Elections 2018

If it is for the sake of a better future of Pakistan, we are in. If it is for all the things along the lines of a progressing and prospering nation, we are in. If it is for anything that as much as whispers corruption, lies, autocracy and nepotism though, we will stand against it and rise. This isn’t 2013 when the nation was willingly shoved towards infamy and degeneration. It is 2018 and the masses are very well aware of their rights- test us not.

As Pakistanis waiting desperately for a change in the stagnant regime and the stale air of democracy, we see Elections 2018 as a flicker of hope and we surely will take our chance. The progression of this country has flourished socially, thanks to the commendable boost in the educated mindsets in our streets, but every other box of credibility is standing empty and the patterns of empty promises and phony “bayaans” are becoming a little too outdated. The youth of Pakistan has taken every ounce of opportunity to make a few things clear to whoever our next person-in-power is and one thing that doubtlessly tops the list is corruption. We have paid vigilant attentiveness to all the talk shows that dominate the better time of our TV routine and learnt one thing- corruption is not okay. This corruption card has ripped down the past of Pakistan to a monochrome and the cringing submissiveness of our ancestors is almost repellant. Another thing that’s hugely resting on the ‘no’ side is deliberate ignorance. A large majority from amongst us is now very well aware of our rights and will not tolerate our leader turning a blind eye to all the wrongs that blanket our society like a sprawling giant. It is not without a very smart play of words and brainwashing that these siyaasatdaans make their ijlaas a success but the ulterior motives behind all this melodrama have to be revealed and stopped before Pakistan stumbles farther down the hill of underdevelopment and degeneration.

A call before the big day invites every citizento think before they can use their rights right. We stand together and as equals once again-no class, no sects, only Pakistanis.

Redemption

The rain falls and I throw the dice,

It is twice as good and twice as old

As the fervour that I had left behind,

Away and away into the broken woods

And the shady barns

And the hazy crooks.

The dart stands in waiting

For the perfect time to be struck

By the same old wall clock that misspelt my hours

And rejoiced in the mercy

Of the bewildered crowds upon me

And a hundred thousand other men,

That stood the same fate.

Mind you,the leather has not yet gone to decay,

The pages are yellowed,

But the ink has yet to dry,

The twigs and the leaves and the hundred thousand things

That I had kept in hiding

Are on show today,

To the eyes of the high

And the eyes of the low

And the eyes of every bird and beetle I have ever known.

Your Eyes

By;

Syeda Waliya Zafar.
​I’ll see you again 

In my la la land

Your smile

And your eyes.

That is one place 

You’ll always be next to me

And I can hold on

To your shirtsleeve.

Mind games,

I’m damaged goods now,

Struggling not to drown

In our fights

And your eyes.

We said quite a lot,

Misreading things clear,

So lost in the moment, I fear

One of us is going to have to leave.

But just know that every night till death

I’ll think of the things you gave to me,

The secret smiles,

All those memories,

Of goodbyes

And your eyes.

So make sure that you

Take care of what I’m giving to you

A good heart,

That voice of yours,

An angel in disguise 

And

Your eyes.

Universes

Written by;

Syeda Waliya Zafar
I have always wondered about the personal little universes of human beings. I had mine and it therefore seemed only normal and inevitable for everybody else to have theirs. 
These little universes, as I have always believed,are the onstage display of our lives. The highlight reel. Not the backstage. For the backstage, as we all know,is the dimmer,tedious and a more haphazard version of everything. It is what goes on the inside of every human being. But they don’t like to show it. They prefer keeping the onstage show on. The happier,fancier and more decorative version of their lives and themselves. But why is that?
Seven years old,I remember my mama telling me about the sadder side of everyone of us that keeps in hiding. “It does not like the open-it fears freedom. It fears being seen and recognized”, she would say. And I would steal glances at her through the glass window to try to spot her sadder side. As I now walked through the streets flooded with people,I could feel nothing but that sadness around me. Everywhere that I looked,I could see worn faces and desolate eyes but fancy clothes and painted smiles to show that they are happy.
Looking at children though,it occurred to me that some of us are happy performers. Or honest rather. We show what we feel. Not what we wish people would see. It has become a habit now,to look at people and try to take a peek within their soul,to put the pieces together and solve the puzzle-to find out the backstage profile.

Responsibility

Once upon a time,
A little girl of twelve,
With no
book smarts,
Street smarts or life smarts,
Got handed a house key
Tied to a muted orange twine.

Poor she ,
A middle child,
Felt esteemed over her siblings,
She proudly held Responsibility.

And little did she know,
Of the jagged rocks ahead
That slashed her heart,
And she bled as it bled,
Tears over past decisions
And present aches.

Little did she foresee,
The weight of expectations,
The acts done but unpraised,
The vengeance of Responsibility.

Fours years of holding Responsibility,
And she wants to be a child again,
Wants to have things easy,
Were they EVER easy?
All she wants is to
Be looked after
And feel free again.

What’s Beautiful?

Written by;
Abdur Rehman Sajid.

