A Letter To My Country

On December 16th 2012, my family and I had migrated to Canada. 

This year is my second anniversary in Canada, and it was welcomed with a rather sad incident in Peshawar. 

For it, I decided to write my sentiments and leave a letter to Pakistan, the country that gave me more than it knows.

This goes out for the victims of the Peshawar massacre on 16th December 2014 and their families, for it is the families that are the real victims. 

Dear Pakistan,

I’m sitting in a chair in the Pickering Public Library, with a laptop on my lap. Its quiet. Too quiet. I hope you still remember me, for I haven’t forgotten you for a moment. Even though some time has lapsed since we’ve met, I still remember you. Quite fondly if I say so myself. 

You’ve taught me a lot my dear country, more than many of my teachers have. More than the education I’ve acquired or the lessons I’ve learned. You’ve taught me something that is unteachable, you’ve taught me how to hope. 

When Pakistan cricket team was on the edge of defeat, I hoped. When a suicide bomber attacked a market, I hoped. Whenever a corrupt politician stole from your helpless treasures, I hoped. Maybe I was naïve, or maybe you’re just that much important to me. But I hoped every time you went through something difficult, because that’s all you could give me. 

You taught me faith too. In a land where people kill in the name of religion, you taught me that my religion isn’t to blame, it’s the people that live it for their own means. If today in Canada, I wake up and go to the mosque everyday, it’s because of you. It’s because I still imagine the time when the Adh’aan resonated in your atmosphere and you told me to stop playing and worship my Lord. 

You taught me brotherhood. You gave me a family within my friends and friends within my family. You taught me how hard it is to find good friends, and how to keep them close once I do. You taught me to forgive them if they made mistakes and you taught me to apologise if I was wrong. I am envious of my friends today. They get to see you more often than I do. But I also feel sorry for them. They take you for granted, as I always did. They will know once they leave your luxuries, like I did.

You gave me so much, but I gave you nothing in return. My people and I have left you helpless. We bloody your soil everyday, we spit on you, litter your gardens, curse you, damn you and think of new and inventive ways to hurt you. But you still stand. Your flag still hoisted upon our helms, you stand. You’re unconditional love for us is like a mother’s for a child; it  gives more than it receives. 

For all that, I will always be indebted. 

Two years ago at this very time I was boarding a plane to leave you permanently. My eyes were still damp from the goodbyes and my heart was still aching. Two years later, I sit on this table, eight thousand miles away from you feeling the same way. The ruthless oppressors have yet again left your garden bare and stole the roses from your bouquet. I am helpless, as I always was. 

But I still haven’t forgotten your teachings, my dear country. I still hope for a better tomorrow. I still pray for your prosperity to the Lord you introduced me too. I still tell my friends to respect you the way you respect them. Because, if we don’t then who will? 

I am currently very far away from you. I’m entering a house I call home only from the tongue. Because the home is where the heart lies, and my heart is still with you. 

I will make you proud one day. I promise.

Love,

M. Nazar Syed

Twitter: @itsNazar
Instagram: @itsNazar96

The Cornered Tiger

"Nobody can achieve greatness until they crush the idols of infedelity and fear that are present inside of them." - Imran Khan

Some 22 odd years ago, during a decisive world cup match against Australia in 1992, Imran Khan came out for the toss wearing a shirt that had the picture of a tiger about to pounce. After being questioned on it he replied, “I want my team to play like a cornered tiger, when it’s at its best.” Today, almost 22 years later, Imran Khan comes out of his home away from home in a little container in the heart of Islamabad and looks around only to find his team of supporters as cornered as never before.

Tahir Ul Qadri has just announced the end of his sit-ins that lasted a record of 70 days. Mr. Qadri and Imran Khan had an undocumented allegiance, which helped both of the two parties on their mission in Islamabad. Both came hand in hand when mentioned and they helped each other when one was about to fall. One cannot forget the commitment of Mr. Qadri’s followers on the night of the dreadful shelling’s where Imran Khan’s supporters were nowhere to be seen, yet Mr. Qadri’s supporters guarded the two containers with their lives. One cannot also forgive the massacre done by the ruthless Punjab Police in Lahore to these supporters leaving 14 dead and 2 of them women. Mr. Qadri has paid his dues.

The current announcement sent shockwaves around Islamabad. Some held press conferences welcoming the end to the sit ins with sheepish smiles while others felt betrayed and downgraded. Yet Khan’s determination was not dented. He came out the next day appreciating Mr. Qadri’s efforts and thanking him for his assistance on this journey. He continued and said Mr. Qadri’s mission may have ended, but his mission is far from over. He promised to retrieve Nawaz Sharif’s resignation and so he will, even if he has to wait his whole life. He reiterated the promise he made to the masses and said that he has never bowed down from a commitment and he never will.

The question arises, why is Imran Khan so determined? The immediate answer that the cynics and the saints would give is that he’s power hungry. Right, because a person who was living a princely life would give all that up to make a career out of the least noble profession in the country. Every day since the past 2 and half months, Imran Khan comes out from atop his container and speaks to the masses. Every day, his determination grows stronger and stronger as he feeds off motivation from the crowds and the massive congregations that come to see him at his rallies. He absorbs their pain and damage, combines it with his experience, and stands taller every day.

