Turkish Delight: Love At Second Sight

Istanbul: First Look

The Flight Route

My First Meal in Istanbul, with the Volunteers

The Milion Stone

Distances of different world capitals from Milion Stone

Me, Hamid Jalilee, Fatma, Dougkan, Ahmet, Beyzanur

Sea of Marmara

Shake Shack!

'Hala' in Isteklal

(I traveled to Turkey for vacation during first half of July,2014. Following is an account of my experiences en route to Istanbul and onwards. This is the second installment of the series, focusing on the departure from Lahore Airport and First day in Istanbul. I hope you enjoy it.)

Wednesday, July 2^nd, 2014

I reached Lahore Airport well in time before the flight. I had never been too late to catch a flight or a bus because of my fathers’ insistence to be extra-careful in these matters. My flight was supposed to fly at 5.30 am and I had arrived at the airport at 2:00 am, with a couple hours of sleep. I am not a nigh-person by any stretch of imagination and do not like anything more than a good nights’ sleep, so this was one of those nights when I sacrificed my sleep for “a greater cause” (:P). I took a seat at the waiting area, alongside two Turkish men. One of my high-school friends was studying in Ankara on a scholarship and he had sent me a small guide-book outlining basic phrases in Türkçe. Based on my previous experience in Turkey, I had decided to learn the basics of language. I had tried to memorize some of the important phrases given in that book, and had relied on Google Translate for pronunciation.

We waited till 3:00 am for the check-in counter to start functioning. There were two flights (one of Emirates, the other of Etihad) ready to leave before us and their passengers had spent hours while checking-in. As soon as one of the flashboards showed the number of our flight, the two Turkish men leapt towards the counter and positioned themselves at the front of the line. I walked behind them and found a place in the same line. There was an additional queue for business class passengers. The clock kept ticking while we stood there. 15 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes. The line stood still; there was no one at the check-in counter to help us! A tall Turkish guy in the business class queue got impatient. Initially, he asked politely for the “manager” of the area. There was no reply. We were informed that it was time for ‘Suhoor’ and thus the staff were busy in that. Later, we got news that staff was busy in Fajr Prayers. This was too much to take for the tall Turkish guy, who started shouting at the manager and anyone who cared to listen. He pointed to the Turkish guys standing in my line that no Pakistani was protesting, and everyone was just standing there, in no hurry.   

After 45 minutes of standing in the queue, the staff miraculously appeared. Another issue surfaced this time. Apparently, a tax had been imposed in the latest budget and everyone who got their tickets after 30^th June, 2014 had to pay an extra Rs.1200 ($12) at the counter! This was unprecedented and most passengers balked at this idiotic gesture. Some people did not have enough cash on them, some were only carrying US Dollars and the check-in counter staff did not have any currency other than Pakistani Rupees. Even Credit/Debit Card facility was not available and they only accepted cash. It caused a minor kerfuffle but eventually, the line started moving. On my turn, I asked the check-in guy to assign me a window-seat, which he did.  After almost 70 minutes standing in that line, I was able to get past the Check-in and in the Departure Lounge. It was there that I first used my newly-acquired Türkçe skills and asked one of the two Turkish men that I had seen, if he knew English (İngilizce biliyor musun). To which he replied, “Yes”. I told him about the gate number where we were supposed to gather, as he was sitting at the wrong gate previously.


The Flight left Lahore at 5:35 am and I sat comfortably in my window seat, gazing at the beautiful sunrise over Lahore. I slept for sometime and woke up when our plane had crossed Afghanistan. We crossed Baku and entered Turkey soon afterwards. We could not land at Istanbul airport at once and had to wait for a few minutes due to some technical issues. Meanwhile, the pilot gave us an excellent overview of Istanbul, the vastness of which amazed me(I later discovered that Istanbul’s total surface area is FOUR times as big as that of New York City!). The last time I had landed at Ataturk Havalimani(Airport), there were long lines at the Passport control points, but this time was different. There were hardly any people and it took me less than five minutes to get my passport stamped till the baggage collection section.


More than half of the passengers on our plane were in Istanbul for Transit and were moving on to further destinations, because of which the rest of us had to wait for another 30 minutes till our luggage arrived. During that period, I got to talking with a fellow Pakistani who was going to Italy after spending 3 days in Istanbul. It was his first time in Turkey so I gave him some pointers about the situation. As soon as my bag arrived, I took it and ran towards the exit doors. My first task was to get some Turkish Liras and then to get an Avea SIM card. I got the US Dollars changed and got a new SIM. I discovered at the kiosk that a mobile phone in which a Turkish SIM has been previously used, can’t be used again in Turkey. It was weird to know, but fortunately I had a spare phone so I got the SIM card for that. I asked the salesperson internet package, which he informed me about. He also instructed me to turn the phone to “Airplane Mode” and only use the phone after two hours.

