Yesterday was 10th April. 20 Years down the Ojri Camp incident. And I’m so tempted to re-post this post here :)  Previously it was posted in Dec’ 05

Life is full of events … tragic … happy … alarming …. monumental …. all sorts of … in different phases and times …!

OK … wait a minute … I was about to write some flashback moments here … Let’s have a small quiz first … Can you tell me what is this thing … any idea into its history ????

Ciao …!

Update [7th Dec 06 - 11:15 PM]

So some of you were quite correct - some funnier :-)

It’s a small-sized Rocket’s propeller (see the fan like thing on which it is standing) - it had a shell on it with gunpowder - the cylindrical shape also contains gunpowder (to the best of my knowledge) …!

A little history of this Rocket now … but first the INCIDENT … It dates back to 10th April 1988 … another day (apart from 8-10-2005) when Islamabad and Rawalpindi were almost shook by rockets and missiles flying in the air … falling here and there … rumors in the air that Islamabad is invaded by India (and even some said Russia) … it was all due to Ojri Camp incident.

Ojri Camp was basically army depot with ammunition (I’m not sure … anyone??? I guess it was abandoned by 1988 and people didn’t even knew that it do have LIVE AMMUNITION) … and then something (what?? Ummm I don’t remember … don’t BLAME me … I was just 4 then) happened and taraah … the rumors outside Pindi-Islamabad is all finished … it’s no more … since telephone lines also suffered … few rockets hit the exchange too … !

My father incidentally went to work on (my beloved) Vespa and not on car … so while coming from Pindi to Islamabad at around 11 … (this incident happened between 10-11) … he had 2-3 rockets with him :D as “his collection” … hence a Live Masterpiece no Re-Collection from POF or anywhere … we only painted it golden laters… En route he narrates that there were missiles of lamp post size and man they were real huge … the incident was tragic with lots and lots of stories to tell …!

One of our acquaintances had a missile hit their home in satellite town such that it perfectly drilled on wall, ten next room and perfect drilling of wall … such wise it drilled 3 walls perfectly and then hit off 4th wall … that brought all energy game to an end …!

I vaguely (READ it CLEARLY … because Even Now I seem to have it in my memory) remember when rockets were really flying off in air, with everyone worried about their kids and men out on work … everyone praying and talking if it is an invasion or Allah’s wrath ..!

So it was kind of brief flashback from Islamabad’s life … with this rocket memoir … by the way the other two bigger (and my mom told us that the shell was much beautiful :>) rockets we gave back since the chances of it be LIVE were always there … !

First (Dr.) Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s shoe beating and then just yesterday (Dr.) Sher Afghan’s beating and thrashing in Lahore.

Nothing commendable. Brutality to show your emotions is never commendable.

Yesterday while watching the video of incident, many a times I thought this man’s going to die coz of a heart failure. If you talk about justice … then adopt proper ways to do justice. If he’s criminal in your eyes, bring him in to teh courts and not THRASH an aged guy with hundreds of hands.

Its high time that we use our wisdom (if any) and start thinking intelligently. Emotional intelligence may be good, pure emotionalism - No.

In late June ‘07, I made a post on Islamabad Metblogs about a seemingly-suspicious club in F-10/3. Some real interesting comments came up on the post … and woohoo my suspicions were right.

Interestingly the club originated during the same period when Lal Masjid students raided an acupuncture clinic and kidnapped 9 people: 5 Chinese included.

When police raided the said club, almost 53 people were taken into custody including 19 men and 34 women. They were sent to jails under court bound … excluding obviously the ex-MNA and his friends.

ps: So the investigative report was not so bad, huh!

News Sources:

The News

Daily Times

Big Wigs … Part of the club

According to this article in the economist, Pakistan is now the most dangerous place in the world. It also discusses the political situation of the country in wake of Ms. Bhutto’s assassination. Have a look and comment people.

Yes that’s what describes Islamabad right now after the assasination of Benazir Bhutto. I had the chance to wander around in a few sectors of Islamabad like F-6, F-7,F-8, F-10, G-7,G-10 and G-6 and all of it reminds you a scene from the old wild west movies. The markets are all closed with a few shops open in the sub sectors market catering to supply for basic neccessaities of the citizens. The petrol pumps have been sealed off with pavements, no gas is available in the whole of Islamabad anywhere, and there is Islamabad Highway Patrol roaming around in the city. At a few places I did find some batteries of military personal, mostly rangers. The roads all are blanketed with a defeaning silience. Overall the mood of the city is calm, yet there is an air of strange melachony all around.

