Son of the Soil

(A humble tribute to Pakistan Armed Forces, who are always defending our borders while we are enjoying a luxurious life)

 September the 6th, 1965- It is indeed a beautiful morning in Lahore. I have just offered my prayers and as I am about to put my heavy shoes back on, there is an ear-splitting sound- It's an attack from across the border. Without a second thought, I have swiftly picked my Kalashnikov, reciting kalma-e-shahadat and following the commands of my battalion commander. I am waiting for an order to open the fire. I can see a well-prepared army in front of my eyes who have attacked us at a time when the anticipation of such an action was least and while most of my countrymen are still asleep. Here comes the order 'In the name of Allah' to fight the enemy and protect our motherland. It is true that I have an old mother at home; a two-year old daughter who has seen me just once and a wife whose eyes are stuck at the door all the time, but all these relations have taken a back-seat right now. The only thing of my concern at the moment is to guard the honor of my motherland, and I shall do it till the very end of my life for I am a Son of the Soil- A proud soldier of Pakistan.



As the release of bullets from my Kalashnikov is steadily rising, I can unintentionally see the flashbacks in front of my eyes about some of the vague aspects of my life . When my friends were enjoying their youth in the busy streets of Lahore, I was going through a strict training routine at my Military Academy.  When they were busy in flying kites on top of roofs, I was being ordered to perform strenuous physical obligations. And now, when they must be having a tired sleep with their kids alongside them, I am trying my level best to make sure their sleep is not interrupted, for I am a Son of the Soil. 




Although I have been hit by a bullet on my right shoulder and left thigh, I am still not eager to see the angel of death as yet. I am holding the gun in my left hand. It is difficult to hold and fire from my weaker upper limb, I am still able to fire the odd shot. I am limping but I am not bothered. I am down but I still have my spirits high. I have been fighting since 4 days now; without sleep and without food. I, along with my battalion, has made sure that the enemy is unable to proceed forward even by a single meter, for I am a Son of the Soil.

Is it due to lack of sleep or is it because of excessive bleeding that I am starting to feel the darkness in front of my eyes? Whatever the reason may be, my left index finger is still up to the task. It is not until the last bullet of my gun that has crossed the border, I am now lying at the ground, unconscious and breathless, nourishing the soil with my patriotic blood; for I am a Son of the Soil.

Melbourne: The Most Livable City

Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state in Australia, has been rated as the most livable city in the World in a recently conducted survey which is carried out twice a year. Melbourne has overtaken Vancouver, a Canadian city which has been up there at the top according to survey for the past decade or so. It is a remarkable achievement for Melbourne to be the world's most livable city out of so many big names- a list in which a city like London is placed at number 53.

Exactly a month ago at this time, I was in a bed at Hilton Hotel, Melbourne. Although a short trip of around 4 days, the memories of Melbourne are going to stay with me forever. Having been there just about a month ago, I can definitely rate it as a livable city.

The fact that you will find a lot of interracial people coming from all over the world is one proof of Melbourne's magnetic influence upon masses. You will find a lot of strangers like me walking in the Melbourne City, capturing the sensational locations in their cams, and sitting anywhere the want at anytime of the day or night, without having any sort of fear. Even the birds are 'Human friendly' :)

I will not go into detail of what I was up to during the 4 days that I spent in 'the most livable City', as they call it now, because it might not interest the readers. However, I would like to acknowledge some of the experiences that I had while at Eureka Skydeck 88, On Ferry across the Yarra river, exploration of the City alone on foot without knowing where I was heading to, late midnight dinner at Crown Plaza , Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the time at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center- one of the largest of its kind across the whole country.


There was an Old man with me on the ferry who had his mother in the hospital on the previous night due to heart attack but he was sight-seeing the next very day alone without any sign of worry. He told me to continue my higher medical education from Australia. Since Melbourne is now the most Livable City on the planet, I think there will be a lot more people like me from various parts of the globe belonging to diverse fields, to consider the advice of the old man much seriously.

An Apple

Have you ever wondered why an apple at the back of your Iphone Ipod or Ipad  has been a bitten one? Why would a company make one defected object as its logo? Why the company is called 'Apple' and not any other fruit out of a range of different fruits? Have a look at this story first which I'll summarize briefly:

Adam and Eve (Hazrat Adam and Bibi Hawwa- may peace be upon them both) were instructed by Allah Almighty to avoid a specific tree in the heaven and its fruit was forbidden for them to eat. The fruit was a kind of Apple. When Satan invoked Adam and Eve to eat that apple, Allah Almighty discarded all three of them to the Earth. In a nutshell, a 'bitten apple' was the root cause of first sin by a Man.

