ali-raj
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
The Girl who wrote this blog, is pretty much on the spot. Being a Punjabi Living in Karachi, I endorse what she is saying in here. In addition, PTI alienated those urdu speakers, who were against MQM and supported PTI, but due to negligence, they casted their vote in favor of MQM.
My Response to Hamza Ali Abbasi’s video about Karachi Elections 2015
First, let me just say that despite being your Karachiite fan who is NOT an MQM voter/supporter, I have never been so pissed at you.
Moving on..
I’ll start with four things first:
1) This attitude of "mein toh Islamabad mein buhat khush hun, actor hun, paisa hai, shuhrat hai, mujhe kya zarurat Landhi ghoomnay ki? Meray leader to kya zarurat politics mein aanay ki? But hum yeh sab kar rahay hain so be thankful to us" - BIG FAIL in Karachi.
2) "Karachi doesn’t really matter as much. It's just one city. All other cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and even Peshawar and Quetta (!) are so much better" - BIG FAIL in Karachi
3) PTI ka Jamatiyon se ittehad - BIG FAIL in Karachi
4) "Karachiites don’t know any better. We will come from outside, from our palace like homes in Islamabad jis ki chhat pe mein abhi beth ke video bana raha hun, and "liberate" Karachiites in Keamari, Lyari and Kati Pahari because they are too stupid to do it themselves" - BIG FAIL in Karachi
As someone who has her sympathies with PTI (fast evaporating), let me now give you a few pointers:
1) Stop treating Karachi as any other city. It's not just another city of Pakistan. It is a mini-Pakistan in itself. It doesn't just have Muhajirs or any one ethnicity like Punjabis or Pukhtoons. Its population is made up of pretty much every single ethnicity in the country. Try to figure out how many people from the whole population voted for MQM. Then see how many were Muhajirs. Then find out if those Muhajirs voted on ethnicity or was there any other reason. And those who weren't Muhajirs, why did they vote for MQM (yes, many non-Muhajirs I personally know voted for them). Then figure out that the vast population who didn't vote for any party, including PTI, why didn't they?
2) Despite being the largest city of the country, Karachiites have faced decades of neglect. It doesn't look like the largest city of any other country because it was never treated like the largest city of any other country. Look how USA treats NYC, how UK treats London, how China treats Shanghai, how Japan treats Tokyo. These are priority cities for these countries.
And what is Karachi for Pakistan? A nuisance. Something to be taken care of so it doesn't make noise and disturb the rulers in Islamabad while they focus on issues of other cities. Sometimes this "taking care of" is done by force via Rangers and Army, and sometimes by making deals with MQM. Anything to shut Karachiites up for a short duration while we concentrate on the next motorway or dharna.
3) Stop treating Karachiites like citizens of any other city. They're not. Despite the constant death threat over their lives during such simple tasks like going to buy bread from the market, we are still the most dynamic city in the country. There is a reason the population of Karachi keeps growing. The Quettas and Peshawars and Pindis you mentioned in your video which are so much better than Karachi, their people keep coming to Karachi for their livelihood. It is the resilience of the city and its people that despite all the ills you've mentioned in your video, it is still the best bet for a struggling Pakistani to better his condition in. Here's a test for you: after the major fail in Lahore, why don’t you move the entertainment industry next to Peshawar or Quetta or Islamabad, and see how that fares?
4) PTI could have done better in Karachi. Sure it could have. If it had shown Karachi how it had improved KP in its reign until now, instead of wasting time, energy, and resources over dharnas. Karachi saw how KP residents were made to feel like step children while PTI focused all its energies on 'dhandli' in Punjab, waking up to KP's cries only recently. You want Karachiites to hand over their city to such a party, who after winning would again move its focus on other areas of the country until the next elections? That's not a new feeling for Karachi, after all. It has decades of experience with such treatment meted out to them in the hands of PPP and PMLN. Why would it knowingly repeat it?
5) If MQM will ever be defeated in Karachi, it will be by a party that is indigenous to Karachi, or at least have a strong indigenous presence in the city with a proven record that Karachi is its priority number 1. Because don’t forget: MQM keeps winning not because Karachiites have only MQM, but because MQM has only Karachi. The city is their be all and end all. They know that even though they keep shouting from every corner that without MQM there will be no Karachi, the truth is that without Karachi, there will be no MQM. That's why they fight tooth and nail for it. They don’t just come visit it during election times or dharnas. Or visit it for work for a short duration and then run back to the safety of their home cities after they are done, and then make videos commenting on how stupid Karachiites are for the choices they make.
MQM are from the city, they are in the city, and without this city, they are nothing. Karachiites know this. So while other parties like PTI, PPP or JI are a good threat to use to get MQM in line, in the event of an undecided vote, the vote will in all probability go to MQM. Because they ARE Karachi. Their leader lives in London, while the others live in Raiwind or Bani Gala. No one's home is Karachi anyway. At least the first leader has his eye on Karachi from London. While the other two both have their eyes fixed on Lahore.
