A Case of Exploding Mangoes

MOHAMMED Hanif is one of those rare Pakistani writers who've worked for an Indian publication (India Today in his case). That speaks for his work!

'A case of exploding mangoes' by the same author is a fictionalised take on the last few days in office of General Zia ul-Haq.

The book talks about Zia's strange behaviour as he felt a threat to his life. Hanif's witty account of the events leading to the fatal plane crash will entertain you thoroughly.

Zia's physical description and his state of mind is a major highlight of the book. It's this part which will bring on the maximum laughs.

The book is also a satire on the Pakistani military establishment. The lack of trust between the generals in a way mirrors Zia's own reservations about his security. They all work as a team but there are ones who harbour secret ambitions of toppling Zia. It happens when a powerful army becomes the all-powerful!

Hanif also mentions the seeds of fundamentalism that the former Pakistani President sowed in the name of Islam. Zia ul-Haq made sure, 'all God's names were slowly deleted from the national memory as if a wind had swept the land and blown them away.' The 'Allah hafiz' must have replaced the customary 'Khuda hafiz' during this period. His 11 years in power changed the very fabric of Pakistani society. The religious extremism in present day Pakistan is mostly attributed to the policies of General Zia.

A case of exploding mangoes is a light-hearted book. It could be a perfect companion for those train journeys or long distance flights.

'Khuda Ke Liye' Dekhiye

Finally I managed to watch a full Pakistani movie. I had high expectations from the movie after the euphoria it generated in Pakistan.

Yes! I'm talking about Pakistan's latest blockbuster 'Khuda Ke Liye.' The movie tackles the sensitive issue of ordinary, moderate Muslims who are caught in the cross-fire of religious extremists and the West's crackdown on Muslims post 9/11. Unfortunately, I never heard of Shoib Mansoor (another indication of my ignorance of world affairs) before the release of this movie. His direction was almost flawless and his characters so very real. The movie was written by him, which shows the passion for his work. One dialagoue from the movie stayed with me, "Andar aag lagao bahar khud ba khud ayegi, warna yahi hoga ki log haram ki kamaiyee jeb me daale halal ghost ki dukan dhoondte phir rahe honge." It's a sad but true state of affairs today.

The entire star-cast gave their (he)art and soul to the movie. Shan is a star material for any industry. His understated but brilliant performance matches the equally powerfull portrayal of a Taliban style Maulana Tahiri by Rasheed Naz. Iman Ali and others stood out in their characters. The soundtrack of the movie carries the essence of the movie. Whoever gave the azan in this movie has a heavenly voice.

If you haven't watch this movie, please do. It's in the same league as our very own, "Rang De Basqanti."

Lal Masjid - A time for Retrospection

I recently came across an interesting piece of article on a forum. There were two paras that particularly caught my attention and forced me pen down something. I'm listing them below for reference.

Lessons of the Red Mosque Massacre: The Role of the Military

Sheharyar Shaikh

As the dust from the Red Mosque slowly settles on the ground and the decapitated body parts of Jamia Hafsa’s female students are sullenly picked up from the smoking rubble, the prevailing mood in Pakistan is anything but jubilant. An army reared to protect and serve the country deliberately used brute force against a largely innocent people caught in the imbroglio. Moreover, many who had been following the Red Mosque crisis for days are now left with dozens of unanswered questions surrounding the official version of the event. Reports are now surfacing that General Musharraf had planned to raid the mosque complex back in February but then decided to delay it so as to bring maximum PR advantage to his government – a government heavily discredited inside the country for failing its people and which now readies, after having won a shameful victory, for an undeclared war against its citizenry. A recent Stratfor report predicts that the Red Mosque operation ‘is likely the beginning of a long confrontation’ and such operations will inevitably lead to a clash involving ‘nationwide social unrest’. Way to go, General Musharraf!

Were the imams of Red Mosque wrong in their understanding of the fallen soldiers as non-martyrs? One might as well ask: How can a Pakistani Muslim soldier who fires arms against another Muslim and dies in the process all the while serving the Bush agenda for Pakistan become a martyr? He is a mercenary – a meager tool to carry out foreign designs, not a shaheed. Even the possibility of a moral ambiguity in the matter is surprising.


The Muslims in Pakistan were never more divided on the role of religion in politics. But, the fact remains: Democracy in Pakistan was always fragile. And the problem lies with the people themselves.

Pakistan was always a different and difficult country to govern. Where else would you find an elected PM hanged despite many clemency appeals from foreign leaders! General Zia started the Islamization of Pakistan at the cost of a sectarian strife, which has already seen several thousand Muslims die over the years. The state in which Pakistan finds itself today, there can't be a better leader than Musharraf, who's both a moderate Muslim and a strong administrator.

As for Mr Shaikh, I think he got it all mixed up. First, who were those so called students carrying weapons in a place of worship? Second, the mosque was never used as a battleground in the history of Islam. Third, the events that add up to the final onslaught suggest that the government tried all kind of diplomacy to avoid such a bloody outcome. But, the people inside had other ideas. It was infact developing as a state within an state. Perhaps this verse from Qur-'an will shed some more light on this issue:

"We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people."
-------------------------------------------Surah Al-Maeda (Chapter 5), Verse 32

Today Islam is the fastest growing religion. In other words people are influenced by the holy Qur-'an and the teachings of Islam. Ironically the born Muslims are mostly ignorant about their religion. And that's why the edcuated ones amongst us need to stand up and propagate the true essense of Islam. And by doing that we will be undoing some of the damage that has already been done.