A saner Paki Brain !

[Mamu]

I know not many qualify to be one, but one of the 10% (if that) -- Nadeem Pracha I know most Pakis call him -- a RAW Agent, an Israeli Agent, an Ameircan Agent an extreme leftist -- blah blah blah, just like everything else -- they ignore the good and embrace the bad, instead of making an objective analysis. But this is a direct interaction with a Bunch of Current Paki (educated) youth. Quite Interesting I must add!

They wanted to talk to me about terrorism. I’m not much of a speaker, so I just asked them to start a conversation on the subject. They were a lively bunch. But such is the state of confusion, denial and mistrust in the country’s urban middle-classes, that I wasn’t surprised at all to be bombarded by one conspiracy theory after another that these young people had obviously picked up from the electronic media and a number of (the rather unintentionally) hilarious websites out there who deal in peddling the most outlandish claptrap this side of Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin! I let the young group’s members do most of the talking, until I decided to ask a few questions: “How would you like to be part of a generation that may go down as the one during which Pakistan was finally turned into hellhole of religious extremism? How would you all feel when history describes your generation to be the one that in spite of having unprecedented access to some stunning technology, democracy and superior education, still allowed its country to become the breeding ground for audacious, obscene and insane mad men who use the good name of God to spread hatred?†“That won’t happen!†A young man announced. My friend intervened: “Oh, but it’s already happening. It happens almost every single day. Can’t you see it?†“That’s what the West wants us to believe,†a young lady replied. “Okay then,†I said. “Let’s say for a while most of you are right to suggest that that ubiquitous foreign Indian, Western, Israeli or Martian hand is involved, it’s still Pakistan’s survival on the line, isn’t it? What have you done about what your country’s going through, apart from, of course, forwarding Zaradri jokes and nice little religious couplets through SMS …†I was interrupted by an enthusiastic young man announcing the ‘news’ about Zaradri facing a ‘barrage of shoes in Britain!’ I nodded my head: “Right, so you think the answer lies in throwing shoes at Zaradri?†“Hell, yes!†came the reply from a couple of young guys sitting in the front row. “So if you see Zaradri, you too will be willing to throw a shoe at him?†I asked. “Yes, I definitely would!†A young man announced. “Would you throw a shoe at a religious extremist? I asked. “Are you crazy!†he shot back. “He’ll blow me up to bits!†A ripple of laughter and high-fives ran across the gathered group. “That, I’m afraid, makes you a coward.†I said. The laughter faded away. “Anything that scares you or retaliates, you deny its existence. As if it’ll just go away. But all that which does not hit back or retaliate is fair game for shoes and boos? That, lad, is the dilemma of your generation. Now, if you all don’t mind, this creaking 42-year-old cynic would like to have that coffee this café is famous for. Thank you.â€