Where *Can* PIA Fly?

A few months ago, with much fanfare, PIA unveiled a number of nonstop flights between Pakistan and the US. This was exciting news, since it cut down travel time between the two countries to 16 hours. And almost as soon as the flights were announced, they were canceled - because of "security concerns" (that all-encompassing term that hides a million sins of racism and discrimination).

Now, apparently, Europe is following suit. The EU is preparing to ban all PIA planes except for Boeing 777s:

A senior official at the Pakistan High Commission in London told the Pakistan International Airlines headquarters in Karachi that the European Union would bar all PIA aircraft, except for Boeing 777s, from flying to 27 European countries after March 8 because of safety concerns.

This, despite the fact that:

A seven-member Pakistani team of PIA and Civil Aviation officials had just returned from Brussels, where they made a “successful” presentation to the EU’s Air Safety Commission on February 22. They said that in addition to this, last week, a three-member European Air-Safety Committee expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by the airline to improve safety. “The team carried out an audit of our facilities and found that everything was in order.”

Are we near the day when PIA will only be able to fly within Pakistan?

Goodnight

From The Daily Times:

Wagah | Rest in peace

Indian BSF Company Commandant Pardeep Katyal (4th L) is joined by All India Anti-Terrorist Front Chairman Manjinder Singh Bitta (2nd L) and others as they pay tribute to Samjhota train victims before giving their bodies to Pakistan. AFP

Pakistanis Making Money Off Guantanamo

The prison at Guantanamo Bay is currently perhaps the strongest symbol of US imperialism and hypocrisy. I've noted before that Pakistanis are the plurality of detainees at Guantanamo. You would think that this should make Guantanamo a special cause for us, and something we should absolutely refuse to participate in.

Well, you'd think wrong. Apparently, Pakistani bounty hunters "delivered" 18 Uighur Chinese to the US government, 13 of whom are now being detained at Guantanamo Bay. From Daily Times:

Pakistanis ‘sold’ 18 Uighurs to US

WASHINGTON: Eighteen Uighur Chinese, 13 of whom are now in solitary confinement at a prison camp in Guantanamo, were delivered to the US by Pakistani bounty hunters. According to a Washington Post report, the Muslim Chinese dissidents were “sold for bounty by Pakistanis in 2002”. The men had just arrived from Afghanistan, where they said they had received limited military training because they opposed the Chinese government control of their native region. They said they were never aligned with the Taliban or the Al Qaeda. Five of the Uighurs were released in 2005 by a military review panel...

Shame on us.

The Madness of Muharram

Muharram is here - today is 9th Muharram in Pakistan. This means the start of that familiar cycle again, of an upsurge in Sunni extremists targeting Shias, and then Shia reprisals against Sunnis. The government has predictably called in extra police and other security personnel. (Side note: how do governments manage to round up so many "extra" police for such occasions? I'm thinking of this also because of my most recent experience in the antiwar protest.)

I know it's tempting to be nostalgic about one's childhood, but I really do believe that the Sunni-Shia problem did not exist in this fashion before the 1980s. That was when the effects of the Iranian revolution and the Saudi Wahabi-Zia nexus were starting to be felt. In fact, I think of Zia and the 1980s as the time when everything changed, when it all truly fell apart. Yes, I know there were problems, really big and awful problems, but the problems were different. I don't think the Sunni-Shia rift was as keen and meaningful, and it was certainly not as militarized. Now we're living with the legacy of the Saudi-Iranian proxy war that was fought in Pakistan - perhaps it's still being fought, although one would guess that the active battlefield is now Iraq and not Pakistan.

But we're still left with the legacy, as we are with all of Zia's evil. Everyone likes to point to the government and to various Sunni and Shia extremist outfits and place blame there - and certainly they have the lion's share of culpability. But we must also bear responsibility. I think it's become just too commonplace to now ascribe all sorts of qualities and behaviors to "Sunni-ness" and "Shia-ness" - and we need to stop doing that. So the next time you hear someone say, "Shias aren't real Muslims," or "Shias are more loyal to Iran than to Pakistan," or any of the other crap that slips into everyday conversation, call the person on it. Refuse to accept such absurd statements. Let's stop this bullshit one bullshitter at a time.

Shilpa Wins

Shilpa Shetty won the Big Brother competition. Since she's been living in the house in isolation, she has only now learned of the controversy and attention that resulted from her experiences with racism on the show. What a mind-fuck that must be.

