LIGHT A LAMP FOR IT IS THE DARK HOUR.: ELMA...!!

LIGHT A LAMP FOR IT IS THE DARK HOUR.: ELMA...!!: “Excuse me how much for one ticket?” “Sir, 20 liras” “I don’t have liras, can you take dollars instead?” “Sorry sir but we only cha...

ELMA...!!

“Excuse me how much for one ticket?”

“Sir, 20 liras”

“I don’t have liras, can you take dollars instead?”

“Sorry sir but we only charge in Turkish currency”

The girl at the counter said that with a smile, she was cute and unsurprisingly pretty because of which I was not ready to move away from the counter until the old,black, ugly lady at my back said:

“MR. if are done with her then please step aside my kids are waiting for me and I want to get tickets for them plus I have lira’s”

I felt like putting my black Sputnik 9 number shoes straight in her mouth, but then thought I don’t have another pair.

“huh lucky you” I whispered and left the counter and the charming girl behind it. With a heavy heart I was slowly and unwillingly walking away, it was not that my heart fell for that girl sitting behind that counter, yes the one with mesmerizing smile, for when I looked back and hoped that she would be looking at my way for one last bye, she wasn’t , instead she was now exchanging the similar looks with another guy, he was tall, slim and more then that, had white skin.

“huh, what a flirt she is, totally professional”

On the other hand I was rather frustrated and somehow upset because the great Topkappi palace was right in front of me. I was at the counter, the entrance was few steps ahead but what a crap, I was out of Lira’s and now I would have to go all the way back, find an exchange shop and then come back again.

“Am not going to do that kind of labor”

My nature doesn’t allow me much to get help from people of my gender. Over some past years I configured that women are more polite and helpful towards men and men show the same towards women. However when it comes to the same gender bonding, the similar ions oppose each other. Under same theory of mine I stopped her. She looked very young; her height was just average, black short hairs over her white skin were making her fall into the category of beauty, blue tight jeans with white shirt and brown leather jacket was enough to attract any man towards her, so it was not my fault that ignoring every other soul around me I went to her and bumped right in front of her.

“Amm… Hi…. Am Abdullah”

“hi, ..am Elma” she brought her right hand forward

“ I guess she wants to shake hand’.

“No, don’t”, I told myself, but then the very next second I came to know that my hand was not under my command and was already building up bilateral relations. I looked at my hand which was now happily in touch with Elma’s hand waving signs which said:

“Stupid you won’t getting such chances everyday”

“So, you are here for …..” her incomplete sentence brought me back to Topkappi palace

“oooh yeah well can you just tell me where is the nearest exchange office, I need to get a ticket for the entrance into the palace but I don’t have lira’s and the girl at the counter says that she can’t accept dollars”

“well I don’t think so that there is any exchange near by, you need to get down to Sultan Ahmet Market, which is about six kilometers from this place ”

“ohh allright then I guess I should go back and come tomorrow, well thanks a lot ”

I was about to turn and walk away but her voice iced my feet right there.

“If you don’t mind, I can buy a ticket for you, we can go in together and then you can pay me back by buying me a cup of coffee after that from Sultan Ahmed”

How I could have rejected such an offer. It was like night meal of pizza hut, buy one and get one free.

“I will surely not mind that” I said that with the biggest smile I could ever give, though my mind was telling me that hide your teeth man, you forgot to brush them in the morning.

“So where are you from?”

We both were walking slowly towards the main entrance of the palace, she was on my left, and for some reason I felt that my chest got extra broadened, shoulders tight and straight and feet on ground being kept so as to depict a strange brisk walk. With out looking at her I answered.

“PAKISTAN”

“Wow PAKISTAN, the Green Land right? You guys are all over the media and cover pages, and I have read so much about your country. You know despite of in what crises you are, in between the power politics, you guys are doing a great deal , and as a Muslim if u ask me, am so proud of your country, you guys are may be our last hope, Islam here is loosing its grips, but we all are looking towards people of green land…………..”

