World Affairs And Beyond

My friend Siraj requested me to take him to Baba Jee, so I did. Baba Jee doesn't want to be a public figure, so people don't know him as such. Only a few travellers like myself, who have come across him, know where he can be found.  As we arrived at Baba Jee's modest abode located in the north of Pakistan near Afghanistan, he greeted us warmly, his face lighting up with a welcoming smile. He was very happy to meet Siraj, who had travelled all the way from Lahore to seek his wisdom. Baba Jee invited us in, and we settled down over a cup of green tea and some sweets. After a brief introduction, Siraj began to share his concerns. Siraj: Baba Jee, I feel so alone in life. I long to share my meals with someone, but even though I have family members, it’s not our tradition to sit together and eat. Everyone eats by themselves, in their own rooms. It’s not that I can’t afford it; it’s just that nobody seems interested in sitting together and eating. This makes me feel isolated. Bab...

I first met Baba Jee in the rugged mountains of Landikotal in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. He was an immigrant from Afghanistan, having fled the turmoil during the USSR war. Over the years, he had been adopted by a wealthy landlord in the tribal belt of Pakistan and had become a Pakistani citizen. Baba Jee, a man of deep wisdom and quiet strength, speaks Pashto and Dari, and I am sharing a translation of our conversation in English. I make it a point to travel to his remote location a few times a year to seek his guidance and get my pressing questions answered. Most of our conversations are recorded, ensuring I can revisit his deep wisdom whenever needed. (Sharing the dialogue I had with Baba Jee today) Sobia (Me): Baba Jee, I have been troubled for the past year. Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, with mosques everywhere, people fasting during Ramzan, and our constitution rooted in Islam. Yet, I see people who lie, cheat, deceive, and steal, while still bowing down in pr...

How hard can it be to get over a reverse cultural shock? Well, learning more about the reverse cultural shock kind of made it a bit hard to get over it. Dr. Bates from the American University gave us a lecture on how to deal with the reverse cultural shock, and he made it clear that there was no cure for it, but that it was not a disease.  

I have a friend, who hails from the city of Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province of Pakistan, belonging to a very educated family. His older brother has got a degree in English from a well known University in Islamabad.  My friend, Dodo, we will call him by his nick name for Dawood, got his early education at Edwards College here in Peshawar. He got his Masters from some University in Islamabad and then left the country for higher education in the United States of America at Harvard University. He is now a doctor of philosophy in something something.

Just a dialogue: The government of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa ordered to file a case against the man who brought dengue from Lahore into Peshawar and the 7 mosquitoes which bit him. They were all arrested and brought before a session judge. Dengue infected man : It wasn't my fault that dengue is spreading fast in Peshawar. I didn't want for this to happen. I am suffering myself. It's the mosquitoes. Hang them.

There have been floods in the Province of Sindh in Pakistan this year and at the same time, we saw devastation in Vermont, a state in the United States of America, due to the Hurricane Irene. So far I did not see the Vermonters begging anyone, even their own government for help with anything after the destruction of their property and lands. In Pakistan, so much aid and relief activities are going on in Sindh right now. Both the governments of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa each have sent around 20 million rupee aid to Sindh. I was just watching Makhdoom Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani the Prime Minister of Pakistan on TV, begging the International Community for more Aid. This really appeared quite shameful to me. I was just wondering if these floods are designed or are they natural? For how long is the Pakistan government going to beg others? Are they begging for themselves? Do the ones suffering actually get the amount of help sent by the good guys?...

Mubarak Ho ! Eid ka chaand nazar aa gaya hay.

Today the North-West of Pakistan felt an earthquake of 5.5 Magnitude ! Pakistan was born today in 1366 A.H (Hijri calendar), and this earthquake was definitely that moment in time and space when that agreement was made. The man who sacrificed everything he had to build this country for us Quaid-e-Azam said, "Unity, Faith and Discipline" do not ever forget this. This moment of Earth Shaking beneath the feet of the Pakistani people this night of the 27th of Ramadan, was a reminder for the people of Pakistan not to forget "Pakistan" & not to forget  "Unity, Faith and Discipline" ! Like it if you agree with me. Like it if you think it's time Pakistan should wake up and realize the need for "Unity, Faith and Discipline" !

  The Upper Kachura Lake is approx 70 metres deep.

Roohullah changing the tire on our way to PTDC Rama! :-)

Nanga Parbat (The Naked Mountain) is the ninth highest mountain in the world and the second highest in Pakistan. It is one of the eight thousanders, and is 8125 meters high. The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than 8000 metres high above the sea level.  

The dust tasted and smelt like that in my village back in Nowshera ! :-)

Tried to capture how it looks from there, when you're watching the tire move across the water.   Oh I almost fell off.

After travelling for hours in serious dust, inhaling and almost eating it.