Blessing in Disguise !

Few days ago...someone told me that Pakistan is a cursed country....and this broke my heart...hmm...

Of course as a nation we are having the worst time...but it doesn't mean that we are being CURSED....

Allah forbid....it is a very BIG word to use for the sufferers of today....

Yeah...at times....we may look at those who face an extremely challenging journey through life and wonder:

why do they suffer so much?

Why are they going through great trial and tribulation?

What have they done to ‘deserve’ immense pain and adversity?

And Our questions need not be left unanswered.

We look to the Quran where we are told that the righteous and wise Almighty Allah is directing the path of those in the midst of a hard journey with purpose.

Allah is blessing these people through their suffering.

Blessing?

How can good come from pain and sorrow?

God’s ways are certainly not like our own natural ways.

For those of us who choose the road less traveled…their journey is through a harsh wilderness.

Most of us on this path experience obstacles along the way...but a few seem to suffer hardships and one setback after another through a good portion of their lives.

Ans YES....as a nation we had choose a different path...a path of our own. We strives for and worked hard and pray for our separate COUNTRY....PAKISTAN.

For whom the Lord loves, He chastens.

When someone is going through severe trial time and again...God is showing he loves this person.

My MAKER will not try us more than we can bear.

It hurts when a person is tried – being polished...shaped...sharpened and refined by tools and fire.

Is God too harsh to bring a person so near to a breaking point?

No – He is merciful and just and will not give those He loves a trial greater than they can bear.

Also...He will always provide a way to escape.

All things work together for good.

Even though we may not understand how anything good could come from pain or sorrow experienced during times of trouble...we can be sure that all will work out for God’s glory in the end.

We can pray for and encourage our fellow-sojourners who seem to be fighting a tougher fight than we are, but we need not worry.

We can be assured that those who are suffering from great and sore troubles are loved by God and have been given great strength (for their strength is made perfect in weakness).

In the end...all things will work together for good.

And....we should have faith on our Almighty Maker...hmmm....

Pakistan Army!

“Never forget that you are the servants of the state. You do not make policy. It is we, the people’s representatives, who decide how the country is to be run. Your job is only to obey the decisions of your civilian masters.”

This was said by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the group of army personnel on 14 August 1947 in the lawns of the Governor-General’s House.

Obviously, the Quaid’s words did not have any effect on Akbar Khan (Major General) present in the meeting, who a few years later, tried to topple the government of Liaquat Ali Khan in what came to be known as the “Rawalpindi Conspiracy” case.

This attempt has been repeated a number of times since and has been successful on at least four occasions since the Quiad had uttered those words in Karachi.

I am sorry to say that since the birth of Pakistan, we had an organized army but no political leadership conversant with statecraft.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the political leadership found itself at the mercy of bureaucrats and the military, and with the passage of time their vulnerability increased.

And that is the case even today, that’s why few of the politicians are seeking Army to come forward. When country is in need and we are asking for help from almost every country of the world, why not seek help from Pakistan Army?

This had happened before when Air Marshal M Asghar Khan wrote to Pakistan Army to come forward and took the charge of Pakistan, because he believed that rigging took place in 1977 elections.

Some of political personnel criticized M Asghar Khan for writing this letter, which they believed invited the armed forces to take over the governance of the country.

Army is under the oath to obey the “lawful commands of their superior officer”. But to differentiate between a “lawful” and an “unlawful” command is the duty of every officer.

By keeping the check on Army, and giving them lawful exercises we can use them for betterment of Pakistan since they are not involved in battlement (nowadays).

I don’t understand that why our politicians feel so insecure under the shadow of Army while I believe the citizen find themselves more secure in presence of Armed Forces?

The reason…is same….our politicians lack the credibility…and that’s why they don’t want anyone to come forward to help Pakistan as if once someone do good job here will be enlighten to the citizen and it would ruin their business.

Philippines mourns !

Few days ago Khurrum Ali Shafique Sahib sent me news link and said that we should keep in touch with other country’s grief too.