I moved out of the airport and took a Taksi to Sultanahmet. Using Tripadvisor.com, I had booked myself in for five nights at Saba Hotel near Sultanahmet/Blue Mosque. I had spent two days in that area last year so I knew the place a bit. The weather was nicer than in Lahore and I kept the window open throughout the ride. I told the driver in Türkçe about the hotel and showed him the email from the hotel that I had printed out. He called someone and asked them about exact location of the place. As we got near Sultanahmet, he informed me that due to traffic issues, he won’t be able to drop me in front on the Otel but near it. I was okay with it as I don’t mind walking. As it turned out, he had dropped me off on the backside of Sultanahmet and I had to drag my bag through the cobblestoned streets till I reached the mosque. I was relieved to see it because I knew my hotel would be somewhere nearby. I walked slowly in the hippodrome area and tried to see any hotels around the area. I reached Gate C of the mosque and was standing aimlessly when three teenagers wearing blue shirts approached me. They asked if I needed any help, in English. I was relieved to hear someone speaking English and told them that I definitively required help and that I was Lost! I showed them the email from the Hotel, which had mentioned their address and a small-ish Google map was also given.  

Despite the instructions given in the email and Google search by those teenagers, we were not able to figure out my destination. A slightly older girl in a red shirt came over and asked us about the issue. She saw the email and after some discussion with the teenagers, was unable to locate the place either. She said that she will help me find it and starting walking towards Hagia Sophia. One of the volunteers asked if I would like to have lunch with them. I accepted their offer delightedly, and walked with them to their office on the other side of the Mosque. I discovered that the teenagers were volunteers, working for Fatih Municipality(which contained numerous tourist attractions), guiding tourists in English, without charging anything. They were aged 15-25 and most of them were either in high schools or in initial years of university. During my last visit, I had not seen the volunteers as their tenure ended in September and I had visited in the second week of September. I enjoyed lunch at the office, while talking to many volunteers. Most of them had never met a Pakistani before, so it was my duty to leave a good impression upon them. After we finished the meal, one of the volunteers(Doğukan) escorted me to the area behind the mosque. He explained the history of the Hippodrome and the cages where Lions were kept. During our walk, we asked someone for directions to Saba Hotel and were finally guided in the right direction.  

We crossed the Marmara University Presidency and I found the sign of my hotel in the adjoining street. I stopped Doğukan in his tracks, asked him to get back to where he was deputed and promised to come back and hang out with him as soon as I checked in to the hotel. The lady at the hotel reception was very nice and friendly and she guided me to my room. When I paid the bill using a Credit card, it dawned upon me that I had accidentally booked a really expensive hotel. The friendly lady informed me that Wi-Fi service was only available in the Lobby, which was a big let-down.



After Checking into my room, placing my luggage and changing my shirt, I headed to the Hippodrome where I joined Doğukan and Fatma Betül. They took me on a little tour of the Hippodrome, starting from German Fountain to the Egyptian Obelisk and Roman Obelisk and then to the Milion Stone. We later sat down on one of the many benches placed in the Hippodrome and talked about history and each other. During that time, I restarted my mobile and it started working. It was a relief to finally have 3G service. After almost an hour of this chit-chat, we were joined by a guy sitting on a bench nearby. He was Mr. Hamid Jalilee from Iran, a businessman learning Türkçe in Istabul. We talked about common words in Persian, Türkçe and Urdu(Pakistan’s national language, which is a mix of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit). We also taunted the Turkish teenagers about the poorly cooked rice, found in Turkey. During our chat, we were joined by Ahmet Kaya and Beyzanur. We talked and talked and talked for almost three hours, and I left the area around 6 p.m., having sat there since 1 p.m. I learnt plenty of words and names that day, which helped me during the rest of my stay.

