I was at a colleague’s wedding today noon, when I learned that Baraat, coming from Lahore, has been stopped from entering the city at G.T. Road by the security officials. As per the live update coming from different cell phones connected with individuals present on the spot, the guys with the guns were in no mood to listen to anything. They were not even interested in checking the cars, only to learn that this was merely a baraat, and that the baraatis have not even any remote plans to join BB’s protest. The groom returned back and tried to enter from motorway, going all the way to Chakwal, Balkasar and Chakri only to meet the same fate again. At this moment, they talked to bride’s father, who happens to be a guy with a crescent and few stars on his shoulders in Armed Forces of Pakistan, and asked him to find some solution to the, one of its kind, problem. I got busy with something and missed the transmission for a while. When I joined back, by then, the groom was able to enter from Chakri interchange. I dont know if it was the bride to make this happen or the groom managed the security-guys on his own, but they eventually made it to the marriage hall.

BB says that she is proud of today’s outcome: one call for protest has jammed half of the country, and that she will continue with such calls.

Alarm bells for all the brides whose baraats are planned to come from outside the city in the weeks to come. Make sure your day doesn’t collide with BB’s, as the vice-versa doesn’t seem to be practical. And the grooms too, who plan to bring the brides from other cities, your bride may be denied the entry on the way back home :)

PS: At the wedding more than one versions of the story were available, all claiming to be live :)

As a son of a world renowned poet, Mr. Islamabad found it uniquely surprising that the whole country of Pakistan observes Allama Iqbal Day, As he has never experienced anything like it before, he did try to research as to any events taking place, as far as poetry readings go. As he is not networked into that loop of “Uncles” Mr. Islamabad decided to head out on the town to celebrate a friends recent passing of an MBA exam to enter a reputable local university (still not sure how that works, in the US I took GMAT)….. None The less we were off to Gelato, which found a mix small crowd, a table of 2 speaking Arabic, a table of 4 that looked super bored, and ohhh boy was the DJ playing some great beats! The Chocolate Brownie with ice cream was to die for, Mr. Islamabad usually sticks to his Low Carbohydrate, High Protein Diet, but this of course was a reason to celebrate. A few of the regulars were spotted, and a table of 6 young professional male co-workers.

Then we were off to Ye Ole’ Hangout, a classic on any night of the week, here we found the regulars enjoying dinner and sheesha, Right as we ere ready to leave, The Cricket match was put on, and we decided to watch the remaining 30 minutes of the match, what a great win for Pakistan! Mr. Islamabad isn’t even much of a cricket fan, give me some good ole basketball, and American football, 7 nights of the week, and I’ll say it is tooo little.

As the title of this post may have deceived you… I mean, only slightly… I thought I’d at least share this link…. read all about a man whose influence is still present today, in our society.

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Iqbal

Analyze yourself … the ground realities and the all-promising economic progressive trends we are being shown on different tv channels everyday.

With the educational institutions having re-opened residents of Islamabad have to cope with traffic snarls everyday especially in the school timings. The primary reason is set up of so many schools in an unplanned manner around the city, most of them present at the center of residental areas. ITP is trying it’s best to cope with the situation and to sort out the haphazard parkings on the main roads outside schools and colleges. The schools and college lack the transport system for the ever growing population of the school children. Some residents have suggested to move all schools to outer sectors such as H-8, H-10, which does not seem a likely solution in the near future. Till that time it seems that the residents would have to keep with the traffic mayhem during school rush hours.

Photo Credit : Yoseph

The culprit has been suspended for a temporary period from his service
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I’ve seen this man plenty of times enthralling (and annoying a few too*) by playing harmonium in Islamabad. He has an art and he want to live by playing his art for people around. Can you guess the place??

It’s the corridor adjacent to MCB in Melody Market. I saw the picture and liked it instantly … for many amongst us, it’s just another begging tactic … but he plays well and you can feel the purity of his skills deeply if you stand for a few minutes and listen to what he has to offer. Begging, may be, but I personally feel he’s better off than those who’ll roam around and will annoy you so much that you hand over few coins just to shun them off – give something and here comes another. Poverty is prevalent, I know, but not once or twice many a time, I’ve felt that for road beggars it’s more about asking and not doing any physical work at all. Offer them work they’ll move to next person.

The asterisked annoying in first line is for people who think he’s just another beggar.

What do you think?? Is he just another beggar?? Or you see him in different light??

Ciao!

The on-going conflict between the liberalism and fundamentalism in the country following the Lal Masjid issue and the demolishing of mosques in Islamabad has affected the young generation at large.

The students in different colleges and universities, in Islamabad, are fighting for the acceptance of their perceptions on the contemporary matters.

Female students who prefer wearing ‘Hijjab’ and religious students with flowing beards are often offended by students who are under no such compulsion and come from modern families.

Such students also do not like to be friends with the so-called fundamentalists and keep themselves away from them most of the time.

After the Lal Masjid siege, students who thought it was a plot hatched by the government against the innocent people became a target of hatred.

In certain colleges and universities, where co-education is offered, it has been seen that there are different groups of students that comprise liberalists and fundamentalists. (Sometimes I wonder why a person’s perception about life has been given such names).

The way we say that all Muslims are not terrorists, in the same manner people who consider Hijjab and Beard as a part of their sanctity should not be considered aliens. It is their prerogative and no one has the right to offend them for this unless it is harming someone.

The students who are victims of this controversy have been abused by fellow students who called them “Ninjas and dirty Mullahs,” (I used to pass such comments but within my circle of friends).
This makes me wonder that then why such students call them Liberalists when they act like fundamentalists.

This fire of hatred within the young generation for each other is not a healthy sign for the development of a young mind. This is bringing a communication gap between students because of different point of views about Islam and society. The reason I understood is the lack of tolerance and inability to listen to others’ point of view.

Now to deal with this problem, which has always been an issue but is on the rise for the last few months, proper counseling to the students in colleges and universities is needed. (Which I think has not been provided in any, or is it?)

The interaction between students and teachers on different issues could bring them close to each other which should help them understand the point of view of their fellow students. Media could be another platform for educating the young generation and help them get out of it in this time of turmoil.

As the 60th independence day of Pakistan approaches, sights like this are going to be more common around us. People we bless with our glance and then move on …!

PS: not a shameless promotional act but what do you think about going big?

I had already been deprived of my cell phone and wallet once before and this time I did not want it to happen it again.
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Two of my friends, who are visiting me from USA, were quite scared of the on-going situation in Islamabad which has been covered by the local and international media all around the world.
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