“Cathy see that mirror?”
I said.
“Yeah what about it?”
“See right there,
What do you see?”
“Its me, silly.”
She smiled.
“I see beauty.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Now dont try to flirt with me
Mister.”
She smiled.
“I’m not,
I’m telling the truth Cathy.”
He said.
“Liar.”
“You wont believe me would you?”
He stared.
At her.
She was beautiful.
More so,
She brought him
Them feels.
With those butterflies
Down his tummy.
He could feel her,
In his soul,
In his wrists,
His eye lids as he closed them
And in his dreams.
The ocean rushed in
The whole city wept
With joy and she turned
And said. “No I wont.”

Travelogue

Written by;
Saad Ahmed

The Kaghan valley as we know of it may not stand shoulder to shoulder to the beauty and grandeur of Skardu and Gilgit, but its lakes and pastures that still remain hidden from the eye of the camera, are no less than a heaven on earth. Not many who might just have been able to reach these places would most certainly speak of the criminal negligence of our tourism department for there is not a single snap shot of these hidden places available anywhere- places beautiful enough to leave one speechless at first sight.
. 28th of June, I reached Naran in an attempt to relish the magnificence of three assorted lakes namely lake Dodipit, lake Lulusar, lake Saral located some 40kms from Naran down the Kaghan road.  Supplies enough for a week, my gear comprising of dried meat, beans, food supplements, tea, sugar, a small pot and a stove, a water proof tent, rain coat, warm clothing and sleeping bag, complete and as trustable as it always had been.

Started off from Islamabad in the morning at 6 and commuting through local transport, I reached Naran at 4 in the evening amidst slight drizzle.
Kaghan valley is also engulfed by the newly born hindukush range which stretches all the way up to north to meet the other two giants, Karakorum and Himalayas.Great continental ice sheet covered much of the temperate latitudes. The warmer  climate that followed caused the ice sheets to retreat. The features of highland and lowland glaciations are more than evident all across the valley. Boulders of the size of small truck can be found lying near the base of the mountains, brought only by a travelling and retreating glacier.

The infamous Saif-ul-malook is also a glacial lake formed by the rise in temperatures and melting glaciers. Kaghan valley presents an ideal opportunity for the students of geography to witness the effects of lowland and highland glaciations, the glacial lakes and their impact on human lives.

To help myself with the long journey ahead, I decided to go as far possible as the daylight would allow reaching the famous mountain resorts within 4 days.I quickly made friends with the commuters, who helped me locate a shortcut to Lalazar, a rather difficult and steep one. It was my first strong hike up after a year and was an excruciatingly tough one, for I also had my lunch and the load on my back was also a heavy one. It took me 2 hours for an otherwise short hike. I reached the top at around seven in the evening.  Put on my jacket as the air was getting colder and the sun had already begun to set in the west. Had few cups of “dodhpatti” (milk tea) from one of the two or three hotels that served the tourist and set off to locate a campsite, which itself, a difficult process and require much care. The campsite has  to have three basic requirements other than being at a safer place. Care must be taken that the site must not be in the path of water in case of heavy rains or in an area of possible land sliding. While as for the comfort level, it’s certainly more convenient that the ground is grassy and free of stones n pebbles. Soon night stepped in quietly but surely. The air smelt of pine and the ground was carpeted with the needles of twisted and wizened trees, their exposed roots, acting as a formidable trap for the unweary. After unloading and closely inspecting the area, I decided to hit the sack. It did not take me too long to realise that the gear i had was not even  a substitute to what i needed. Thus i had to abandon the plan and wait for guides to arrive with better accessories before starting my week long expedition through nights..

Halo

Written by;
Anousha Qureshi

PROLOGUE

The sun. You loved it when its rays would stir in a delicious warmth from inside you, as you’d let down your hair and bask in a few minutes of anbsolute, wintry bliss. You’d always preferred winters; and the early morning free blocks your college offered you were solely utilised for the purpose of rushing to the jagged, somewhat levelled football field concealed behind the Junior Section’s building, to enjoy the winter sun.

Today was no exception from the rest, since you had the first two blocks free as your timetable read. It was finals’ week and you sincerely wanted to mentally absorb the formulae list you had in your stiff, cold fingers. The assembly bell was dismissed and everyone dispered around the ground for last minute revisions and discussions. The only exception to the generally normal routine was, as you trudged your shivering frame to the field, was the eerie attention you felt on yourself. You’d sensed it since the assembly, but dismissed it as your senses becoming hazy after the all nighters you’d pulled for the exams. As your shoes crunched against the gravel paved sidewalk leading to the bleachers; you could feel the aura getting stronger, as though it was marking you as its next target. Why would your brain even think that way? You paused. And so did the mysterious entity. A subtle shiver creepes up your spine and it came as a hushed whisper to you, that you did not hear the being walk right up behind you. Your back was erect against what you felt would be its chest, but you felt nothing solid. Your eyes darted across the sparse chunk of grass beneath you and your breathing shallowed. It stood tall and dark against you, almost like a defined halo. You decided to turn, and in that moment your vision acknowledged the sunlight a bit too quickly and you could swear you saw a forlorn white smile flash across what must be the face of the entity before everything plunged into darkness.

