And Karachi Continues to Burn... "Hum loag na thay aisay/Aye Waqt Gavaahi de..."

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It is extremely frustrating to see the abysmal condition city has fallen into. People from the up-north are being almost exterminated. Ethnic cleansing. Do we purge ourselves of our own people? I cannot think beyond this...

What about those whose entire families consist of people of various ethnicities? I do not know why but I fear the situation might get worse. Language has never been a problem for the 'people' of Pakistan and that I can say with immense confidence. Why? Because we have been living since ages in localities where no one seems to be even bothered as to the language you speak. It is not an issue. However, it is of course a big issue for those who have 'hired' people to create deliberate unrest in the city. Something is definitely wrong due to which "things fall apart/ the centre cannot hold..." What is that 'something', I think each of us must pose this question to ourselves. For how long will we be able to enjoy living comfortably in our sheltered homes, nobody knows... Things are surely falling apart and they are falling apart badly! I hope we find a way out of it soon. InshaAllah.

Hum loag na thay aisay
Hain jaisay nazar aatay
Aye waqt gavaahi de
Hum loag na thay aisay
Yeh shehr na tha aisa
Yeh roag na thay aisay
Deewaar na thay rastay
Zindaan na thee bastee
Aazaar na thay rishtay
Khiljaan na thee hastee
Yuun maut na thee sastee!
Yeh aaj jo suurat hai
Haalaat na thay aisay
Yuun ghayr na thay mausam
Din raat na thay aisay
Tafreeq na thee aisee
Sanjog na thay aisay
Aye waqt gavaahi de
Hum loag na thay aisay

-Amjad Islam Amjad


Comments

Anonymous said…
Hath pe hath dahray baithay
Hum log na thay aisay
10:41 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
hmmm... true...
10:54 PM
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