6) Yes, all ills of MQM that you guys keep stressing upon are there. Karachiites know. Of course they do. They're living those ills, remember, not just talking about them sitting comfortably in other parts of the country? But we don’t have any true alternatives. Alternatives who treat this city with the respect it deserves. We don’t want people sitting in other cities who listen to the word Karachi and go, "Oh, Karachi --> MQM --> crime and death --> hopeless situations --> stupid people --> okay, so when is the next dharna on D Chowk for that seat in Lahore we lost? Because as you say in your video, “hamari zindagi pe to yahan koi farq nahi parta.”
7) In the end, if you are really serious about winning Karachi, win its hearts and minds. Votes will follow. By saying MQM wins only by death threats, you are calling the brave citizens of this city cowards. By saying all votes that go to MQM are race-based, you are calling the dynamic people of this city stupid. We are none of those. Instead of discarding MQM with a brush of your hand as a corrupt party that only wins due to threats, and focusing on all the wrongs it does, try to see the things it does right. It does do a lot of good work for the city too. Figure out those things, and do them better than MQM. Be sincere while you do this, and see this city embrace you come next election with open arms.
Move home to the city and live with them, laugh with them on their sick ehtnic jokes with each other, celebrate with them when Karachi Dolphins win, cry with them when they lose a loved one to the tragedies of this city, and then work for them when they trust you with their vote. Until you are ready to do all this, don’t waste time cribbing about your losses through your videos.
8) Stop teaching Karachiites about ‘qurbanis’ of yourself and Imran Khan. No one knows how to give ‘qurbanis’ better than Karachiites. You will lose in this comparison. Because qurbani of life will always be higher than qurbani or “3 crores per county match” and “my corporate brands.”
Being a Punjabi Karachiite myself, I will leave you with this ending remark: Karachi will never be swayed on the argument of corruption and no corruption, or development and no development. It will only be affected by a feeling of ‘apnaiyat’. Its wounds are not physical, they are emotional. Which is why we are okay with ‘rait wala pani’, but we will not hand our city over to someone whose heart lies anywhere other than Karachi.
PTI needs to change its strategy vis a vis this city RIGHT NOW. Or else, pichhli baar jo eik NA seat jeeti thi, is baar woh bhi nahi milne ki, babu!
http://haafandom.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-response-to-hamza-ali-abbasis-video.html?m=1
My Response to Hamza Ali Abbasi’s video about Karachi Elections 2015
First, let me just say that despite being your Karachiite fan who is NOT an MQM voter/supporter, I have never been so pissed at you.
Moving on..
I’ll start with four things first:
1) This attitude of "mein toh Islamabad mein buhat khush hun, actor hun, paisa hai, shuhrat hai, mujhe kya zarurat Landhi ghoomnay ki? Meray leader to kya zarurat politics mein aanay ki? But hum yeh sab kar rahay hain so be thankful to us" - BIG FAIL in Karachi.
2) "Karachi doesn’t really matter as much. It's just one city. All other cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and even Peshawar and Quetta (!) are so much better" - BIG FAIL in Karachi
3) PTI ka Jamatiyon se ittehad - BIG FAIL in Karachi
4) "Karachiites don’t know any better. We will come from outside, from our palace like homes in Islamabad jis ki chhat pe mein abhi beth ke video bana raha hun, and "liberate" Karachiites in Keamari, Lyari and Kati Pahari because they are too stupid to do it themselves" - BIG FAIL in Karachi
As someone who has her sympathies with PTI (fast evaporating), let me now give you a few pointers:
1) Stop treating Karachi as any other city. It's not just another city of Pakistan. It is a mini-Pakistan in itself. It doesn't just have Muhajirs or any one ethnicity like Punjabis or Pukhtoons. Its population is made up of pretty much every single ethnicity in the country. Try to figure out how many people from the whole population voted for MQM. Then see how many were Muhajirs. Then find out if those Muhajirs voted on ethnicity or was there any other reason. And those who weren't Muhajirs, why did they vote for MQM (yes, many non-Muhajirs I personally know voted for them). Then figure out that the vast population who didn't vote for any party, including PTI, why didn't they?
2) Despite being the largest city of the country, Karachiites have faced decades of neglect. It doesn't look like the largest city of any other country because it was never treated like the largest city of any other country. Look how USA treats NYC, how UK treats London, how China treats Shanghai, how Japan treats Tokyo. These are priority cities for these countries.
And what is Karachi for Pakistan? A nuisance. Something to be taken care of so it doesn't make noise and disturb the rulers in Islamabad while they focus on issues of other cities. Sometimes this "taking care of" is done by force via Rangers and Army, and sometimes by making deals with MQM. Anything to shut Karachiites up for a short duration while we concentrate on the next motorway or dharna.