It was tiring(as I hadn't had much sleep in the preceding 24-30 hours) but it was sooper fun. I left for my hotel, which was hardly five minutes away from the Hippodrome and took some rest. One of my Pakistani friends is studying in Australia. One of her classmates was doing an internship in Istanbul and was staying in Sultanahmet. I caught up with her after some rest at the Hotel. We walked towards the Marine Drive, and sat alongside the Sea of Marmara. She had graduated with a degree in Psychology and was pursuing a Masters Degree in “Role of Gender in Development”, a subject close to my heart. We talked and walked alongside Keneddy Cadessi(Road) towards Galata Bridge and took the Tunel to Isteklal Cadessi. I was terribly hungry so I got some fries and a shake from Shake Shack which lies right next to the Tunel station. Last time, I had walked across Isteklal twice without visiting Shake Shack even once, and upon my return had heard rave reviews about its burgers and fries. My new friend gave me an Istanbulkart which was a blessing. We walked across Isteklal, enjoying the live music and at one place, a group dance(I was later told that it was called ‘Hala’, a traditional Anatolian Dance). We took the Funicular from Taksim to Kabatas and from there we took the tram to Sultanahmet. I reached my Hotel around 11.30 pm and was really exhausted so slept immediately. It was a wonderful first day in Istanbul.


(To be continued)

یہ وہ سحر تو نہیں

1947 کی بات ہے۔ پاکستان معرض وجود میں آ چکا تھا۔ فیض صاحب دہلی سے لاہور منتقل ہوئے تو نئے ملک کی حالت دیکھ کر دم بخود رہ گئے اور اپنے جذبات کو کچھ یوں بیان کیا:

یہ داغ داغ اجالا، یہ شب گزیدہ سحر
تھا انتظار جس کا، یہ وہ سحر تو نہیں

اجالا بیشک داغ داغ تھا لیکن تقسیم کے بعد شہر لاہور کی ادبی محفلوں کو چار چاند لگ گئے اور اس وقت جو ادب تخلیق کیا گیا، اس جیسا آج تک نہیں کیا جا سکا۔

وقت تبدیل ہوا۔ ابتدائی دنوں کا خمار ٹوٹا اور لاہور کی ادبی سرگرمیوں میں کمی آئی کیونکہ روزگار کے غم دلفریب ہونا شروع ہو گئے۔

وقت گزرتا گیا اور ادبی محفلیں کثیر تر ہوتی گئیں۔ طواف کو نکلے چاہنے والے، نظریں جھکا کر اور جسم و جاں بچا کے چلنے لگے۔ لبوں سے آزادی چھین لی گئی اور ’بول‘ کی صدا لگانے والے ملک بدر کر دیے گئے۔ پاک ٹی ہاؤس ٹائروں کی دکان میں تبدیل ہو گیا، کافی ہاؤس بند ہوتے گئے۔

اس جمود کے عالم میں لاہور ادبی میلے کا انعقاد ایک خوش آئند قدم تھا، اور امید ہے کہ اس طرز پر ہر برس کم از کم ایک تقریب ضرور منعقد کی جائے گی۔

تقریب کا آغاز معروف صحافی مظہر علی خان کے صاحب زادے طارق علی کی تقریر سے ہوا۔ موصوف نے دنیا بھر کے انقلابیوں کا ذکر کیا لیکن ادب سے متعلق کوئی بات کرنے سے گریز اختیار کیا۔

اسی دن کے ایک اور سیشن میں جناب نے سونامی پارٹی کی حمایت کا اعلان کیا جس پر وہاں کثیر تعداد میں موجود برگر بچوں نے خوشی کا اظہار کیا۔ ساری عمر بائیں بازو کی سیاست کا نعرہ بلند کرنے والوں کو سونامی پارٹی میں کیا خاص بات نظر آئی، علماء اس معاملے میں ابھی تک خاموش ہیں۔

ایک دانشور عزیزالحق صاحب نے ایسے لوگوں کے بارے میں کہا تھا کہ ’رہے ساری عمر یوپی کے نواب کے نواب اور سکھاتے رہے اہل پنجاب کو مزدور تحریک کے اسرار و رمو ز‘

تقریب میں ہمارا پسندیدہ سیشن پاکستانی فلموں کے بدلتے کردار سے متعلق تھا۔ ہم نے دیکھا کہ وقت ڈھلنے کے ساتھ کس طرح پاکستانی فلم سازوں، ہدایت کاروں اور لکھاریوں کی ترجیحات بدلتی رہیں، حتی کہ ایک وقت ایسا بھی آیا جب چنگیز خان کو مسلمان دکھایا گیا اور وہ ’اللہ کی رحمت کا سایہ‘ کہلایا۔

لاہور ادبی میلے سے ہمارا سب سے بڑا گلہ یہ رہا کہ تمام اہتمام ایک مخصوص طبقے کے لیے رہا، حتی کہ لاہور کے مہنگے ترین تعلیمی اداروں (جن میں سے ایک کا افتتاح برطانوی واسرائے نے کیا اور دوسرے کو برطانیہ کے گرامر سکولوں کی طرز پر قائم کیا گیا) کے طلباء پر ادبی میلے میں حاضری لازم قرار دی گئی۔

