving bowels of my bag, probably to be eaten up by a cockroach or something).

Oh, by the way, on my way back home I noticed this new development in the Super Market. Can anyone guess what this little black mirchi means?

Anyway, the blessings of Ramadan are endless. Here are a few of them for your reading pleasure:

1) You get to have more food than you usually have.

2) You get to have more unhealthy food than you usually have.

3) You learn that food is the most important thing on the planet, and that Ramadan is all about the food.

4) You shove non-fasters behind embarrassing enclosures where they can have their happy time and have a bite or two to satiate their hunger (Poor souls! They should demand their rights).

5) Sexually active couples get to spend less time in bed together, and hence contribute in the noble cause of slowing down the population growth of this deprived nation.

6) Medications like Gaviscon and the white Milk of Magnesia have increased sales to help their consumers break down the large bubbles of gas in their intestines into smaller more manageable air packets.

7) And so on and so forth…

But seriously, without taking the ugly head of Ramadan commercialism, the political disturbances, the price hikes, and the religious complications, there are a few things about this month the make it the most important month of the year for a persons physical and mental health. Without Ramadan, the little social ills that plague our society would become something normal, and there would be no question of whether the ills being practiced are right or wrong. This the only time of the year when people abstain from things that are considered wrong, and they develop the patience and strength to do that. Ramadan is not about praying five times a day, or getting up early in the morning to eat paratha, or reciting the Qur’an, or staying hungry throughout the day… it is only about the well being of the spirit, and it is our job to learn how to keep our spirit happy and healthy during this holy month, and for every other month of the year.

It is also mainly about love and compassion, just like the compassion shown to me by that poor fruit seller standing with his cart in the corner of the street at iftar time by offering me dates with a smile on his face.

So Happy (belated) Ramadan everyone! And I hope you spend the rest of what remains of this Islamic month contemplating over the little ills inside you instead of worrying about staying hungry and thirsty.

You’ve no doubt by now noticed that the sites got a bit of a re-design and some things got changed around last week. We wanted to highlight two changes to make sure everyone knows what changed.

The first and biggest is COMMENTS! Registration is no longer required to post a comment on any post. Of course if you already have an account you can still login to ensure your comments are attributed to you, but those who don’t can now post a comment without any long term commitment. Also, on the right you can see some of the recent comments so you’ll always know what the active discussions are. This was the most requested thing we’ve heard from people since our last redesign and we’re excited to see where it leads.

The next change is also something that was heavily requested, and that is a change to the ADS on the sites. You’ll immediately notice fewer of them, but what might not be as obvious is those smaller square ones to the right are specific to this city only and are being sold for a flat rate for a period of time rather than a confusing CPM/traffic/network model. Depending on the city, these range from $7-$175 for a full week. If you purchase one, during that time your ad will be the only one in that spot and will show on every page. We set these up both to make it easier for smaller local businesses to get their ads on our site, and also to help us bring in ads that relate better to our local audiences. Also, keeping these sites online is expensive and every little bit helps.

There are a bunch of other things we changed but we’ll leave those to you to investigate and take advantage of. Hope you like it, and we look forward to seeing you in the comments!!

Love,
The folks at MBHQ

Being someone who was born and raised in Islamabad, the recent plethora of construction, development, drive towards being a metropolitan just make me sad and angry at the same time. What happened to the Islamabad that was there say 5-6 years ago. The map has changed, you barely see the small roads you used to now. I honestly can’t differentiate sectors because to me they all look the same or maybe it’s the roads that run through them. I miss turns, I sometimes can’t tell what road to take to go home even when It’s just one straight road. I’m not saying development is a bad thing but there was something unique about Islamabad that slowly and alarmingly is just depreciating to a level where the smoke, rubble, bridges, under-passes and towers will over-shadow the green Islamabad that was. Seems like eons now. I fondly remember when we used to live in G-9/4 me and my mother would walk around g-9/3, g-9/1 and back home. It took us an hour and we’d see the same faces, the same khokha, the same “secret building” which I thought was cool because of the satellites and stuff. And now, walking there is considered a cardinal sin. Road blocks, security checks. It seems like a fortress rather than the place I used to walk everyday. And it just makes me wonder what the need for all this was. True security is an issue but doesn’t a “democracy in books” mean that the people are to be taken care of. These road blocks just jam traffic, cause nuisance to people who after a long day at work just want to get home without any complications. Getting stopped and asked for documents is even worse considering the same police walas see you everyday. But they’re just doing the job they were assigned to do so to speak.