The company's logo conveys its message loud and clearly - To eat the forbidden apple and please the Satan or in other words, do what Allah has forbidden and follow the commands of Satan. Live a sinful life.

I have not carried out any research on the company's background but this is my own point of view which I have concluded after observing some of the logo's of Apple and their striking resemblance with the symbols of Freemasonary- a dark secret Satanic religion.

Did you notice the resemblance in both symbols?

May God protect us all from biting a forbidden Apple and make us strong enough so that we are not tempted by the instuctions of Satan.

Dravid: A Multi-dimensional Player

There has always been a wrong general perception about Rahul Dravid's role in the Indian team over the years. Dravid has a reputation of being a solid test batsman with immense temperament and a kind of player who can provide calmness in the middle order.

No doubt that Dravid is considered to be one of the very best India has ever produced in longest format of the game, his limited-over brilliance is mostly neglected. Although he has not been a regular member of Indian One day International Team for the past four years, he is still one of the most successful Indian One day batsman.

It is my personal analysis and most of the people would agree with me that Rahul Dravid's general impression of having a uni-dimensional role in the Indian Cricket Team is nothing but a mere speculation. Dravid, by far has been the most multi-tasking member of Indian team over the years which is specifically true as far as his now-almost-forgotten glorious one day career is concerned. I would like to share my insight on Dravid's diverse roles in the limited-over World Cups in which he has featured.

1999 in England: Rahul Dravid came into the tournament as the most In-form Indian bastman along with Sourav Ganguly. Since Tendulkar was out of the side before the tournament and Azharuddin on the verge of retirement, the onus was on the shoulders of Dravid to hold the innings at one-down. Who can forget his mammoth 153 against the defending Champions Sri Lanka? The role was simple and clear: he was the prime batsman of India and he did justice to his role.

2003 in South Africa: Rahul Dravid had a completely different role in the side this time. He was no longer a one-down batsman rather he was asked to bat at number 4 or 5 in order to play an anchor role in the middle overs. In addition, Dravid held another important role in the side in field where he was seen behind the stumps with gloves. A prime batsman who could keep the wickets allowed the Indian management to play an extra batsman or a bowler. Dravid served his team brilliantly well as a wicketkeeper from 2002 till 2004 while simultaneously being a prominent batsman.

2007 in the West Indies: This time Rahul was seen in another significant role. He was the skipper of Indian team and of course, a main batsman in the middle order.

In my opinion, If 2011 World Cup was to be held in any country outside the Subcontinent, Rahul Dravid would definitely have featured in his fourth World Cup. The class, quality and experience which he possess is still beneficial for Indian Team even in limited overs format specially in the alien conditions such as England or South Africa where youngsters struggle.

There is not even the slightest of doubts in the fact that in the history of Test match Cricket, the name of  Rahul Dravid is always going to be remembered in golden words. However, the services he has done for India in One day Internationals must never be forgotten. He has been a multi-dimensional servant for Indian Cricket Team in One Day Cricket and he will always be remembered as one of the very best India has ever produced.

The Sin City

 Archaeologists believe that both Sodom & Gomorrah as well as the city of Pompeii were destroyed by an identical calamity - A volcanic eruption. The only difference between the two towns however, is the era in which both of these events took place.

24th August 79 A.D was the last morning which was seen by the people of Pompeii. Pompeii, an old Roman City located in the present day Italy, was a well-developed and a prosperous city. Pompeii lived in a lot of luxury. Like the people of Prophet Lot (PBUH), they were also involved in sexual perversity. The art of Pornography started in this dissolute city. They used to draw pornographic pictures on public walls. They believed in God of sex and used to glorify him to get his satisfaction by drawing pornographic pictures. Researchers found drawing for pornographic pictures in this city as an evidence that adultery and homosexuality were in every place in the City of Pompeii.

The height of immorality and licentiousness was so shameful in the city of Pompeii that adultery was even done in front of kids and people were not shy of it. Fornication was so common as it could be seen by marked rise in prostitution that even the number of brothels was not known. Male genital organs in their original sizes were hung on the doors of the brothels to indicate that sexual organs and sexual intercourse should not be hidden but displayed openly.