ان بچوں کی موجودگی کے باعث چند مضحکہ خیز واقعات بھی رونما ہوئے۔ ایک سیشن میں انتظار حسین صاحب نے جب دو چار منٹ اردو میں بات شروع کی تو ہال خالی ہونا شروع ہو گیا، اور یہ لازوال فقرہ سننے کو ملا :’چلو بھئی یہاں تو اب شعروشاعری شروع ہو گئی ہے‘۔ لاہور جیسے شہر میں اردو کا اس طرح جنازہ نکلتے، نہ پہلے دیکھا، نہ سنا۔

ایک موقع پر منٹو صاحب پر ہونے والے سیشن میں ان کی بھتیجی ڈاکٹر عائشہ جلال سے اصرار کیا گیا کہ گفتگو انگریزی میں کریں۔ مانا کہ بہت سے غیر ملکی مہمان بھی وہاں موجود تھے لیکن لاہور میں منعقد میلے میں منٹو پر بات اگر اردو میں نہ کی جا سکے تو یہ شرم کا مقام ہے۔

خورشید کمال عزیز صاحب، جو کے کے عزیز کے نام سے بھی جانے جاتے ہیں، اپنی کتاب ’تاریخ کا قتل‘ میں لکھ گئے کہ پنجاب کے لوگوں نے کبھی اپنی زبان کی قدر نہیں کی، پہلے اردو کی ترویج و ترقی کا بیڑہ اٹھایا تو کبھی انگریزی کی جانب راغب ہوئے، جبکہ حقیقت تو یہ ہے کہ نہ ہی اردو ہماری زبان ہے نہ ہی انگریزی۔ یہ دونوں زبانیں تو نوآبادیاتی زبانیں ہیں اور ہماری زبان تو دراصل پنجابی ہے۔

لاہور پنجاب کا دارلحکومت ہے اور یہاں منعقدہ ادبی میلے میں پنجابی پر کچھ نہ کچھ بات ضرور ہونی چاہیے تھی، لیکن جس طرز کا طبقہ بلایا گیا تھا ان کے ہاں پنجابی صرف انکے ڈرائیور حضرات ہی بولتے اور سمجھتے ہیں۔ وارث شاہ، بلھے شاہ، بابا فرید، منیر نیازی، استاد دامن اور امرتا پریتم کی ارواح کو اس طرح کی زیادتی پر بہت تکلیف پہنچی ہوگی۔

اردو پر دو عدد سیشن ہوئے جن میں سامعین تو ایک طرف، چند مقررین نے ہی تشریف لانا گوارا نہیں کیا۔ منٹو اور فیض کا تذکرہ تو بہت ہوا لیکن یار لوگ تو اب صاف کہتے ہیں کہ فیض اور منٹو ادب اور جدوجہد سے زیادہ فیشن کی علامات بن چکے ہیں، یا بنا دیے گئے ہیں۔

ہمیں انگریزی لکھنے والوں سے کوئی پرخاش نہیں مگر جس ملک میں ایک آبادی کی ایک بڑی تعداد آپ کی لکھائی نہ پڑھ سکے، وہاں آپ انگریز ی کی بجائے ولندیزی زبان بھی لکھ لیں تو کچھ مضائقہ نہیں۔ ہاں اگر آپ نے باہر کی دنیا کے لیے لکھنا ہے تو بصد شوق لکھیے، خیالات کسی ایک زبان کی میراث نہیں ہوتے۔

ادبی میلے کے خو ش آئند پہلووں میں بچوں اور نوجوان لکھاریوں کے لیے کیے گئے سیشن شامل تھے۔ اسی طرح ادب میں طوائف کے کردار پر ایک عمدہ سیشن ہوا۔ ادب اور خواتین پر بھی ایک سیشن رکھا گیا جس میں پاکستان میں سب سے زیادہ پڑھی جانے والی خواتین مثلاََ عمیرہ احمد کو مدعو ہی نہیں کیا گیا۔ میلے میں شریک ایک صاحب کے مطابق، جو ایک ہسپتال کی ڈسپنسری میں کام کرتے ہیں، میلے کا ماحول اور اس کے شرکا ء کسی دوسرے سیارے کے مکین لگ رہے تھے۔

کے کے عزیز نے پنجابیوں کی ایک اور صفت بھی بیان کی تھی، یعنی ’سارے جہاں کا درد ہمارے جگر میں ہے‘ لیکن اپنے علاقے اور اس کے لوگوں کی ہمیں کوئی خاص پرواہ نہیں۔