You loved winters. Too bad it was the only season you’d experience now.

Rain…

Written by;
Syeda Waliya Zafar

Tearing across the pitch black night sky,the thunderbolts lit up the city after every few seconds,making me wonder if the gods above were at war with each other. What else could sound so dreary? Through the broken glass in my window, raindrops rushed in, bringing in the earthly fragrance of a typical rainy night with them.

In a town where rain had now become a daily ritual, it was surprising how the splattering and splashing of raindrops still laid everyone and everything on death’s scale, melodically playing its own music of beads of water pounding here and splashing there…Oh,it was all so breathtaking!

The street light fluctuated every now and then,casting angry shadows on the wall right outside my window, like glares showing its disapproval of wasting away yet another night letting the town blanket itself in the dull and never ending rain. Nothing seemed to be happy really,just helplessly, vulnerably waiting for daybreak…for a faint shadow of the sun…anything promising, anything warm. It was easy in the dead of night to differentiate between the musical notes nature played – a splash and a spatter,a clink and a thud, all in sync with the lightening slicing through the tar black sky -joy oh joy!

One could imagine the numbness of a cold night like this climbing up their spine,chilling them through and through,while the cold water seeped through the soles,unable to keep the monster of a rainy night from soaking every inch of their skin…such helpless weaklings nature makes out of men. Hour after hour of water pouring down endlessly, leaving a beautiful glow on the pavement and the trees, a never ending blanket of black covering the sky with no sign of colour as far as the eye could see. Bleak yet picturesque, the scene made me wonder,will the downpour ever stop? Will we ever see colours…again?

BECOME THE DAREDEVIL OF CAPETOWN.

Written by: Ushba Khan

A daring dash through the adventurous landmarks.

Few cities contain a spectacular National Park or a broad range of adventurous activities that take full advantage of attracting people. Accentuating this natural majesty is Capetonians’s creative flair with design and color from fluorescent facades to synchronous Afro-chic décor of its guest houses and restaurants which turns Cape Town into one handsome metropolis.

South Africa’s mother city, Cape Town, with its cloud-draped Table Mountain, golden beaches and bountiful vineyards captures people’s hearts.

The star attraction is the Table Mountain. To millions of people who have climbed in the cableway to its 1088 m peak, it is the ultimate viewpoint over the city. If you want to get energetic, Cape Town’s wind-whipped waves and Table Mountain is a nirvana for sport enthusiast, with operators aligned without having experienced adrenaline rushes like surfing and rock climbing.

On my visit to Cape Town, I was craving for adventure when my guide advised me to climb the famous icon of the city, ‘The Devil’s Peak’. The time I climbed, the clouds rolled over the peak covering everything in a fine, wet, moist atmosphere, even though it was sunny in the rest of Cape Town. The weather forecasters predicted sunny skies, so I was in a pant, t-shirt and my hi-Tec v-lite total terrain lace (joggers).

Devil’s peak is a site of great beauty and tragedy. In 1971, an aircraft crashed into the peak, killing 11 on board. The thunderous bam was heard throughout the city. If you look closely, the scars in the ground can still be seen. I literally had goosebumps after glancing at the wounded ground.

However, thrill lies in hiking. One has to cross two huge ‘Lion heads’ (picture-perfect mountain in Cape town). Then, the small section of chains takes you through craggier scale faces to finally the rocky playground which makes your mouth drop.

After reaching my desired destination, I encountered eland, wildebeest, zebra and indigenous animals including porcupine, small grey mongoose and a pair of Himalayan Tahr (a goat that occurs to be seen naturally in mountainous regions of South Africa). It was a picture-postcard view; the skyline was observed from left to right, the spire of devil’s peak, flat mesa of Table Mountain, dome of Lion’s Head, all stood in front, in short, a 360-degree view of Cape Peninsula from approximately 1000m above the coastline made me eyes dissolve in the beauty.

The sky was as pure as snow, the view was stupendous, and the ‘Cape Floral Kingdom’ inclusive of fynbos (a unique plant found only in Cape Town) was alluring. I stood on the edge of the Devil’s Peak and captured a selfie to save it as a memoir.

After this dangerously exciting hike tour, I paraglided and went for a ‘shark-cage dive’, yes, the well of death surrounded with sharks. Luckily, I stepped out alive.

I travelled around the city and came across courts of golf, yoga and sports of pampering at the spa. The scrumptious food in one of the famous restaurant of Cape Town, pleased my taste buds, and provoked me to crave for more.

Cape Town is a multi-cultural city, where respect for different ways of living is ingrained. I will always treasure the time spent in Cape Town since the city allowed me to fulfil my dream and become a daredevil. I have posted all the pictures of the tour in my scrap book so that a broad smile dodges across my lips whenever I look back at the memories.