Allah Almighty test his people through different ways. He tries the Nations by showering upon them all the Luxury, Glory and Prosperity. Allah wants to see whether they become thankful to him or whether they go astray. The more Pompeii prospered, the more evil they became. They crossed all the limits of unchasitity. Allah says in Surah Al-Araf verse 95, ' So we seized them all of a sudden while they were unaware.' Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Volcano Vesuvius- a mountain which is still present in Italy. The Eruption happened so suddenly that everything in town was caught in middle of everyday life and remains today exactly as it was two Mellinnium ago. It is as if the time is frozen for us to see their punishment and repent on out mistakes.

The City of Pompeii was rediscovered in 18th century by a wide scale excavation by the Archaeologists. They were amazed to see that the human bodies were fossilized and petrified in exactly the same position as they were at the time of volcano eruption. Some bodies were found to be having breakfast when the eruption happened and they became still like a statue at their place. There are many indications of people having sexual intercourse when the calamity was struck on them. Petrified bodies of very young girls and young boys in the position of intercourse can still be seen in Pompeii. There is enough evidence of existence of Homosexuals from the fossilized excavated bodies from the Pompeii. Some excavated bodies have their faces unharmed, the general expression on those faces is bewilderment. Allah says in Surah Yasin, 'It was no more than a single mighty blast and Behold! they were (like ashes) quenched and silent.' The mountain which they thought was harmless and considered it as a glory for them ultimately became their own death. They didn't even know that it was a volcano. In fact, there was no word in Latin for 'Volcano'

Today, Island of Capri in Naples- Italy, is a base where Homosexuals and Nudists reside. It is a major tourist attraction where all kinds of immoral activities take place. The Mount Vesuvius is silent since August 24, 79 A.D. It is observing the same filthy deeds which made it break its silence at the City of Pompeii about two thousand years ago. People of Prophet Lot (PBUH) were destroyed by a Volcano eruption in year 2000 B.C. People of Pompeii were destroyed by the same calamity about two thousand years later in 79 A.D. Today, in 2011, after about two thousand years when the Pompeii was destroyed, the morality of the world is not so different from the past two occasions. Shall we expect a similar calamity anywhere in the world any soon?

The Wall

One of the major reason why Indian team remained at top Test spot for about two years was the aggression in their batting right from the start. Both Viru and Gambhir have been happy to take on the opposition with their free-flowing stroke play followed by Tendulkar, who himself is a positive player. Influence of shorter version of the game has been evident from the way Indian batsmen have taken their Test Cricket in the past few years and that too, with immense success.

It was during last year when people started to question the role of Rahul Dravid in India's test side, primarily due to 3 reasons. 1) He was the odd one out in India's batting line up, being unable to score as much and as quickly as rest of his team-mates were doing consistently. 2) The growing age factor and the youngsters like Kohli and Pujara waiting for a place. 3) The defensive approach of Dravid which used to get outplayed by Sehwag's aggression.

People started to demand Dravid's retirement in an honorable way during 2010, claiming that his peak time was gone.

Rahul Dravid had just one answer to all the building pressure and criticism; to perform with a bat that has scored tons of thousands of runs in the past. When Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir were resting for different reasons after hectic World Cup and IPL, Dravid was getting himself prepared for the all important English summer by playing in the Caribbean. He played a vital role in a series win against the West Indies which included a well crafted Ton at Jamaica. It was enough to make his critics shut for the time being. A real slap on the face of critics however, has just come recently.

Rahul Dravid has scored 461 runs in 4 tests with 3 hundreds in England; A performance which declared him the Indian Man of the Series. This performance came at a time when all Indian batsmen were struggling to face the ferocious English attack. The likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Laxman and Raina failed miserably without even managing a single three figure score between them. Dravid, on his own, passed that figure on 3 occasions which also include a bat carry. The greatness was shown by one of this all time best batsman when he came out to bat again as an opener in space of 10 minutes, after a follow-on was enforced on his team while he carried his bat in the first innings during the Oval Test. The critics must have received a clear message that form is temporary while the class is permanent. Dravid, indeed, is a Class act.

