Shireen Burki's One Cent: 2011

Sunday, November 27, 2011

SARINDA, RUBAB etc.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Greensleeves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ItNxpwChE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVWhxoIkHtY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyW7otHkfg0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezs78ztoXM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldSvr_nDjKU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjfkwvOOAM&feature=related

Friday, October 28, 2011

A Cursory, but Courageous, Self Examination of the Pakistani State’s Descent into the Abyss…

A Cursory, but Courageous, Self Examination of the Pakistani State’s Descent into the Abyss…

"Rewriting the Past to Ruin the Future"
By Vaqas Asghar

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/8572/rewriting-the-past-to-ruin-the-future/

Shabash Mr. Asghar… stay safe and keep using that pen. It is your generation that must tackle the two elephants in the room: the military junta and the mullahs with their violent/intolerant ilk. We know what happens when “Islamic” is added to any equation.

Only when people in Pakistan are unfettered to speak and read the truth without fear of retribution (from the “state”), will this violent trajectory towards civil war perhaps begin to be reversed.

Meddling in Afghanistan as the expiration of the Durand Line Agreement approached; playing the victim vis-à-vis India, while treating its citizens in East Pakistan and Baluchistan like trash, certainly did not make for cohesion. Now it’s the Pushtuns turn to play the role of sacrificial lamb in the eyes of this “state” and their foreign allies. But the Pushtun/Afghan are a different kettle of fish and outnumber (& outgun) the Baluch, in comparison. It may be too late for reconciliation. But what are the alternatives?

The minorities have been sacrificed at the altar of "Islam." Even the normally peaceful Barelvis are showing signs of rabies; which normally one could expect from the JI and their ilk. So Imran Khan is being disingenuous when he bashes the ‘US like a piñata. The truth is often quite painful…not to mention dangerous. But our forefathers fought and died for what they believed was the truth.

If the Pakistan Army hadn’t played games with us (America) and had shut off the exit routes for Al Qaeda and the Taliban leadership; if it hadn’t played double games starting in Kunduz with the brazen airlift, nor helped regroup their creation, the “Taliban,” nor cultivated "jihadis" like LeT, JeM, HuM etc; protected their Al Qaeda guests at the behest of their foreign paymasters, this day would never have come to pass.

The current instability and the obscene blame games, which ignore the real villains, only serve to temporarily deflect the frustration and anger of the average Pakistani. IK is right to talk about ending Pakistan’s foreign aid addiction but tell that to the politicians/generals with visions of a cushy retirement…

The US handling of foreign policy vis-a-vis the region certainly doesn’t help things but that is another topic altogether. There is hope when people like you (and some of the commentators here) seek the truth...however painful.

Monday, October 24, 2011

More inspirational works...

Inspirational...There is Hope.

Amazing Grace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8AeV8Jbx6M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSc-CDL61u8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvB4xmtMD3c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FKoX7u_Jo8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkaV_5wSsKE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5P1M5qwBwo&feature=related

Amazing Grace Lyrics

John Newton (1725-1807)
Stanza 6 anon.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Pukhtunkhwa Songs

http://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=jpH5oFxwrBA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fyhFq9lUQY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewTOUOMrol4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUFSUmSM0w4&fe ature=rel ated

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyRmJiBjiO4&feature=related

Thursday, August 18, 2011

KANIGURAM, South Waziristan, PUKHTUNKHWA

KANIGURAM/ SOUTH WAZIRISTAN/PUKHTUNKHWA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaniguram
http://kaniguram.weebly.com/the-burki-history.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNeVdZZgLtQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF7bonzCaPg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cfdDa0Ve24

Friday, August 12, 2011

Judging Greg Mortenson…

JUDGING GREG MORTENSON...

Original post on |04/19/2011 10:22 am @ Yahoo Blog

…by his actions.

For those adults who are unfortunate cynics due to having witnessed, first hand, the vagaries, cruelties and betrayals of fellow humans, the news of Mr. Three Cups of Tea’s “fund and awareness raising” tours—as exposed by 60 Minutes-- for his own pocket, probably did not shock or surprise. After all, these days nothing adults do seems to come as much of a surprise. Integrity, honor, courage and sacrifice are concepts rarely covered by mainstream media today as many seek the limelight to cash in on their 15 or 20 minutes of fame no matter what the greater cost to others or to country.

