LAST week, citizens of Islamabad heaved a sigh of relief and relished the warm atmosphere when the sun finally came out and shone after 10 days of continuous heavy downpour in the capital. Activities had virtually come to a standstill because of the heavy rain and extremely cold climate that forced the people to avoid any outdoor activity. The rush witnessed at the Sunday bazaar, with people doing their green grocery shopping, the turn-out of walkers and joggers at the F-9 Park, were all signs of life coming back to normalcy.
Despite the fact that February 14, Valentine’s Day, fell on Monday, prices of flowers, especially of red roses, reached sky-high in the capital. A place where flowers can be found in abundance throughout the year for relatively cheap prices, it was difficult to comprehend the shopkeeper demanding Rs100 for a single rose bud (of course with a very long stem) and that too by reassuring sirf baji aap key liye ...
“Rains have wreaked havoc on the transport system in the past one month and we have not been able to receive our consignments on time. Most of the flowers like irises, roses with long stem, have been imported from Dubai because Valentine pey red roses ki bohat demand hoti hai,” informed Sakhawat, a shopkeeper sitting in the F-6 flower market. “This is the time of the year when we can make some money,” he justified.
Since it was a working day, it was interesting to see teenagers coming out of schools and colleges, loaded with bouquets and gifts in their hands. While flower shops, bakeries, balloon wallas and gifts shops (selling heart-shaped cushions, red rugs, candle stands and chocolates) made people buy gifts for their loved ones, the debate whether the day should be celebrated or not, continued.
“If there is so much of hue and cry over basant, being unIslamic, Valentine is still a day imported from the West,” commented Nargis, a school teacher. Nargis blamed the media for creating such a hype for the day that the young boys and girls started celebrating it zealously.
“Had it been any day advocating and signifying love, it would have been a different story all together. But due to the different legends attached to St Valentine, people consider it unIslamic,” was how Zahid, father of two teenagers, viewed the situation.
The week was exceptionally good not only for flower-sellers, but also for taxi drivers who made loads and loads of money, thanks to the transport strike of a private bus service. Men, women and schoolgoing children were seen waiting at bus terminals on the Murree Road, the routes from zero point to Pak Secretariat to which the company had exclusive rights. Many had to hire taxis that had a field day minting money, charging up to Rs100 per person and accommodating four to five passengers at a time. The strike, (without call) followed the incident in which the company’s driver killed a pedestrian on the Murree Road and an angry mob set the bus on fire. What irritated people more was the irresponsible attitude of the transport company, which has a history of abandoning its service without giving any notice. “The strike last month lasted four days after four people were killed in two different incidents,” commented an angry commuter.
PAKISTANI WOMEN’S DAY: Tumhi qatl karo, tum hi muddai thehro was the beginning of Kishwer Naheed’s latest poem that she recited on February 12, which was observed as Women’s Day in Pakistan. “The day is to commemorate the infamous police brutality and illegal action against a group of unarmed women activists peacefully exercising their basic human rights to demonstrate against the proposed Qanoon-i-Shahadat (Law of Evidence),” Kishwer herself a victim, vividly recalled the incident outside the Lahore High Court, at the height of General Zia-ul-Haq’s martial law in 1983.
Like every year, progressive groups working gender-based issues, human rights and peace activists gathered at the Aabpara Community Centre and held a public meeting under the title, Women’s Struggle: Challenges and Threats, to express their concern over the continuous denial and serious deterioration of women’s rights in particular and basic human rights and civil liberties in general. Activists representing various NGOs strongly condemned the horrific rape case of a lady doctor in Sui and demanded a fair trial and immediate arrest of the accused. “The rise in cases of violence against women, especially rape and so-called honour killings is alarming,” said Nageen Hyat of Women’s Action Forum. The groups also reiterated their longstanding demand for the immediate repeal of all discriminatory laws including Hudood Ordinance, Qanoon-i-Shahadat, Qisas and Diyat law, blasphemy law, Shriah Act etc.
LAST week, citizens of Islamabad heaved a sigh of relief and relished the warm atmosphere when the sun finally came out and shone after 10 days of continuous heavy downpour in the capital. Activities had virtually come to a standstill because of the heavy rain and extremely cold climate that forced the people to avoid any outdoor activity. The rush witnessed at the Sunday bazaar, with people doing their green grocery shopping, the turn-out of walkers and joggers at the F-9 Park, were all signs of life coming back to normalcy.
