World Affairs And Beyond

I came across a bunch of very athletic kids at the Hargisa stream in Baltistan. They were so excited to see me and talk to me for a long time about their water sports and the valley. They thought I was a foreigner, which for them, ofcourse I was. They spoke Shina language. One of them spoke English too. It was fun meeting these kids and watching them dive into the rocky stream. Wish I could do the same. :-)

My homeland, a new adventure everyday! Every morning you wake up, you hear breaking news! Could Pakistan be suffering at the hands of the talibans for hurting Afghanistan by supporting the Afghani Talibans in the past? Could this be a reaction to that? This morning I woke up, and accidentally switched on the TV to watch news after a long long time. I saw a news reporter standing in Sihala, Islamabad near an arms depot; site of some kind of a blast. Then another breaking news, a bomb blast killing 7 people in a market in Buttgram, Mansehra in the North of Pakistan. After some time, I saw a footage of shelling in Lahore probably on Ferozpur road. Then another breaking news of firing in Karachi, South of Pakistan. All this in a few hours and now I don't feel like taking my breakfast at all. So much for watching the television in the morning.

I was recently approached by some young lad from some organization, trying to convince me that dialogue is no good and that America was bad. He added that I was not a good Muslim because even though he did not know me, yet he saw my photos in the US and concluded that I was not following the message of Mohammad (peace be upon him). It reminded me of a saying of the fourth caliph of Islam, Hazrat Ali (on whom be peace), "A person who finds only faults in others is like a housefly, who leaves the whole beautiful body of a person and just sits on his wounds".

Save your only planet from war, hate and destruction. Unite for Peace !

Tried to capture the world famous quotable quotes on a rikshaw :-P

I really do not know the reason why the Pearl Continental Hotel administration ran the Pakistani flag upside down, but I sure did got blamed for taking a photograph with an upside down flag. Being an optimistic person, I tend to think positive and do not like to find faults with everything. It could have been the lack of awareness and Flag etiquette that this flag was run upside down, or it could have been a distress call.

An Aid convoy from donors coming through Alta Vista college in Islamabad carrying goods for 550 flood affected families. Aid convoy from donors coming through Alta Vista college parked on G.T Road outside of village Pashtoon Garhi. Aid consignment unloaded at distribution point in village Pashtoon Garhi. A close up of a damaged house towards the river Kabul. An aid truck getting stuck in mud being unloaded into a tractor trolley. A view of houses razed to the ground by flood water. A whole right side of the street being demolished by floods. Arrangements for distribution being finalized at distribution point. Unloading continues. Flour bags piled up at the distribution point . Verification of tokens before issuance of commodities to flood victims. Aid recipients awaiting distribution. One of many Aid distribution workers. An inside view of a once fully submerged house. A closeup of the damage to dwellings. Bricks of demolished houses. (Courtesy Olasyar - "People'