قابل عزت صحافی اور قلم کار محمد حنیف صاحب نے گم شدہ بلوچوں کا نوحہ پڑھا جو قابل داد ہے لیکن ان ہزاروں ’پنجابیوں‘ کا ذکر تک نہیں کیا جن کا واحد جرم صرف یہ تھا کہ وہ پنجابی ہونے کے باوجود بلوچستان میں رہائش پذیر تھے، ان ہزاروں معصوموں کا نوحہ کون لکھے گا؟

بہرحال حنیف صاحب نے کم از کم فوج کے پنجابی ہونے کی غلط فہمی اپنی آزاد نظم کے ذریعے ضرور دور کی اور کہا کہ ’نواب نو روز خان کو جس کتاب پر ہاتھ رکھ کر جھوٹا وعدہ کیا گیا، وہ کتاب پنجابی زبان میں نہیں تھی، اس کے بیٹوں کو جس پھانسی کی رسی سے لٹکایا گیا وہ رسی اچھرہ سے نہیں بھیجی گئی تھی، وہ راکٹ جو اکبر بگٹی کو لگا کوئی سیالکوٹ سے تیار ہو کر نہیں گیا تھا۔ فوج نہ سندھی ہے، نہ بلوچی، نہ پٹھان، نہ پنجابی، فوج تو بس فوج ہوتی ہے‘

ان تمام تلخ حقیقتوں کے باوجود ہم اپنی کشت ویراں سے ناامید نہیں اور توقع کرتے ہیں کہ آئندہ سالوں میں ادبی میلوں کے انعقاد میں بہتری دیکھنے کو ملے گی اور اجالا مزید داغ داغ نہیں رہے گا۔

Brain Drain(Part 2)

(Published in The Friday Times on 12th October, 2012)

Dr. Adnan was the best graduate of his MBBS session three years ago. He had achieved the highest marks in almost all the annual exams during his five years of medical school. He completed his house job of one year and spent almost 6 months in preparing for the entrance exam to a Residency program in the United States (the USMLE or United States Medical Licensing Exam). He cleared the first two stages (it's a three-stage exam) with ease and applied for a visa, so that he could visit the United States and take the third and final exam of USMLE. But he was denied a visa for the United States. He has spent almost 300,000 rupees in fees for the tests, and it has taken him a year for him to reach this stage. But his efforts have been in vain.

126,931. That is the number of Registered Medical Practitioners (people who have obtained MBBS degrees and have completed a house job of one year) in Pakistan, according to the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. Every year, some 8,000 fresh medical graduates join this list. A vast majority of Pakistan's medical graduates want to move to either the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Middle East or other green pastures in the world beyond Pakistan. According to a report aired on Geo News on 8th August 2012, Pakistan has become the largest exporter of young doctors to Britain's state-funded National Health Service (NHS). The number of Pakistanis registered on the GMC (General Medical Council) data stood at 8,552 on 7th of August, 2012. Similarly, according to a research paper titled 'Pakistani Physicians and the Repatriation Equation', published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Pakistan has contributed approximately 10,000 international medical graduates (IMGs) to the United States. In a research conducted in 2007 titled 'Reasons for migration among medical students from Karachi', it was revealed that Over 95% of Aga Khan University (AKU) and over 65% of Baqai University (BU) final-year medical students intend to go abroad for their postgraduate training.

And all this while Pakistan is facing an acute shortage of trained doctors, according to reports by the World Health Organization (WHO).Pakistan cannot meet its needs for healthcare, given the current levels of production and dependency on physicians in the organization of the system. Although out-migration contributes to the problem, it is the growing demand for healthcare from increases in population and adverse conditions that generates ill-health. The most important question to ask about this mass migration is: Why are all these people leaving their country?

The answer is manifold and, speaking as a health professional myself, painful to state.

The survey done on medical students of Karachi's elite Aga Khan University and Baqai Medical University revealed that the two most important factors behind this intent as pointed out by the students are poor salary structure and poor quality of training in Pakistan. I can vouch from my personal experience that as soon as a medical student enters the medical school, the next big question regarding his/her life is the "plan" or path he/she intends to take after graduation. Even during the one-year training of the house job - something I am currently pursuing - the queries about the "future" are among the most frequently asked questions by one's seniors and family members.

