it's not safe...

i was working on my laptop in the comforts of my cool hotel room when the phone rang...

S: Miss Iva, it is Sher Afghan.
I: Hello Sher, is anything the matter?
S: Yes, Mr Sumbal has requested for me to inform you that you should not leave the hotel unaccompanied. In light of the security situation, he has instructed that you should not travel around Lahore, except in the office vehicle.
I: I see. Thank you very much.
S: The van will be at your disposal. Please just inform me of where you would like to go, and I will arrange for the drive to pick you up and send you.
I: I know that there was a bomb blast 2 nights ago in Islamabad, but did anything else just occur?
S: Yes, Miss. There were more bomb blasts in Karachi today. Even though the bomb occurences were very far from Lahore, we think it is important to take precautionary measures.
I: I understand. Thank you.

BBC: Dozens killed in Pakistan blast (5 min ago)

staying out of islamabad

arrived in lahore last night...and we had planned to drive up to Bhurban where the workshop retreat was going to be conducted. Bhurban is a hill station about 3 hours above Islamabad. We would have had to drive through Islamabad to get to Bhurban.

I was really looking forward to this trip. Even lugged the big camera along with me, with great hope to see more of the north of Pakistan. Our initial plans were to stop in Islamabad on the way home, to meet with some organisations there. But we scrapped the plan last week, after the goings-on in the Lal Masjeed (Red Mosque). Then when some government offices were attacked, and the chinese visitors were kidnapped, we decided not to stop by Islamabad. But Lahore was still on, and so was Bhurban.

Received a call when i was going through immigration at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore last night. Bhurban was OFF. The Punjab gov called off the meeting, in fear of the latest developments. The siege at the Lal Masjeed, plus the end of the truce deal in the North-west Frontier. If violence breaks out in the North, and the repercussions were felt in Islamabad, we risked being stuck in Bhurban.

That wasn't a risk that the gov here was going to take. So i'm stuck in lahore for the next week...no Bhurban..sniff...maybe in Winter, if things slow down...

The situation

Not in our name

An article in Today by Asim Siddique, chairman of the City Circle, a network of young British Muslim professionals, which organises weekly public forums to debate issues of mutual concern between British Muslim communities and the wider society.

It is worth reading.... excerpts below...

NOT IN OUR NAME
Blaming foreign policy not the answer. Where are Muslim marches in revulsion against acts of terrors in Islam's name?

"The events of the last few days (terror attacks in Britain) have been sobering for all" ...


...." Diverting attention from the problems within the Muslim communities and blaming others- especially the West- is always more popular than the difficult task of self-scrutiny"....


...." And what part of UK foreign policy do the Islamist want the UK to change to tackle terrorism? Withdrawal from Iraq?"....


..." Even after British troops leave Iraq will these Mulsim groups be satisfied? of course not. Their list of grievances is endless: Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir, Palestine, Burma...s long as the world is presented as one where the West is forever at war with Islam and Muslims there is nothing we can do to appease the terrorists and those who share their world view. Instead it is the extremist world view that must change"...


..."Where is their outrage at the 400 000 Muslims slaughtered in Darfu?"...


..."It is nowhere to be seen because the Darfurians have been masscred by fellow Muslims, not by the West. Hence it does not appear on the Islamist radar screen as 'grievance'. Such is the moral bankruptcy of this ideology"...


..."The radical Islamist ideology needs to be exposed to young Muslims for what it really is. A tool for the introduction of a medieval form of government that describes itself as an 'Islamic State' that is violent, retrogressive, discriminatory, a perversion of the sacred texts and a totalitarion dictatorship"...


..." What is required is for those that claim to represent and have influence among young British Muslims to proactively counter the extremist Islamic narrative."

i'm feeling hungry...

brought the family out to carousel...eaten there several times...since it's almost MFA's canteen and we're always hosting ppl there...but i thought it'll be a nice treat for the family...especially since it was mum's birthday....the food's not bad...better than when it was Cafe Vienna!

lovely red red roses

Ibu's birthday

Ayah's lovely conconction

i love love love salmon sashimi, especially in abundance


laksa wasn't too bad either


see food....seafood


the birthday girl's birthday cake...


look at the attap chees....