All major business have suffered, with major private and public offices closed for work. Some companys who work for overseas clients have asked their people to work from home. Many students have suffered as some had examination in the last week of December which had to be called off. I got a chance to talk to a few people on the road and it seems that most of them were taxi drivers or some shopkeepers who were apparently sitting outside their shops to guard them just in case mob hit the malls. There are some angry protesters pelting stones towards policemen on the seventh avenue. However overall there are no major signs of aggression.

This is not by any means how the city planned to embrace the new year. I just hope there is better in store for us as we try to deal with this tragedy which is one more of those tests of our resolve as a nation.

I read the following story in today’s Dawn and it left me sour. Can anyone justify this act?? The nation was assured that VVIP culture will end.

A taxi driver rushing his expecting wife to a hospital here last week was blessed with a son but ended up in jail for his pains. His crime? He got into an altercation with a policeman who wouldn’t let him enter a road sealed off for “VVIP movement”.

Rashid Mehmood, the taxi driver, was in great hurry because his wife was having labour pains. But his pleas did not budge the policeman who was guarding the Islamabad Highway as President Pervez Musharraf’s convoy was to pass through it.

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The scenes below are not of mishandling .. its sheer insanity. I’m in shock … after seeing this should I start believeing that there’s some truth in this incident reported few days back in a column by Javaid Chaudhry??

The scenes below are taken while journalists protest for the cause of judges and media.

_{“mishandling seems not a wise word for this treatment”}
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I read the comment by kamran on NIMS Fashion Show post and it reminded me of a this post on The Pakistani Spectator published recently. Couldn’t resist sharing it with our readers at large. You can read the whole story on the linked blog but pasting an excerpt here that shares the concern:

For the last two weeks, I was harassed, annoyed, cajoled and threatened by some anonymous and obnoxious calls by some five or six persons on my cell number. Initially when one or two guys called me, I took it as routine missed calls in which people tried to exploit the fluke. But then it became a norm, and I was really listened to some horrible music.

[...] I selected one caller, and pretended a friendship with him. I talked with him a little, and even called him once or twice, and he was ecstatic. After some calls and chats, I casually asked him as from where exactly he has got my number. He tried to circumvent the answer, but at last told me that actually he purchased my number from an Easy Load Center of Jazz for Rs. 50. Yes, I went there to re-charge my balance, I recalled in my mind. Upon my shocking voices, he said that it was fast becoming a lucrative business as not only the Easy Load owner sells the numbers, they also sell the visage and figure feature of ladies for extra charges. I knew right there, that the only option I had was to get a new number. That’s what I did.

I can’t paas a word on genuine concerns passed in the post on TPS. But still raise questions in mind … where is this situation (and many others we read and see daily) leading to? Towards an unseen pit of destruction?? And then what???

ps: I know it may not be directly related to Islamabad, it being a metro blog, still I felt it right to share if seemingly-naive things can be abused so. Just a word of caution!

Islami Jamiat Talaba activists push Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan into a van at the Punjab University, where he had come to lead a student rally on Wednesday, 14 Nov,2007.

Imran Khan was in hiding since Emergency’s imposition for obvious reasons. Our sister blog, Lahore Metroblog, reported about the event widely.

Politics may be necessary for nation’s build-up but its a Dirty Game nevertheless. Reasons and Logics can go in background, play of words and tacts start acting. The man-handling of his is clearly a political game played by opponents or so-called-ally. Muslim League is playing dirty by posting advertisements like these in leading newspapers (more can be read here)

The awaam is in misery. Who to look up at?? Who to follow? A state of Emergency indeed.

Dictionary says Emergency is “a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action”; in our case it was neither unforeseen nor immediate action can help. Long Term Planning, Action, and a Leader is all we require.

You can also read these posts on Imran Khan at LMB: Imran Khan’s arrest, Jemima fears for Imran, and Imran Khan’s Detention. All Things Pakistan reports the arrest here</a.

Sun sets … leaving the nation in dark!!!

Sharing the rampant images that can be found at various places online. Through these what message is been delivered to the outside world, I’m wary of that. Pakistan’s Emergency Situation is creating doubts from all fronts, coup, martial law, ousting of important personnel, threat to national security, US and EU’s pressure …. a common Pakistani is thinking hard. How about the ruling class?? Chair, Power, Money is all they are after, eh?? Lust game is going and the nation is suffering.

All Pakistani channels, except for the deary Pakistan Television, are taken off-air. So, people like you and me are left to search for live streams and blogs around, urgh.

Where the President COAS lives.
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