7th avenue, 9th avenue, whatever avenue. It may streamline traffic but it has made the Islamabad I loved crap. In all honesty I miss the citibank chowk with the four roads and the signals where there were hardly 10 cars in the waiting. I remember at the zero point signal my dad used to stop even if our car was the only car there. And now the zero point interchange has changed the scenery. Whatever happened to the signal we stopped at just to see the white dove?. And now the white dove is usually covered with political slogans and kudos to Mr Rehman Malik or countering terrorism in Pakistan by one of his many chamchas. Islamabad is now in my humble view a city fortress where the rich and famous rule and the not so rich and certainly not famous people suffer. Tower upon tower. When will it all end? Where did the serenity go?! where on earth is the peace? Even haji restaurant eating areas are smaller because of a new tower being built. Hehe. That is in my view a major loss for Haji restaurant is a prime restaurant which too has lost it’s charm because people just won’t let them be.

I guess time changes everything and the crux of my rant was that the Islamabad that “Was” in my view is and will always be better than the Islamabad that “is” and “will be”. Give me a peaceful sector not a Centaurus. Give me a good khokha not a telecom tower. Give me a small but calm road, not an avenue where there is nothing but chaos (literally). To think this small semi-path/street will no longer be in a few years time makes me even more sad.

Time warped or plain simple conforming to social needs and adhering to the principles of the rich.famous.moustached.demented?

I have vivid memories of celebrating Pakistan’s Independence Day in my childhood. Yes, every 14^th August, I along with my cousins performed the same rituals of buying loads of buntings and flags, decorating my grandmother’s house with flags, buntings and candles, waking up early morning on 14^th August to watch live the flag hoisting ceremony from Islamabad and listening to the patriotic songs sung by Sohail Rana’s trained and directed children choir. Nevertheless, one thing I always missed was the “21-gun salute”. A lot many of you would have followed the same rituals of celebrating the ‘Independence Day’ during your childhood.

I am a grown up adult by now. However, I stopped celebrating the “Independence Day” with the same zeal I used to celebrate this day in my childhood.  Yes, I stopped because I was frustrated by listening to ‘mere patriotic slogans’ every independence day whereas in reality I observed people neither abiding law, nor honoring our constitution and thus polluting the ‘land of pure’ to the extent that It has been ranked among top ten failed states in Foreign Policy Magazine’s “Failed States Index 2009”. Nevertheless, during all those years of ‘not celebrating’ the Independence Day I loved hoisting a national flag on the roof-top of my house in Lahore. But this was it all, I spent the whole day every year sleeping and resting in my room celebrating “my holiday” from work. However, I commemorated the Independence Day in 2007 & 2008 with my fellow Pakistani and Australian students in my university in Melbourne (Australia) by dancing in university with our national flag. Well, yes Pakistan with its bad reputation across the world and its ranking among top ten failed states of the world is my ‘identity’.

This year, when I am in Pakistan again and Pakistan’s 62^nd Independence Day is only a week’s away, I am wondering how to celebrate this day other than urging my friends to ‘Go Green Pakistan’ and change their display pictures on facebook in order to show unity as a ‘nation’ at least for one single day . My question to all of you Islooites is “How do you plan to celebrate the Independence Day this year (if this day really means anything to you)?”

Happy Independence Day to all of you !!!