Interestingly, another contestant on the show seems to have escaped such controversial treatment. Jermaine Jackson, older brother of Michael and Janet, was also on the show, and came in second to Shilpa. He's converted to Islam and has renamed himself Muhammad Abdul Aziz. He lives in Dubai and is married to an Afghan woman. Apparently he was a paanch-waqt namaazi on the show. I wonder why he didn't become the target of the racists instead of (or in addition to) Shilpa Shetty. I suppose we should count our blessings.

Just what the world needs: Swarovski crystal abayas

Designer abayas are the latest thing on the fashion scene, and now Swarovski has jumped into the fray. They're designing abayas which employ the use of Swarovski crystals. First launched in Dubai, these abayas have now been launched in Pakistan. Why? Because, according to the South Asia Swarovski sales manager, “We wanted to modernise the apparel of Muslim women, keeping in mind the religious parameters and sanctity of the clothing.” Apparently, stitching crystals into abayas is the way to do this. Daily Times reports that:

Swarovski is now targeting Pakistan as it’s first market outside of the Middle East as, the sales manager explained, “percentage wise, Pakistan’s turnover is much better, and we have had very good relationships with all the Pakistani designers who we have worked with up till now.”

Here's a clue, Swarovski: WE'RE NOT ARABS! WE DON'T WEAR ABAYAS!

Of course what's sad is that abayas will soon become widespread among the middle and upper class in Pakistan, just as hijabs have already done.

More on Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty continues to suffer in the Big Brother house - and now the New York Times has picked up the story too. Meanwhile, bookies are listing her as their favorite to win this season's contest - some (for example, Germaine Greer) are claiming that Shilpa is simply a good actress, and is trying to provoke her housemates to be racist and therefore get eliminated from the house. Personally, I don't think that's the case. No one wants to experience racist behavior, and it just seems too convenient for white people to "blame" their target for "provoking" them into being racist. Hey, if it's not in your head to begin with, why would it come out, even when provoked? (Michael Richards, anyone?)

You already know that the issue has come up in the British Parliament. Now it's become an international incident, with the British prime minister and chancellor weighing in on the matter. British chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown is visiting India, and was grilled on the subject by reporters. Meanwhile, there have been some protests in India, complete with burning effigies. It's almost as if they were protesting something that the Pope may have said - but that sounds unreasonable, doesn't it?

Karachi islands update

A previous post on this blog noted the proposed development of Bundal and Buddo islands off the Karachi coast as luxury resorts and living communities. More recently, the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) has condemned the development deal, and has urged the federal government to respect Sindh's autonomy and cancel the agreement with Dubai-based Emaar. This deal has already come under attack by environmentalists, indigenous communities, fisherfolk, and others.

Here's the real question: what exactly gives the federal government the authority to "sell" the islands? The islands belong to the people. They shouldn't be sold for corporate profit.

This is what the president of SANA had to say:

“We urge the management of the Emmar group to call off its plans as it has obviously entered into an agreement with a party that has no legal rights over the land. If they go ahead with their plans, they may have to face litigation in national and international courts for years to come,” Narejo cautioned.

Shilpa Shetty Gets Rough Treatment on "Big Brother"

I'm a reality-tv junkie, but I've never liked one of the pioneers of the genre, Big Brother (UK). Maybe this is why. The show finally has its first desi cast member, in the person of Shilpa Shetty, Bollywood starlet. And almost immediately upon entering the Big Brother house, Shilpa was subjected to hostile, offensive, and racist behavior from other cast members. Her housemates have been mocking her accent (a REAL sore spot for us FOBs), complaining about her touching their food with her hands, and referring to her as "the Indian" instead of calling her by name - but as one account noted rather thankfully, earlier reports that Shilpa had been called "Paki" were wrong (I mean, that would be just awful!).

The regulatory body that oversees British television has received over 10,000 complaints of racism (the most complained-about series ever), and the issue has even reached Parliament. Stay tuned...

Another Grim Anniversary: Guantanamo Bay Prison

The prison at Guantanamo Bay turned 5 today. The plurality of those held in this prison are Pakistanis. As far as we know, the Pakistani government hasn't done much to secure their release or trial. So we can expect these prisoners to be detained indefinitely. And last year, Halliburton was granted a contract to build a much larger prison complex here, to house perhaps triple the number being held today.