It is an absolute travesty that in Pakistan the practice of "Career Counseling" for medical professionals is practically nonexistent. Most middle-class parents only have three or four career options for their kids: Doctor, Engineer, Banker/Accountant and if all else fails, Army. In a similar fashion, when a medical student enters medical school, it is from his/her seniors that guidance about any future plans is acquired. Traditionally, there are four ways to pursue post-graduation for Pakistani students. The first one is the FCPS (Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan) route, which involves four years of clinical training at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. After completing four years of training and passing the FCPS exams, you are considered a specialist in whichever field you chose to pursue. The second and most attractive option is that of obtaining a residency in the United States, where the training standards are the highest in the world. For that route, a candidate has to go through the three stages of the USMLE exam (the examination fee for each step is more than 1.5 lakh rupees), the third of which can only be done in the United States.

After the residency and an exam, the candidate becomes "Diplomat American Board" for the chosen specialty. It should be noted that the ratio of people who get their desired residency after passing the exams is around 50-60%, which means that despite getting excellent marks, you are not guaranteed to get your favored specialty (for example Anesthesia or Neurosurgery) in 50 to 60% cases. The time required to complete this whole process ranges between 3 to 5 years.

The third option is that of pursuing post-graduation in the UK. To follow that route, one first has to pass the PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) exam, which is a two-stage test. The examination fee for each stage is also more than one lakh rupees. After completion of PLAB, post-graduation courses are taken, based on available spots in the preferred specialty. The whole process of completing this route takes around 5-7 years. An alternate route to acquiring British certification is the MRCP/MRCS (Member of Royal College of Medicine/Surgery) route, which is a two-stage route, but the training can be obtained in Pakistan while exams have to be taken in the UK.

The fourth and latest addition to the options is that of post-graduation in Australia. For that, a candidate has to pass the entrance exam of the AMC (Australian Medical Council), which also has two separate tests. The examination fee for each step is in the range of the fee for USMLE. There is no guarantee of getting a post-graduate education in Australia even after getting excellent marks in the first entrance exam.

Most medical students in Pakistan don't know which path they will take, even whether they will be able to work in their desired field or if they will get a job where the salary is adequate after about ten years of medical training. And this, I am sorry to say, is the primary dilemma of the medical community, the so-called "cream" of the Pakistani nation.

Reflections from Pakistan India Social Media Mela 2012

(an abridged version published by Express Tribune Blogs on 16th July, 2012)

Question: What is the one common thing between a writer from Mumbai, a Journalist from Delhi, a famous film maker from India and a Junior doctor from Lahore?

Answer: The fact that all of them loved hearing Iqbal Bano(it was actually Meesha Shafi, as pointed out later by Jugal Mody) sing 'Dasht e Tanhai main' on the radio, at wee hours in the morning while waiting to get CNG at a gas station in Karachi. 

For me, that one moment captured the spirit of Pakistan India Social Media Mela 2012. No wonder the slogan of the event said, “Faasla Na Rakhen, Pyar ho Jaanay Dain’(Translation: Overcome distances, Let love happen)

Organized in Karachi by PeaceNiche, in collaboration with the United States Consulates in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi, it was supposed to be a gathering of social media enthusiasts from India and Pakistan. This being Pakistan, the criticism leveled at the event started much before the event itself. It was an invite-only affair and most people who were invited were recommended by other people. Participants from Lahore and Islamabad were sponsored by U.S Consulates in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi for their travel and accommodation.

It was my first visit to Karachi and I was really excited by this opportunity. I boarded the plane from Lahore airport on the evening of 12th July, along with the rest of participants from Lahore. The visit was not only an opportunity to interact with new people but also to get a respite from the hectic schedule at the hospital. During the flight, I had a good, long chat with my seat mate whom I discovered to be a fellow participant. I got some flak after the plane landed, from assorted uncles who were unfortunate enough to have gotten seats around us. The first thing that I noticed after landing in Karachi was the wind. We were transported to Avari hotel and allotted rooms. When I reached my designated room, I had to pinch myself to judge if I was not dreaming. The rooms were spacious, comfortable and had attached baths separated by glass walls.

We were offered BBQ dinner at the top floor of the hotel. That was where we first met fellow participants from India including Onir, Karuna John, Jugal Mody, Venket Ananth, Sabbah Haji, Annie Zaidi, Raheel Khurshid and Sanjay Rajoura. I immediately struck cordial notes with one of them because of me being a vegetarian. Later, I took part in an interesting discussion about Marxism, Class Struggle and Pakistan Movement taking place at an adjacent table.

The next two days were one of the best that I've had.  Despite being an adopted Lahori, I didn't miss Lahore for a moment. I wouldn't have met many of favorite people at one place if I had not come to the mela, including Nadeem F Paracha (one of my mentors), Ali Chishti, Marvi Sirmed, Beena Sarwar, Mohsin Sayeed, Muhammed Hanif, Faiza S Khan, Musharraf Ali Farooqi, Declan Walsh, Amir Mughal, Murtaza Solangi, Hassaan Belal a.k.a mighty, Sana Saleem, Ali Arqam, Zebunnisa Burki and the wonderful people from across the border. At the start of first day's session (around 9 a.m. which was an inconvenience for many people) Senator Rehman Malik, usually at the receiving end of mockery by social media people, was generously praised for urgent attention to the visa problems faced by guests from India.

