My Long March Experience

On 14th of March, wearing a tie and suit, I sat on a caravan of 7 cars and 1 bus. Myself, being seated in back seats of bus surrounded by some other diehard supporters of free judiciary, the day was full of fun, anger, anguish and moments of elation. 14th of March was supposed to be the day when the huge long march for restoration of free judiciary had to come from Multan to Lahore. Resultantly, thousands of blockades and containers were placed all over punjab to stop movement of the lawyers and civil society. By the media estimates, around 8000 containers were used along with 1500 lorries and trailers. Not only that but each and every policeman in the whole country was on every big and small road to stop any kind of vehicle movement at all.
So in these conditions, we began our long journey to lahore at around 6 pm in evening. Just as the Sahiwal city's limits were crossed, we were put off the GT road by police as it was blocked. Using the bypass, we drove 30 km towards Okara city when at the okara city toll plaza there was a huge blockade and a complete traffic standstill. The trcuk and bus queue extended for more then a kilometre. At this point, we lost 2 of the cars from our convoy as they got through the traffic more easily. The remaining convoy drove off the road through thick brush and uneven ground and got on a rail track that was under development. Just as we crossed the toll plaza and tried to get on the road again, suddenly police cars and vans appeared with big lights. The bus was stopped and they got on to check on us. We were advised not to make any signs or raise slogans. Some pleading and love helped the police guys in letting us go. As we moved forward, we were contacted by the 2 cars that had gone ahead earlier that there is a huge traffic mess and police blockade at Patoki city. So we stopped on the road at a diversion going to debaalpur city and convened a little meeting among us to figure out which way to go. A NH&MP police car arrived and the police guy was really tired of all this and advised us to go via debaalpur. The only problem he said would be of security as its not a safe area. Even though totally unarmed and unprotected, we decided to head to debaalpur as we were strong in our commitment to reach lahore city by 15th march morning.

It was around 8 pm now, and the next 4 hours were full of blockades and dead-end roads. We faced so many police people and containers that at points, we felt ourselves pushed to limits. Pleading with them, trying to scare them, raising slogans such as "chief tere janisaar, beshumaar beshumaar" which means 'Chief Justice-your foot soldiers are uncountable'. Mostly our hard work, commitment to reach lahore, loud slogan-raising and presence of an Inspector general of police's brother along with a DCO helped us. One of the funny moments for us was when police diverted us at a town called "CHUNIYAN" and after 2 hours, we ended up twice at the same place. It still is a joke that either the mysterious Chuniyan town is very big or the roads make a complete circle there.

On our way, we met a police guy who was so sympathetic with us that he himself wished to join us in long march. Most of them were sympathetic to our cause and wished us well. A police guy on Raiwand road opened the blockade only and only for us, and not for normal transport, while at another point, the police picked up the huge stone blocks and barriers for us from the road. One of the defining moment for us was when we were very close to Lahore city at around 1:15 am in the morning. It was very dark and silent and we saw hundreds of trucks and buses stuck at a blockade. The police wouldn't budge and the only way to get around was a very narrow road with a sharp turn. Our long bus couldn't get through that turn as there was a big pit on one side so we all got off in our suits and ties with great vigor and ran around to gather bricks and stones. It was such an amazing site to see everyone bringing bricks including myself. In no time, we had filled a major portion of the pit and someone found a huge concrete slab that we placed over it. The bus made its way and the many many dozens of trucks that had been standing there for a whole day now followed us. It was one of the final defining moments in our long trek.

The rest of the journey to lahore was full of thunderous claping, slogan-raising and victory signs. By 2:30 am at night, we had entered Lahore city and to all our surprise, we had overcome 17 road blockades and many road diversions withing a remarkable 8 hours. It not only practically showed me that 'where there is a will, there is a way' but I also looked forward to the eventful day of 15th of March when the huge march was to head to Islamabad in its final leg of journey. And now as I have written it down, millions watched on TV screens as thousands of people poured on streets of lahore and moved every blockade in the way on self-help basis. The huge caravan had not even reached Gujranwala city which in normal circumstances is an hour's drive away from lahore when the Independent Judiciary was restored. The Prime Minister came on TV and announced the decision. The dictator president zardari of pakistan had lost against the people's will and whole country rejoiced and jubiliated. It was a tiring 3 days for me. But the end was such an amazing spectacle that even many of us participants were dumb-founded.

For the first time in front of my eyes, the people of Pakistan have shown some awareness. Previously, the people only united after natural calamities struck somewhere or there was a fear of stupid war or there was a cricket match. However, for firt time, people reached a similar conclusion on a totally different topic. The question of restoration of an unbiased judiciary in Pakistan was one step further in collective awareness of the people of this country. This was not some emotional rhetoric but an analytical decision reached completely by the people. And for first time I guess in history of this country, the military did not directly interfere in a people's movement and the movement did reach its logical conclusion.

A further testamount to the ordinary people's power and for me, once again it has proven that borders and countries do not matter. Its the people who count. Just a few months ago, I was at Grant Park witnessing President Obama make history with power of people and now I saw the people's power at work again about ten thousand miles from Grant Park. I had myself worked hard to push people for this revolutionary long march and you can see a glimpse of those dark and uncertain days here when I wrote, plead and mailed people to join this cause http://somairs.blogspot.com/2009/03/free-judiciary.html
May everyone get his right to justice fulfilled everywhere in the world.