My immediate reaction, however, was one of sadness. Not for him. No. But for the children around the country who had painstakingly collected their pennies for Mortenson’s scheme called “Pennies for Peace.” What will those children now think of adults like Mortenson who, in essence, used their innocence –and their parents and schools kind hearted generosity and compassion—against them? Will they succumb and become cynics and mistrustful so early on in their lives? Will they help orphanages and other genuine organizations after having being deceived by someone who was loved as a true American hero? What about those in Afghanistan, and especially Pakistan, who did benefit from his efforts albeit not to the extent he seems to take credit for?

As much as I love Afghanistan and its people, I hate its self inflicted dysfunction. The massacre in Mazar-e-Sharif (once the mullahs during the Friday sermon screamed for infidel blood) of UN personnel --who were there to help not kill-- has sealed it. Enough is enough. Time to leave Afghanistan ASAP (and I mean leave with all our troops and NGOs) and let Afghans have their publicly enunciated wish: to be rid of the first military force that invaded their lands to help them be a free people.

One would think that after the Soviet “example,” the people would express gratitude, not resentment, towards NATO (primarily US) forces that helped rid them of Mullah Omar and his entourage’s increasing despotism conducted in the name of Islam. The fact that, notwithstanding a lack of a coherent strategy (to include an exit), it is the infidel foreigners who have poured billions into Afghanistan to help Muslims, when the so-called “Umma”only brought in with them EFPs and IEDs (from Iran) and the suicide bombers (mostly from Pakistan and Arab lands) as gifts to bestow on their beloved Afghan brothers of faith. Where is oil rich Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Iran and all the other Umma countries and their humanitarian assistance for their Muslim brethren?? Talk has always been cheap.

No one wants foreign boots on their own soil. But what have Afghans really tried to do –except incessantly bicker and fight (for the spoils)—to ensure a speedy departure of these troops? And, worse, resort to targeting those who really are trying to help improve their miserable lives.

It is time to leave the Afghans alone.

The Road to Hell...

THE ROAD TO HELL...

Original post on |03/31/2011 09:44 am at Yahoo blog

...is paved with good intentions.

To state the obvious vis-à-vis Afghanistan: Truth is never black and white...but a complex, nuanced, grey. Those who want the Holy Grail (solutions to our “Afghan problem”) appear to be blind.

The constant reinvention of the wheel vis-à-vis Afghan research is akin to dissecting an already well dissected corpse….all the while hoping to discover some new tid bit of proof to explain the current quagmire.

I keep getting emails requesting research assistance (pro bono) or guidance on some specific subject on Afghanistan….all well intentioned queries but they, nonetheless, irritate. Why? Because all this intellectual “effort” misses the larger, critical, picture…the grail itself: We’ve bet on the wrong horse from the get go when we could have supported a winner just like the British did with Shah Shuja in the 19^th century. Then the populace wanted the popular Amir Dost Muhammad but had Shah Shuja imposed on them courtesy of British troops. The Brits wanted Shuja because he was “weak” and thus was malleable; while Dost (Pashto/Dari for “Friend”) Muhammad was too “independent.” It led to a blood bath of the Indus Army in retreat. And, Dost Muhammad got reinstated on the throne in the end regardless of British imperial intentions.

That should ring some bells. Common (horse) sense dictates that bolstering an illegitimate, highly unpopular, regime (thus making us look like the bad guy however well intentioned we may be) only leads to problems down the road for all concerned parties. Our mission will fail in the long run if we continue on this trajectory. Studying each and every physical attribute of Afghan provinces, or culture, won't make a damn bit of difference (pardon my French).

We have botched Afghanistan once again…that is what pains. Its déjà vu in many ways, only the stakes are now global not regional. Perception is what galvanizes gullible people who are discouraged from thinking for themselves. “Talibanization” (translation in Arabic is “studentization”) as a concept being bandied about is laughed at in the region; just like the term "Taliban" to describe the Dushman (Pushto/Dari for “enemy”) is. The more apt terms are “Wahhabization” and/or “Islamization” but no one wants to touch either of these elephants in the room. Deliberate ignorance is not a solution to a problem any more than appeasement was/is.

My paper “The Creeping Wahhabization of Pukhtunkhwa: The Road to 9/11” TBP in the April 2011 issue of Comparative Strategy (being published after many rejections elsewhere), enunciates the cultural disparities between the Pushtuns and the Wahhabi/Salafi Arabs. A fact that has not been fully understood nor leveraged. The key --in the long term-- in the region is to promote an authentic, original, identity over an "Islamic" one. This is the key... ideas, though, are well embedded and tough nuts to crack. We will see...inshallah as they say.