There was an angry policeman – Mendoza- in MANILA, Philippines cause he lost his job…I think he was not only angry…but deadly angry.

15 tourists from Hong Kong stepped in the bus as hostages to fortune because the same bus was taken as a hostage by that angry policeman.

While the government was busy in botched negotiations with the angry policeman...he killed 8 out of the 15 tourists one by one.

For some personal reason…this tiny news article on the Yahoo News (htt://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100824/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_bus_hostages) made me very sad:

A heartbreaking picture emerged of the victims — a mother of three who lost her husband and two daughters, a teenager oblivious of her parents' death and a tour guide who aspired to become a yoga teacher.

"I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died," a sobbing Ng said Tuesday.

Philippine Interior Secretary Jessie Robredo, who is in charge of the national police, acknowledged Tuesday there were problems with how the crisis was handled.

He added, "All the inadequacies happened at the same time."

I don’t want to talk about how Hong Kong’s sorrow evolved into the outrage and how deeply the officials of Philippines government felt the damage this incident would bring to their tourist industry…all of them seems to concern about the unfortunate incident.

But what satisfied me is that the angry policeman was shot dead by one sniper (obviously a government officer)…had it been in Pakistan…the killer would have been easily loosen away.

My condolences to the bereaved.

Drinking from the same well !

As a wedding present, relatives from New Maxico gave us this unique wedding vase.

'

My sister-in-law told me the double opening represented the fact that now we would both drink from the same well.

'

Which sounds so funny that time...

'

hmmm....sorry I don't like to drink from the same glass if someone else has drink from it untill it is washed again....
'

A few months later, I was reading Dr. Laura Schlessinger's book "Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage", and found much same the symbolism:

'

"Consider coming together with your spouse at the end of the day as an opportunity to drink from a well. The water doesn't come up out of the well by its own force; you actually have to do sonething active to get the water to soothe your parched lips.

'

"....When at the end of the day you yearn for some relief from the day, prepare your mind and heart...get ready in your mind something you're going to say to be fresh water to your spouse's parched being."

'

(Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage, pg-89)

'

Now each time I see our New Mexican wedding vase on my kitchen shelf...I am reminded not only do my beloved husband and I share everything, "drinking from the same well."

'

But when I cheer and encourage him after a long day...I find the same refreshment as he responds to me lovingly.

'

And we both find joy and rest drinking from the well of our love for each other...hmmm...

The Miracle of Sunrise !

Today I got up early and sat before my open bedroom window and watched the sun rise up above the near by buildings and trees.

Its light was softly glowing long before it actually could be seen…and then…suddenly…it burst forth upon the building tops…down into the streets and into my window to shine across the room in such a radiant way that one could not help but feel the warmth shine right into the deepest parts of the heart.

It reminded me of another kind of sunrise:

The sunrise that broke through one of the darkest and deepest moments of our life…for which all the Pakistani life is waiting….hmm.

The sunrise that came slowly at first…so much so that I could hardly dare to hope it would ever really come…and then…as if in time with a great unknown orchestra…it broke forth…sending its bright and warming rays to the farthest corners of my heart.

It did not take all the pain away…no…for pain is not a part of darkness…but the darkness…the deep black that blinded our eyes from seeing beyond the moment…was gone.

And as I sat…quietly thinking of the road that I had travelled in the dark…I realized that it is true.

Had it not been for the darkness…I could never have rejoiced as I do now in the breaking forth of the sunrise.

Had there not been moments when…by faith…I held on to what I knew was there but could not see…the sunrise would be but commonplace and ordinary.

It was then I realized that:

“We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness.” ~unknown

My Maker has promised that every dark night has an end.

There will be a sunrise…a glorious…beautiful sunrise someday.

It might seem like the night will never end. Perhaps some of us…Pakistani thinks that they’ll only see the glorious dawning in the place where He makes all things beautiful...all wrongs right...but let me asure you that the morning will come.

The darkest is before the dawn.

Just hold on a little longer…my dear country-fellow because the morning is coming…and the sunrise will be worth it all.