The sessions were mostly insightful and informative but I personally enjoyed the off-session activities where I got the chance to interact with some amazing people.

Some of the memorable sessions dealt with online activism, role of social media in education sector, use of non-profit for non-profit organizations, online activism, Pakistan-India relations, ‘Slactivism’, impact of party politics on Social Media, Internet Censorship, Cyber-Bullying and Twitter as the new Newsroom. 
 I was a panelist at the session 'Fight Club:Rise of the Troll' alongside Bina Shah, who had come fully prepared with research, Mohsin Sayeed, star of our show and a delightful presence throughout the mela, Raza Rumi and Rab Nawaz, editor of the magazine Laaltain and member of Khudi Pakistan. Some sessions were, indeed, boring but that is how things work usually. Due to my involvment in the recent doctors' strikes, I had plenty of questions to answer. I was branded 'the revolutionary doctor' by Sher Ali, an Express Tribune reporter and 'Hartaali doctor' was my nick name. After the first day, the event was declared open to everybody because of the quips about elitism and exclusion.

There was a Qawalli session after first days’ proceedings and it featured Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, the best Qawwals in Asia. They enthralled the crowd with their renditions from Sufi poetry.
There was a standup comedy act on the second day by Sanjay Rajoura and he left the audience rolling on the ground with his observational comedy about Facebook albums, Indian Cricket and some social peculiarities. He received a standing ovation at the end.

Contrary to popular expectations, the event did NOT offer a solution to the Kashmir Problem, brought an end to killing of Shias and Hazaras in Pakistan, decreased the level of radicalism in Pakistan or ended the hostility between Pakistan and India. Kashmir was mentioned, but only as a barter for Coke Studio by Sanjay in his stand up act. The issue of persecution of minorities was discussed in detail and panelists included members from Ahmedi, Hazara and Christian communities. It was a social media event, not a Track 2 diplomat meeting. There were many Hazara participants there as well, which was encouraging. It was not a kitty party and for the record, only two women were actually wearing Sari(Even if they were, Whats wrong with that?), so over-generalizations have to be avoided.

 It was a unique coming together of people who know each other mostly by twitter names and such events should take place at least once a year. It was a tremendous effort by Sabeen Mahmood and her team at PeaceNiche, and I would like to thank and congratulate the team at PeaceNiche and the U.S Consulate staff for their co-operation and hospitality. I would also thank my new friends from Karachi and India, for their love and company. I left the event with a heavy heart, new friends and acquaintances and countless good memories.  

A big shout out to my new friends
Faizan Lakhani, FurSid, Aroosa Shaukat, Sheru, Tuba, Shiraz Hassan, Osama, Faheem(@smokenfog), Yasser Latif Hamdani, Shahab(@UncleFu), Rab Nawaz, Sara Muzzammil,  Awais Aftab, Bilal Tanweer, Salman Lateef and Zeeshan Haider. 

How to Live-Tweet a Wedding

(published in Express Tribune)

Twitter has enabled news to be transmitted within mere seconds. Now, ordinary people are able to take part in the way information travels and even add their opinion to it. Recently, many have  started using this platform to describe an event with a constant flow of tweets. This practice is known as “live-tweeting.“

The phenomenon of live-tweeting was popularised during the Arab Spring. Since then, we have seen many an incident being live-tweeted. Whether it is the Osama bin Laden operation, Whitney Houston’s funeral, or even an abortion, live-tweeting is the new fad.

So perfected is this practice that there even exist many guidelines on how to live-tweet an event.

I recently attended a wedding with a friend, where he came up with a hilarious, yet eerily real vision for future weddings. According to him, all marriage halls will have WiFi internet facilities, and both the bride and groom will live-tweet the ceremony using their iPads! As weddings have not yet reached this level of advancement, let me demonstrate my version of the live-tweeting of a desi wedding.

For the uninitiated, let me get you familiar with desi wedding lingo; dulha means bride-groom, dulhan means bride, saasu maa means mother-in-law (which in this particular scenario is the groom’s mother), and lastly, the baraat is the congregation of the groom’s family and friends that accompanies the groom when he goes for the nikah (marriage contract).