This is ultimately a struggle of narratives, identities and a defense of said identities in one’s own land be it here in the United States, Afghanistan or anywhere else.

To close with Kipling's sage words in The Ballad of East and West :

Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face,
tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

LID BLOWN OFF THE PRESSURE COOKER...

Original post on MARCH 5 2011 @ Yahoo blog

It was coming...those of us who have followed the Mid East/Muslim world...lived there for many years…been part of the culture…are not surprised at all. In fact, what surprises is that it took so long in this age of instant messaging/communication.

My hunch as to the timing of the Sidi Bouzid Revolt, aka the Jasmine Revolution (the spark that lit the fuse), will stay undisclosed for now. No need to have more incoming fire than necessary. The signs were there: the glaring disparities between the haves and the have nots.

The jaded, “Westernized,” elite, who had adopted the worst (and not the best) of what the West truly does have to offer. This corrupt elite and “leadership” were certainly not much in the way of role models, although they had ample opportunity to lead the way and curb their insatiable, not to mention publicly glaring, greed. I would venture that had Zane al Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia reined in his vulgarly ostentatious wife, Leila and her nouveau riche family members, and had the bureaucrats in Sidi Bouazid showed some humanity to the plight of that poor soul, Tariq (aka Muhammad) Bouazizi rather than the ugly side of Arab culture of public humiliation and sadistic cruelty, the genie might still be in the bottle for another day.

But this day of reckoning was coming…the populaces of this region have access to TV, can see who drives the fancy Porche and Mercedes on the streets of Damasq, Riyadh and Cairo, while they struggle to pay their bus fares and wrestle for a seat (if lucky) on the bus. You have ideal conditions for social uprising with a youth bulge and high unemployment, and festering perceptions of young men with no access to work or women (i.e. can’t afford to marry).

Overpopulation in this part of the world (especially in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan with finite resources) is the tinderbox. The problem is there are too many to feed and provide for…yet the mullahs urge their faithful to procreate and be fruitful. Yup, so they can have more gullible, illiterate, desperate and hungry souls to recruit from.

This is certainly the case with the Cairo based Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al Muslimin) that was never exterminated by the roots in its early days. Now it has its tentacles spread far and wide…a global threat partially disguised, fooling some as it stealthily pushes its long term agenda.

The Saudis now must realize the colossal mistake King Faisal made in the 60s (“the enemy of my enemy" script that is always shortsighted and backfires) when he welcomed the Misri Ikhwan into his Kingdom thinking they could be co-opted/tamed. To be then turned loose on those pesky Arab Nationalists/Marxists/Baathists. Even shipping them off to Peshawar for the “jihad” with a one way ticket did not solve the problem that only metastasized. Most came back confident, battle hardened (so their yarn goes) to cause mischief back home (Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), in the Balkansand elsewhere. Who’s co-opting who now??

And, then there is post-79 Iran…On that note, I’ll end my session for now.

Hiroshima in the Morning

Hiroshima in the Morning

Originally posted at Yahoo on |03/04/2011 07:15 pm

Rahna Rizzuto's book "Hiroshima in the morning" struck a cord.

That sensation that one is engulfed/overwhelmed by motherhood.

As someone who has wanted to focus on writing and been inspired by the words of Virginia Woolf in "A Room of One's Own" long ago, it remains a challenge to THINK and tune out 3 rambunctious boys. Most of us moms won't ever even come close to admitting this sense of complete submission to the task of "mothering."

It was one I sought and love (the most important job/mission of my life), but nothing prepares one for the never ending challenges, especially when it came to saving the lives (literally) of two of my three boys from the mysteriously cruel effects of autism while husband deployed with back to back combat tours.

Yet, I could never imagine being a "part time" mom like Rizzuto. BUT I can certainly empathize with her and wish her well. It sounds like her family found a space, a way, that worked for them.

What her dilemma brings to the fore is the reality of modern, atomized/nuclearized, life: women are expected to work, play wife, mom and friend all the while taking caring of the gazillion household chores (yes, yes, men have stepped up to the plate...only now society expects so little from "children"). Amy Chua's book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom" was the other recent book that caught my attention on parenting.

Yes, Armstead, my first born,gets to experience some of the Tiger Mom as I seemingly berate him on the merits of working hard vice just assuming things will come to him because he is very intelligent. Somehow I believe that constant repetition/reminders on the merits of hard work will sink in and my diatribes will end. These two recent books highlight the reality that parenting isn't for the meek if one is to do it right and well in order to produce decent, functioning, adults. Well, on that note I'll end my first blog entry.