He is determined because he is the cornered tiger. He is the lone wolf amongst hyenas and coyotes. He is the silver lining amongst dark thick clouds of destruction. And he knows it. He knows that a tiger pounces the strongest when it’s cornered, its back against the wall and no way to go except forward. With Mr. Qadri’s farewell, Khan has rejuvenated himself. He has gained the composure and the stamina needed to fight the battle he has been fighting since the inception of his party. The contraries think otherwise and so be it. In a democracy, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions and that is fine, as long as one does not be naïve about it.

Although Mr. Qadri may have parted ways for now, his efforts are commendable. His departure may have been abrupt and uncalled for, but his mission stays with the people of the sit-in as they prepare themselves for harsher times ahead in the future. As for Imran Khan, he can still be spotted on top of his container with a wide smile, standing high in front of his people with spirits even higher.

Twitter: @itsNazar

Instagram: @itsNazar96

Yes We Khan!

"My life's experience tells me that you can never lose in life. You only lose, when you accept defeat." - Imran Khan

They told him he can't be a cricketer. So he did. They told him you can't be a fast bowler. So he did. They told him you can't win the world cup. So he did. They told him you can't build a free and running cancer hospital. So he did. They told him you can't establish a political party. So he did. They told him this nation is in slumber, you cant wake them up. So he did. They tell him now that his time will never come and so it has.

From player to playboy, from retirement to World Cup Glory, from charity to politics and from fame to shame. Today I'm talking about the man, the legend and the beacon of hope, Imran Khan. We're talking about a man who has won the hearts of masses like no other in Pakistan. A man who gave up his whole life for a country that gave him nothing but sorrows. A man who still vows to help this nation stand on its own two feet. Still, we hear critics crtique his actions like nothing else we've seen before. 'Haters gonna hate' we've been told, but it's time someone put ink to paper on the quote, 'lovers gonna love.'

Let's establish who these haters and critics are first. Are they middle classed Pakistanis with mediocre jobs and minimum wage salaries? Or labourers earning their salaries on a daily basis, just enough to feed their family? No. These are upper middle class contemporaries sitting in the comfort of their living rooms, carelessly sliding a pen on a parchment, without a second thought on what or why they're saying what they're saying.

Imran Khan has served his nation well. From the age of 18, he has wore the Pakistani monogram on his shirt. Since his inclusion to the Pakistani Cricket Team, he has only sky rocketed towards the top. Winning a World Cup of a sport in a country where the game is as close to religion to its people. Going on to build a charity cancer hospital for the people of the same country. Then establishing a political party to restabilise the slow and steady decline of the same country. I don't know about you, but I see no form of personal interest in these actions. Sure, maybe contentment of heart, but are you really going to take that away from him too?

Since the age of 18, this man has day in and day out, lived, slept, breathed his country's name. Upon retiring from cricket and establishing his political party, he has patiently waited for the day that the people of this country will harcken for him. He has waited for their plea to save them from this political abyss of corrupt rulers and ministers and pull them back towards the light they once were on. He has waited, not so quietly, but ardently as he saw his people fall further and further into that pit of nothingness, until one day it happened. There was an outcry, a burst of emotions, a cry for help from his people. The same people he won the World Cup for, the same people he built a hospital for, the same people he built a college for and the same people that let him down. He delivered. He gave them what they wanted. He gave them a way out from the pit.

To his humble surprise, they held his hand on this journey. The people of Pakistan, for the first time in many years, stood up on the call of their captain and have revolted against their corrupt leaders. What's wrong with that you may ask. Oh believe me, when it comes to criticizing, Pakistanis do it best. Blogs and articles posted everyday from authors and writers who enjoy the comforts of food and water everyday,suddenly represent those who are declined of those luxaries. Suddenly, its an attack on the already crumbling democracy of Pakistan or a scheme by international parties to rule Pakistan. Trust me, it gets more ridiculous than this.

If I were Imran Khan, I would have long given up on this damned nation, packed my bags and would've lived a happy life in London with my beautiful wife and kids. But thats not what he did. This man jeopardized his marriage, the happiness of his family to pursue the noble job in the least noble profession in the country. He waited 18 years and now, he has finally left a mark on this system. Imran Khan has done the impossible, he has awaken a nation who had long been in a delusional coma. He has given life to the living dead of this country.

Some say its his scheme to become the Prime Minister. Some say its all a hoax. Some say its an illusional trick. I say they're wrong. I am from the masses. The masses that hail Imran their captain, that know what Imran is capable of and that have faith in him. Some say even if he is given the power and the public's approval to run the country, he still can't diminish the years of corruption and unloyalty Pakistan has faced. I say Imran has proved himself from day one of what he's capable of and so I say yes, he Khan.

Imran Khan Tribute (The Crazy Ones): http://youtu.be/vNSQML_tTOg

Peace.

Twitter: itsNazar

Instagram: itsnazar96