3) Stop treating Karachiites like citizens of any other city. They're not. Despite the constant death threat over their lives during such simple tasks like going to buy bread from the market, we are still the most dynamic city in the country. There is a reason the population of Karachi keeps growing. The Quettas and Peshawars and Pindis you mentioned in your video which are so much better than Karachi, their people keep coming to Karachi for their livelihood. It is the resilience of the city and its people that despite all the ills you've mentioned in your video, it is still the best bet for a struggling Pakistani to better his condition in. Here's a test for you: after the major fail in Lahore, why don’t you move the entertainment industry next to Peshawar or Quetta or Islamabad, and see how that fares?
4) PTI could have done better in Karachi. Sure it could have. If it had shown Karachi how it had improved KP in its reign until now, instead of wasting time, energy, and resources over dharnas. Karachi saw how KP residents were made to feel like step children while PTI focused all its energies on 'dhandli' in Punjab, waking up to KP's cries only recently. You want Karachiites to hand over their city to such a party, who after winning would again move its focus on other areas of the country until the next elections? That's not a new feeling for Karachi, after all. It has decades of experience with such treatment meted out to them in the hands of PPP and PMLN. Why would it knowingly repeat it?
5) If MQM will ever be defeated in Karachi, it will be by a party that is indigenous to Karachi, or at least have a strong indigenous presence in the city with a proven record that Karachi is its priority number 1. Because don’t forget: MQM keeps winning not because Karachiites have only MQM, but because MQM has only Karachi. The city is their be all and end all. They know that even though they keep shouting from every corner that without MQM there will be no Karachi, the truth is that without Karachi, there will be no MQM. That's why they fight tooth and nail for it. They don’t just come visit it during election times or dharnas. Or visit it for work for a short duration and then run back to the safety of their home cities after they are done, and then make videos commenting on how stupid Karachiites are for the choices they make.
MQM are from the city, they are in the city, and without this city, they are nothing. Karachiites know this. So while other parties like PTI, PPP or JI are a good threat to use to get MQM in line, in the event of an undecided vote, the vote will in all probability go to MQM. Because they ARE Karachi. Their leader lives in London, while the others live in Raiwind or Bani Gala. No one's home is Karachi anyway. At least the first leader has his eye on Karachi from London. While the other two both have their eyes fixed on Lahore.
6) Yes, all ills of MQM that you guys keep stressing upon are there. Karachiites know. Of course they do. They're living those ills, remember, not just talking about them sitting comfortably in other parts of the country? But we don’t have any true alternatives. Alternatives who treat this city with the respect it deserves. We don’t want people sitting in other cities who listen to the word Karachi and go, "Oh, Karachi --> MQM --> crime and death --> hopeless situations --> stupid people --> okay, so when is the next dharna on D Chowk for that seat in Lahore we lost? Because as you say in your video, “hamari zindagi pe to yahan koi farq nahi parta.”
7) In the end, if you are really serious about winning Karachi, win its hearts and minds. Votes will follow. By saying MQM wins only by death threats, you are calling the brave citizens of this city cowards. By saying all votes that go to MQM are race-based, you are calling the dynamic people of this city stupid. We are none of those. Instead of discarding MQM with a brush of your hand as a corrupt party that only wins due to threats, and focusing on all the wrongs it does, try to see the things it does right. It does do a lot of good work for the city too. Figure out those things, and do them better than MQM. Be sincere while you do this, and see this city embrace you come next election with open arms.
Move home to the city and live with them, laugh with them on their sick ehtnic jokes with each other, celebrate with them when Karachi Dolphins win, cry with them when they lose a loved one to the tragedies of this city, and then work for them when they trust you with their vote. Until you are ready to do all this, don’t waste time cribbing about your losses through your videos.
8) Stop teaching Karachiites about ‘qurbanis’ of yourself and Imran Khan. No one knows how to give ‘qurbanis’ better than Karachiites. You will lose in this comparison. Because qurbani of life will always be higher than qurbani or “3 crores per county match” and “my corporate brands.”
Being a Punjabi Karachiite myself, I will leave you with this ending remark: Karachi will never be swayed on the argument of corruption and no corruption, or development and no development. It will only be affected by a feeling of ‘apnaiyat’. Its wounds are not physical, they are emotional. Which is why we are okay with ‘rait wala pani’, but we will not hand our city over to someone whose heart lies anywhere other than Karachi.
PTI needs to change its strategy vis a vis this city RIGHT NOW. Or else, pichhli baar jo eik NA seat jeeti thi, is baar woh bhi nahi milne ki, babu!
http://haafandom.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-response-to-hamza-ali-abbasis-video.html?m=1