Dulha: All geared up and ready to lead the baraat to #marriage hall.#Sehra bandi going on. C u at 7  @dulhan #PkWedding

Dulhan: RT @Dulha C u at 7 *sharam*

#MashriqiLarki  #LastDayOfFreedom

Dulhan: At the beauty parlour, waiting for my turn. Accompanied by lil sis. #WaitingSucks

#LastDayOfBeingSingle

Dulha: Received 40 thousand in salami till now. That won’t even cover 1 way ticket of Malaysia. :((  #BrokenDreams #ChawalRishtaydar

Dulha: MOM I AM NOT GIVING THE iPAD UP,I KNOW IT’S MY WEDDING DAY, JUST LET ME KEEP IT

#ParentsNeverUnderstand #iAddict

Dulhan: Haye Sartaj (@Dulha), aisa bhi kia zulm kar rahi hen

@SaasuMaa? *sharam*

Dulhan: RT @Dulha  #ChawalRishtaydar  *sniggers*

Dulha: This stupid kulla hurts so much. Arghh

#StupidCustoms  #KiaBakwasHaiYe  #LetsBanKullas

SaasuMaa: @Dulha stop complaining, it’s the best day
 of ur lyf, and these r ur OWN relatives.

#NewGeneration doesn’t undrstand these thngs. #Frustrated

SaasuMaa: @Dulhan just wait a few hours, i’ll explain to u all the zulmthat is being done to ur ‘sartaaj’

#ShokhayLog  #OverSmart

Dulha: Finally reached the #Marriage Hall. Cousins and friends dancing in frnt. This kulla is #Killing mE.! :@ :@

#LetsBanKullas

Dulha: entering the hall after about an HOUR of dancing while I stood there uncomfortably. #BanDances #BanKullahs #FML

DulhanzFather: Such a Big #Baraat. Have these people brought EVERYONE that they knew. :@ they told us nly 200 ppl wil come #FML #BrokenPromises #LastMinuteSurprises

Dulha: All elders of my family hugged their counterparts 4m @Dulhan’s family. We r getting seated now. #Kullah in my lap now. #Khushi my legs hurt now.

Dulha: Nikah Khwan arrives. After the proceedings, I was asked to sign at 5/6 places on the form. I didn’t even READ the text on that form.!!! #OhShit #Things2AvoidWhenGettingMarried

Baaraati154: ROTI KHUL GAI JAY.!!! #KONY2012

SaasuMaa: Oh for heaven’s Sake, These people seem soo ravished, we thought we were marrying our beloved into a #KhaatiPeetiFamily. Lets #hope for her better future.

DulhanzFather: Someone just spilled Shorba on my clothes.!!! #FML A kid was over-run by another Baraati..May God Have Mercy on us. :((

RandomStranger:- How are you @Dulha @Dulhan @DulhanzFather @SaasuMaa  #PTISucks #FakeInqalab

ILovePTI: How dare you say such crap about our Chairman and party @RandomStranger @Dulha @Dulhan @DulhanzFather @SaasuMaa #ChangeWeBelieveIn #LiberalScum

Dulhan: The @MakeUpLady. Argghh. Die, just die. U ruined my face. I should’ve gotten make up at home and it would’ve cost less and I would look less horrible. #BanMakeUp
#ShitPakistaniBridesSay

Dulhan:- Finally reached the hall. Waiting for my family to escort me to the stage. #IhateWaiting

Dulha: And here comes the lady of the evening. Everyone rises from their seats. There is a National Anthem joke in there somewhere but I better not mention it. @Dulhan #FTW

Dulha: It took @Dulhan 20 minutes to travel 80 yards, courtesy her clothing, the fact that she can’t even look up & because everyone is dying to see her. She luks Alrite though.
No wonder #PkWeddings are a mess. #ThirdWorldProblems

Dulhan: @Dulha STOP staring.!! *Sharam*#Ican’tCallYourNameAfterToday #PkWeddings #NewBeginnings

Dulha: You are my “legally-wed wife” now, I will oggle all I can. RT @Dulhan STOP staring.!! #WhoSaidMarriedLifeIsScary #PkWeddings #NewBeginnings

Dulha: Lo and Behold, there come the “Doodh-Pilai” Squad.
All dressed up and full of intent to rob me. :@ #PkWeddings
#WhyDoTheyHaveToDoThis #BanDoodhPilai

DoodhpilaiSquad: Yayyy, got a jewellery set for each of us out of “Jeeju” #PkWeddings #NewWaysToGetRich

Dulha: Rukhsati happening now. No tears in the eyes of @Dulhan After all, the make up is damn expensive these days.
@SaasuMaa I hope the reception at our place will go good :P

Baraat departs.

Tweets end.