Urdu Poetry Forum

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knock knock...

in ur near future, i foresee u having to go thru a longgg write-up ...

just thought i'd warn u, be well guarded!

toodles

oh yeah?

ok fine...brb

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private..."

never been so hard to tell the truth...yet i hope my honesty doesn't offend anyone to the point that i start getting death threats the second i post this.

***

Miles away. Continents away. Seems to me, as if worlds away. And this ‘longing’ never stops. It never will, for those of us who are ‘unfortunate’. It’s not a matter of what we gain, it’s what is finally left behind in one’s bank account that really counts, commonly known as the ‘net gain’.And,I, the Ultimate Unfortunate feel the most bankrupt!

Flashing images of upcoming patriotic ceremonious activities on the television set, simply accentuate the pain, and frozen childhood memories hidden deep in my eyes, divulge my inner battle. ‘Childhood’ that I enjoyed every year for the last fourteen years, until two years ago…

End of final exams and increase of humidity were always equally welcomed by me and my brother. Of course, it meant that we would be flying off to Pakistan for the summer vacations…something completely, absolutely, totally normal. Time of the year we both awaited anxiously…

Unlike many we knew, we both even enjoyed the notorious ‘load shedding’, the scarcity of water during hot summer afternoons and the bees and mosquitoes which never hesitated to show their deep ‘affection’ by clinging onto us day and night. So that was Pakistan for us, of course, not forgetting the midnight feasts we had every night or the Mango Eating Competition we had amongst us cousins, in which, I’m proud to say I always won!
Innocent as childhood always is, everything and everyone seemed right, even Pervez Musharraf seemed a real-life hero.

So, a year and a half ago, things started to dawn upon me when I first stepped out of my ‘bubble’. I'd rather call it a rude awakening!
Well, the only Pakis I met besides my relatives were those dolled-up PIA flight attendants/air-hostesses with their fake sticky smiles. Therefore, I had hardly imagined that Pakistan would be less than perfect!

Disembarking, from the PIA plane, I, an alone young girl was welcomed by a series of stares from the Porter to the Airport crew. Should they make a move, I like a porcupine had activated my needle-like hair, just so in defense. Purpose of me telling this?Umm, nothing much, just wanted to explain how omens were telling me that things are going to get a bit, not exactly right.

Moving on, the purpose I had come with, finally, needed to be reviewed; for what I faced there was sufficient to drive a sane person to a mental hospital! Nothing less than Hell! All that love and patriotism seemed to have evaporated in thin air, when I interacted with the people there. And I totally owe it to them, for it hadn’t been for them I wouldn’t have been able to live this far away from Pakistan.

The art of hypocrisy and the talent of back-stabbing shall nowhere be seen so skillfully displayed! A place where no honest human being could survive even for a second, ah it wasn’t my Pakistan! And this is no exaggeration; in fact I’m being quite lenient!

Yet, in spite of all that, in spite of being ‘cornered’ by two foreign female security officers and three burly male officers on a Foreign Airport just because I’m a ‘Paki’, in spite of being punished to legally attain the second position in every Semester when those who cheated openly in front of the Professors got the first position, in spite of my mobile phone and even my toothpaste and several other items being stolen from a locked cupboard in my dorm(don’t ask me how that’s possible!), in spite of being taught to treat civilians like dirt when being trained in a College that preached 'Unity Faith and Discipline', well in spite of all darn that, the bottom line is that I still love being a Pakistani! Even those of us non-resident Pakis who lose their nationality still claim to be 100% Pure blood Pakis, why’s that?
A simple reason, when you love something, you accept it the way it is, along with its stack of bad qualities. No use criticizing the Parliament or playing the blame game that we all are good at. All that talk is good for nothing. The countless discussions, which reminds me of those old uncles with pot bellies, well they have got nothing better to do than discuss the Past Scoundrels,(better known as Presidents who’ve been scavenging on Pakistan like hooded vultures), over a cup of Lipton Tea and fresh morning ‘Jang’ Newspaper, are the very same young Pakis who used to feverishly wave the Paki flags on 14th August.

And the youth, who seem to be so happy ‘modernizing’ Pakistan and do this by representing it on the media that is shown all around the world, by cat walking in outrageous fashion and cultural customs inspired by You-know-who’s’ and in skimpy You-know-whats! Pathetic state of affairs! Mr. Jinnah didn't strive and struggle so that Pakistan could easily adopt foreign ideology. Inspiration is one thing and imitation is another.It's high time that the difference between the two gets realised!
Lack of nourishment seems to be the only cause. The soil of Pakistan is suffering from depletion of essential nutrients such as traditional and moral values.
But hey I’m no preacher! I’m just the ‘Ultimate Unfortunate’, shivering in my home away from home on August’s cool midnight. Just a winner who’s lost it all…

Cutting a long story short, it would be a huge lie if I say that I don’t love Pakistan. Responsibilities come with that love. And I’m fully aware of them unlike my compatriots.
Yeah, I truly love Pakistan!
But I fervently hope it falls in love with me too…because one-sided long-distance relationships do not last long.
But for now, Happy Independence Day! Let me beg my dad to allow me to hang green lights on our house! Go ahead organise a group hug with the Paki Flag! Woo Hoo baby, let us show some love! Love as in patriotism. Just thought that I'd make that clear.

***

Chalakie a.k.a the Ultimate Unfortunate

so i'm not alone+)

anyway, thanks for goin thru it!

And a.k.a the ultimate unfortunate...

Do u want me to edit this (The a.k.a)...or you would be my guest....

Please, omitt this as it doesn't justify a writer who is more optimistic than our news...it's doesn't suit your personality as well.

its part of the whole thing...i mean honesty thingy.

i dont know...do what u like, u're the boss+) if u dont like it , chuck it out+)

Ohh Chalakie sis you have already posted your stuff here...I thought that this thread is dead....
Nice article Chalakie with mixed feelings of love and complaints towards the country....
yeah the same question was pinching in my mind but as you have already mentioned not to ask it, so I won't ask it.....
Keeps sharing your visions Sis..
Chao