Karachi – I have always thought of camels as desert animals. It was therefore a surreal sight seeing colorfully bedecked camels strolling on Clifton beach against the backdrop of the Arabian sea.
Camels on the beach is just one of the delightful surprises of Karachi that I and five other Filipino journalists (Gemma Cruz -Araneta of Manila Bulletin, Tals Diaz of Inquirer, Fatima Parel of People Asia, Lyn Resurreccion of Business Mirror, and Dante Francis Ang of Manila Times) are discovering about Pakistan this week on the invitation of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
IPRI does analyses of political and security developments, not only in the national level but also in Asia region and in the world. Although it’s seed money came from the government, IPRI maintains its independence.
Karachi as entrance to Pakistan is interesting. Formerly the seat of government, this city of 16 million people, is now considered the business capital.
We arrived on a Sunday. The first thing that we learned was Pakistanis, who are predominantly Muslim, take to heart Sunday as rest day. It was a slow day at the airport. We were told that shopping malls are closed, something that would take a major catastrophe to happen in Philippines.
As we were waiting queuing at the immigration lane, we noticed with admiration that Pakistanis wear their national dress, the shalwar kameez, as an everyday attire. Worn by both men and women the shalwar kameez consists of a large, loose fitting tunic with baggy trousers. The men have them in solid colors while the women go for the more colorful and fancy versions. Most of the women wear a scarf although there are many who do not have their head covered.
We think that wearing a national dress as an everyday attire speaks of the Pakistanis strong sense of nationalism, which is sadly lacking among Filipinos.
As we stepped out of the airport, the first prominent sign that met us was the Mc Donald golden arch sign. That was the first indication of the complexities as well as dynamism of Pakistan.
We witnessed this in our visit at the Karachi National Press Club where an all-male group received us in their elegant beige brick building on Shaheed Road. Anil Datta, senior sub-editor and reporter of The News said Pakistani media is generally free despite the military rule of President Perez Musharaff.
(Musharaff seized power through a coup d etat in 1999 and suspended the Constitution twice. In 2001, he appointed himself president. His controversial election to the president in October 2007 led to the suspension of Supreme Court justices.
(Newly elected Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, who belong to the opposition Pakistan People’s party ordered the re-instatement of the judges on May 12).
This is reflected in the newspapers (some 300 of them, we are told) that carry reports and opinion pieces critical to the government.Their freedom, the journalists stressed, is something that they have fought for and continuous to zealously guard.
Abdul Hammed Chapra, former KPC president calls Musharaff “a usurper”. He recalls the time when he was the incumbent president and the information minister of another “usuurper”, Gen. Zia Ul-Haq, came to say that the strongman wanted to come to the club. He told the official, “a usurper is not allowed here.”
A more recent case was the abduction of Saeed Sarbazi , editor-in-charge of Daily Business Recorder and vice-president of KPC, was abducted last September by unidentified men, beaten and kept in a safehouse blindfolded for four days. He believed it has something to do with his allowing militants from Balochistan, a province in the western part of Pakistan, use the facilities of the club to air their issues against the government. Outrage of club members as well as of international media oganizations pressured his abductors to release him.
We sense a strong anti-US sentiment among the Karachi journalists. “Pakistani people don’t really believe US propaganda against Al Qaeda,” one senior journalist said.
They don’t consider the Talibans terrorists but merely a figleaf that Americans nurture to justify their presence in the region. They believe that Osama bin Ladin was killed when American bombs pulverized Tora-Bora, the Al Qaeda stronghold in Afghanistan, after the Sept.11, 2001 World Trade Center tragedy.
They are also skeptical about the revelation of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in a BBC interview shortly before she was assassinated that bin Ladin was killed by Omar Sheik in 2002 . Omar Sheik was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 for the killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
The Karachi journalists’ refreshing attitude towards the U.S. prompted Gemma Cruz to say that there’s only one place in the whole universe where the Americans are loved.
A Karachi journalist asked, “Where?”
Gemma replied, “The Philippines.”