She continued her speech for the entire time, though we discussed many other things but through out that evening, her words were echoing in my ears….

“YOU GUYS ARE MAY BE OUR LAST HOPE, WE ALL ARE LOOKING TOWARDS THE PEOPLE Of GREEN LAND” 

people of Pakistan..a mere herd of sheeps.. by SALMAN MANZUR

It was 6 in the evening, after a "HARD" working day mani was snoozing in his bed with the comforter on, suddenly the bed started vibrating..it actually didnt matter as he was jus feeling lyk a fly hovering over his ears..sound of ringtone pinching he rolled over with his eyes closed and started searching for the cell phone with his hands, partially opening his eyes he looked at his cell's screen its was written "Danger Call" well this is the name by which his home's ptcl no is saved in the contact list..finally he picked the call and it was mani's mother on the other side..ASSALAM U ALAIKUM mom he said..and started talking..mani noted a fear in his mother's voice he asked about it and she said just wanted to tell u that dont go outside to markets in Karachi, situation is getting very worst, so many people have been killed..he kept on listening and was getting a image lyk Karachi is no more a city rather it has become a blood bathed land...talks went on and he recieved a list of do's nd dont's as always, Mani kept on replying theek hai mom..ok mom..jii mummy...after hanging up the phone he again got inside his comforter..

After 10mins of rolling and turning mani was finally up...looking on his rite side for his room mate..it is then mani realized that khano has already left..mani smiled on his self and ordered a cup of tea..switching on the tv he had a round of all news channels..samma..click..duniya..click...express..click..geo..and then he realized why his mother was so worried..its the media, even mani thought for a second that karachi is really bleeding,although it is but the picture that our not so worthy and free media paints is actually very differnt..media makes the people believe that all that is happening in Pakistan is killings,kidnappings,harrasments,bombings etc...which society is free of these evils?? mani went into his thoughts and after a min he realized that there is actually no such society.Media is promoted by the people who are wacthing and apreciating it and in our part of world people believe what media says as it is with out using there own head, that is we are deviating from being a developing country to a country that is at the brink of destruction. Our people have no opinion of there own and they adopt whatever the media says, Pakistani media is fifth columnist which is motive dictated and has nothing to do with national interest this is why we dont see anything positive in it, either it is derived by political power or by money, both of these factors go against our national intersts. Pakistanis act like a herd of sheep following the stick, it goes left and they go with it with out using there own mind, how can they even use their own intellect because for doing it they need to have an opinion of there own which cant been seen in any forum and those who have it keep it within them, thinking they will use it after going 6ft inside the ground.As a nation our motto should be Pakistan first, but unfortunately for our politicians its always there party first and same goes for the media they have their motives and channel's interst first. Both these factors strongly contribute towards the nation building but their only concern is money building, no one here says Pakistan first. People talk in the same language, they are either behind there political party or media, then who is standing up for Pakistan? well there is no one. It is  time to wake up before its too late for our beloved Pakistan, stop acting like puppets of media or politicians saying yes on every word they say protecting only the interest of there parties and channels, we need to stand up as a nation and say no to personal interests...get under one flag and have only one motto "PAKISTAN FIRST". Mani was getting deep and emotional into his thoughts suddenly the door knocked and with the knock he was back to his room, it was tea on his door waiting for his permission to come in, ajaoo he said and his buddy came inside served him the tea as mani was taking his tea abby came into his room saying "oye tu abhi tak bed pay hi hai chal uth bahir baarish ho rahi hai ghomany chalty hain" . Mani jumped off his bed, washed his face, changed his dress and they went outside to the same city which was painted as a graveyard by our media, roads were jam packed, car over car, motorcycle over motorcycle and so on...mani said to abby " halat daikh yaar apnay media nay porri duniya main yeh image dia hua jaisay karachi main civil war chal rahi hai" both of them smiled and went on with there plans... 

• P.S : I have used the word people throughout my writing because Pakistan is a land waiting for a nation..presently there are only people living in it from differnt provinces..May ALLAH give us the strenght to stand as a nation (AMEEN)