Pacifism - A necessity for life..

The present state of world affairs has made the establishment of peace, and pacifism a must. With the burden of social, economic and environmental responsibilities, the human beings do not really have any other choice but to avert conflict, hatred and destruction. The idea of mutual destruction may have been a deterrent but it never was a sweet idea, nor was it able to stop any wars. In fact, it only made wars more dirty. The spectre of a spectacular war of total annihilation did not occur but the presence of proxy wars made it even more terrible. It not only cleared the powerful nations of any direct responsibility of wreaking havoc but it also brought with it the idea of using third-party countries as pseudo-battlefields. Afghanistan, Angola, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Somalia, Kashmir and many other nations and nationalities had to suffer more then a generation of hardships only because the ego of a few just could not be appeased.

Unfortunately, for all other problems that this planet faces today, war is one of those extravagant deals which has still not given contentment to many a blood-thirsty humans. Of more then 6 billion people living in this world, more then half live below poverty line. It effectively means that their lives are merely masses of shadows barely surviving with the ultimate aim of finding the next meal. Their personalities, thoughts, objectives, beliefs are totally emaciated. And all that remains is constant hunger. And this is not all, one-third of humanity does not know where to get drinkable, safe water...and how ? Not a single human being can claim protection from diseases that are becoming just too many and the great divide between haves and have-nots is increasing exponentially.

The planet Earth is waking up from its natural slumber by human excesses and showing the humans their correct place in form of global warming and haphazard climate change and the thinning lines of food, water and energy demands and supply are just about to snap. A huge catastrophy of hunger, disease, chaos and anarchy is just at doorstep. And yet all that a human thought can reach is to national boundaries. Its amazing how enticing the prospect of 'land' has been for humans throughout the ages. From Alexander to greeks and romans up to the present day civilization, not much has changed. One ideology goes only to make way for another. One religion dies only to let another one take its place. And one Government leaves the power corridors, only for another one to take its place. And in this futile change over, little Gods or as we should say, tiny napoleans and alexanders try to manipulate little universes around them. The curse of nationalism or religious fascism just does not leave humans any sort of respect from a million other species on planet. The childish hatred gets down to such a boiling point that unimaginable loss of human life is considered a 'worthy sacrifice' to keep the map lines drawn the same way on atlas. Just a small walk down the history lane tells of countless who killed or got killed in name of patriotism when in fact, no one really remembers them or cares about them. And no one really will! Who knows the names of millions who died in French wars or the sino-japanese war or the war of independence or both world wars. Loss of life, money, intelligence, time and energy... all too expendable for these nationalist people to 'save the glory' of artificial borders. And yet when human society is at brink of self-extermination, these egoes have only multiplied. The reasons change, names of wars change, new enemies are created, new boundaries are drawn and the cheap human blood is spilled and the poor planet earth is injured. Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Floods, Hurricanes, Draught and Starvation, Glacial melting, epidemics and pandemics, deforestation, ozone rupture, global warming and horrific diseases do not really make an issue for power-hungry humans.

Money, power, glory, lust, fake respect, might and racial as well as national supremacy!! There isn't much different between racism and nationalism except for a few alphabets. The simple humans of same species who were previously racially profiled are now nationally profiled. Where few races gathered to persecute other races, now nations collaborate to persecute other nations. I just don't understand when this curse of nationalism and small groupings end. Humans as a species are at a brink of disaster. Planet Earth has been too kind to humans and its kindness is now being taken for granted as its weakness. But for this huge globe of energy and mass, humans are as unspecial as are the other million species. And probably much more fragile than even dinosaurs. I just hope humans learn soon and start living together as an endangered species and stop these petty fights for the sake of humanity's good and lively future.

Peace...

Peace is more than the silence of cannons or the establishment of ceasefire. This notion of peace being the state of not-in-war is utterly wrong, inhuman and disgusting. It is much much below the human level of thought, kindness and the idea to exist together as a simple but beautiful species. The existing ceasefire in palestine, swat, iraq and other places is NOT peace. Neither is their peace in north korea, iran or even america. These are mere gimmicks in the long flicker of war and ceasefire.

True PEACE bears no relation to present ideas of not-being-in-a-state-of-war which is merely a cloak for the chicanery, the bitterness, the ideological clashes and the racial and nationalistic prejudices which smoulder towards explosion in many parts of the world.

In fact, it is not physical disarmament which counts, but the disarming of hearts and minds. The present state of hatred in this world is so ugly and wild that it feels as if it will simply melt the lone earth. The advent of true peace does not depend solely on the wisdom of the Great Powers but also on the modification of human thinking and human relationships, and on the dialogue which each of us must agree to undertake with others. It is the key to opening each others' locked minds, ideas, thoughts and beliefs. Reconciliation, peace, harmony and the belief ingoodness of human species is the most important aspect in peace development. It is surprising that many lower species which should have some code of conduct to guide their primitive lives do not need one, yet the humans have this urge to believe in religions that propagate hatred, fanaticism, false nationalism and utterly absurd concepts of religious brotherhood.

Humans, being the most civilized nation with the power to manipulate their environment should not look for conflict within and outside. But in fact they should be looking for peaceful co-existence, respect and collective good for the whole planet, its millions of species and everything that is in the universe.