Ellen,
Nandyan ka pala sa Karachi. Sige, enjoy and don’t mind Gloria back here. Pagbalik mo ay tiyak na nandito pa ang bruha. Palakas ka diyan dahil mahaba pa ang laban sa Pinas, ” the only place in the world where the Americans are loved”.
Hi Ellen — have fun!
I like Gemma Cruz’ reply… must say that she’s not far off the mark at all.
A beautiful piece on Karachi. Now I cant believe there is another side to that. Many elements in that city just love Filipino seamen that bring them the usual tong offerings of cases of Marlboro and Black label on every ship visit. They dont eat the large fat alimango but learned we just love it so they collect it from the city swamps and supply it to the seamen.
Ellen: We were told that shopping malls are closed, something that would take a major catastrophe to happen in Philippines.
*****
This reminds me of my childhood in the Philippines when majority of Filipinos kept the day of the Lord holy, no shops, nothing except a few stalls at the market next to the church.
Funny how the city markets would be right next to the church in all towns in the Philippines, though. Blame the priests, I guess, for commercializing religion!
Worse is when Gloria would make Friday, the day of Moslem worship, a holiday and substitute the Christian Sabbath day for it! What a hypocrite!
The Moslem fundamentalists we first heard of way back in 1993 were in fact Pakistanis.
As for the Talibans being terrorists, I don’t actually see much difference between how they ran their government then with how Gloria Dorobo and her favorite general run the Philippine government now.
The last time I saw a camel was when I was in Morocco about four years agao. I even had a picture feeding one…heh,heh,heh.
Ingat ka lang dyan Ellen. Enjoy the sceneries and tradition.
You are in good company too!
May 7th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Hi people! Medyo matagal akong nawala, pero tuloy pa rin ang aking paninindigan at paglaban sa tiwaling pamamahala ni Gloria the Evil Bitch!
By the way, may bagong Blog site ang grupo ni Atty. Adel Tamano na tinawag na Young Turks. Do check them out dahil mukhang ka-linya natin sila.
This is the blog site: oppositeofapathy.wordpress.com
Shopping malls are closed on Sundays? Wow!
Hindi sila Kristiyano pero ganun sila. And they do it with heart.
Isang reklamo ni Jesus “Ang mga Hudyo ipinako ako ng araw ng Biyernes. Ang mga Kristiyano, ipinapako ako tuwing araw ng Linggo.”
National dress being worn by men and women everyday? Wow talaga!
Dec. 14, 2006 pagkatapos ko sa Indian Embassy, pumunta ako sa Megamall para bumili ng cell phone. Dumaan ako sa outlet ng Kultura Filipino. Nung makarating ako, nahiya akong pumasok dahil karamihan ng nasa loob ng tindahan ay banyaga. Buti na lang ang suot ko ay suot ng mga Pilipino noon. Ang kapunapuna ay, ang tuwang-tuwa sa gawang Pilipino ay mga banyaga. Meron nga isang dayuhan na babae, tuwang-tuwa sa binili niyang “Terno.” Gandang-ganda siya sa binili niya at excited siyang maisuot.
Talaga nga yatang walang sariling pagkakakilanlan ang lahing Pilipino.
Although one of the ten commandments say: Thou shall keep Holy, the Sabbath Day…we Christians really don’t observe it..the Jewish and Muslims do observe it..
Re: the national dress..last Oct. I attended a baptism of a friend’s first apo..we were asked to wear a Filipiana attire. My friend majored in Phil. studies.. she had the baptismal dress made of pina ordered in Aklan..Ang lahat sa simbahan (in Maryland) ay napapalingon sa amin..the baby’s father is my godson and I had to lose weight so I could wear a terno (from size 12 to size 8).. for his wedding in Iloilo…vanity is my name.
This coming June 1 is the Phil. Independence Day Parade in NYC..and being an officer of the Iloilo Society of America we are asked to wear a patadiong..and I will wear an authentic patadiong woven in Bugasong, Antique and the kimona is the typical Antique Kimona (not the fancy one..but the real macoy as worn by
the women in Antique). I am a bit concern of my patadiong because I don’t know how to “ubit” (wrap around) basi ma hulog..it will be fun..
BTW the Filipino Reporter (this week’s issue) carried an article that Gloria is coming June 25 (I guess in Washington) sana magorganize ng rally..sasama ako.
Rose:
I will pass on to you notes from Bayan Muna USA. I guess they’re planning something during the creep’s US utang vuisit!
Abangan din ang pag-kontak kay Jocjoc in jail. Nakalabas na ba?
Bin Laden is dead. He is only alive in the minds of Bush and his propagandists to justify their continuous stay in Iraq.
Ellen, ingat ka pag may nag-abot sa iyo ng maliit na bolang kasinglaki ng pearl na akala mo binilot na libag, kunin mo pero itapon mo pag hindi nakatingin yung nabigay.
Hashish yon, derivative ng marijuana pollens na ipinamimigay ng mga sosyal sa mga bisita. Sabi ng barkada ko, tradition daw ng mga maykaya ang pagbibigay nun.
Pero mag-ingat ka pa rin baka tunay na libag ang iabot sa iyo, hehehe!
andres/viktor12:
Yes, okey yung blog ni Atty. Tamano.
Si Gemma, typical Pinoy.
Kapag napasama sa grupo at sinimulan ng tiryahin noong grupo and isang tao o isang bagay, second-the-motion kaagad.
Off topic:
Speaker Prospero Nograles has broken tradition by calling on a committee chairman, Rep. Mikey Arroyo, chairman of the committee on energy to buckle down to work and start hearings on pending bills in his committee.
From the very beginning, eyebrows were raised when Malaca�ang intervened to get greenhorn Mikey Arroyo to head the committee on energy in lieu of veteran energy expert, Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella of Camarines Sur.
It doesn�t take too much intelligence now to see that Mikey and Miriam Defensor-Santiago got the House and Senate energy committee to help in breaking the Lopez family hold on Meralco. Is it for GSIS or is it for a Malaca�ang crony?
Along the same line, Bobby Ongpin, a FG crony, is now moving to acquire control of cash rich and profitable Petron.
More greed at public expense.
Talaga naman ang mga tuta ni Esperon. PSB, blocked na naman iyong isang loop where we discuss on the stupidity of Esperon and the Dorobo. Hindi makapost. Tindi!
CNN reports that aids to Burma cannot go smoothly because of the stupid suspicion of the military there na trojan horse iyong mga supplies especially coming from countries critical of SLORC. Iyan ang napapala kapag tarantado ang nagpapalakad ng gobyerno. Dapat iyong leksyon ng Burma pinag-aaralan ng mga pilipino para hindi mangyari sa kanila ang nangyari sa mga Burmese. Libo-libo na ang namatay, pinapairal pa rin ang kagunggunan ng mga military rulersdoon. Ganyan ang pang-aabuso ni Esperon, et al.
Sipain na ang mga iyan, puede ba?
I wanted to ride a camel sa Petra if only for five minutes but natakot ako..sa liit kung ito baka mahulog ako..passing through the desert I imagined how it was then..seguro ang alikabok..our witty guide said that we too were riding a camel..a Japanese Toyota camel..
Meralco is such a big company why will they borrow money from GSIS. GSIS is a government entity using the peoples money (Insurance premium) that is just a prelude to Glorias confiscating Meralco. That was what the Marcoses were doing when they were in power. So what is the difference between the Marcoses and the Arroyos’ The Filipinos should watch out how many companies has Gloria Arroyo? Her annual salary is $6,000.00 a year?
Hello there, Ellen. Enjoying your vacation in Karachi? I bet you are. Stay close together. I’m sure you recall Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street journalist beheaded by the Al Queda six years ago. We wouldn’t want anything of that nature to happen to you and your company.
bitchevil, parang nabasa ko na iyang sinulat mo, si Ernie Maceda ka ba?
bitchevil, parang nabasa ko na iyang comment mo, si Ernie Maceda ka ba?
Dami may gusto ng PETRON. Bakit di na lang sell at i-share sa mga Filipino users only through their receipts at every purchase only. Those with chinese blood disqualified to preclude problems again later.