Dravid clearly mentioned in the post-match presentation ceremony that the reason behind his success in England was the confidence which he carried into the series by playing in Caribbean; which was an indirect indication why others coudn't perform well enough as he did. He also ruled out the possibility of this tour of England being his last by saying, 'One series at a Time'. Indian Team would surely need 'The Wall' in these conditions if India qualifies for the ICC Test Championship to be held in 2013. Let's see if the Great Wall can remain intact till the age of 40.

Cricket Pakistan: Mission 2013 ICC Test Championship

No matter how much commercialization has occurred in Cricket by the involvement of heavy sponsors or by the introduction of T20, Test cricket is still the ultimate form of the game. No other format can test the ability, talent and temperament of a player as much as the Test Cricket does. Due to this reason, many analysts and experts consider the performance of test cricket as the criteria for judging a players capability.

It is an honor for any country to occupy the Top rank in Tests. England has recently snatched the number one spot from India, who enjoyed the privilege to be at Top for about 2 years. Pakistan is currently placed at number 6 in the ICC World Test Ranking. It will take some time before they can actually rule the world in Test cricket because it is the kind of format which does not suit them naturally.

Top spot should not be in the minds of Pakistan's think tank right now as they don't even have a stable Cricket Board and team to achieve the honors. The prime target, however, should be the ICC Test Championship to be held in England in 2013. Top 4 Test teams are going to feature in the prestigious championship. Let's see if there is any chance for Pakistan to play the 1st ever Test Championship in 2013.

To start the proceedings, Pakistan will have to stick with only one captain till 2013 at least in Tests. The captain should be visionary enough to think about the future and play his cards accordingly. Misbah-ul-Haq, 37, needs to be fit till that time. He's performing well with the bat as shown by his stats. His fitness will remain a million dollar question.

Being realistic, the aim of Pakistan Cricket team should be the number 4 spot in the rankings till 2013 in order to qualify for the championship. Let us consider the the scheduled Test matches of Pakistan before the Championship in order to analyze the chances of Pakistan Team to get the 4th rank.

After a one-off Test match away in Zimbabwe, Pakistan are scheduled to play Sri Lanka in a 3-match series at Home (UAE). They will tour Bangladesh for a two-match series later this year. Beating Sri Lanka, a better ranked side, would definitely boost some points for Pakistan. In 2012, Pakistan will face the number 1 side in the world, England, at their home conditions. Does anyone remember the England-Pakistan series of 2005 where the Ashes winning England side were outclassed by Pakistan on flat tracks? If the government allows, Pakistan will tour India, another better ranked side, and everyone knows that ranking is never a hurdle between an Indo-Pak game. Anything can happen in that series. Then there will be a Home series against a low ranked Bangladesh; good for preparation i suppose, and an away series against Sri Lanka. Winning an away series is sure to have a positive affect on ranking points. In 2013 before the Championship, there are away tours of Zimbabwe, South Africa and West Indies.

Hence, South African series is the only potential series that can be tough for Pakistani's. 2 Series against Sri Lanka and a series against England and India (subject to clearance) in very much favorable conditions can definitely boost the chances of Pakistan to enhance their rank. They will, however,require a lot of stability in terms of selection matters. Let's see what it should be like.

Identify a group of 3 openers and stick with them. There's no need of Imran Farhat. Taufeeq Umar and Muhammad Hafeez have good techniques and the right temperament. A youngster like Sharjeel Khan can be injected along with them. He has a solid technique in collaboration with controlled aggression. Azhar Ali has been the find of 2010; a genuine test match player. This guy has a big future ahead of him. He must utilize and learn from the experience of Younus Khan and Misbah- both of them should be available till 2013 if they mainatain their fitness. For number 6 batting position, there is already a tough competition among several talented players. Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Ramiz Raja Jnr and Usman Salahuddin are some of the contenders. Fawad Alam would have been a good choice but Mr. Ilyas, member of selection committee and father-in-law of Imran farhat would definitely not let him get selected. Team management should work with all these players and pick the best one out of them; the one who has a right attitude towards the Test Cricket. All of them are equally talented.

Pick a keeper once for all and give him a proper go. The musical chair of keepers is not going to help the cause. One out of Adnan Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed and Jamal Anwar should be given a proper chance. Kamran Akmal and Muhammad Salman are not capable of Test Level.

As Pakistan Team is going to play most of their matches in spinning-friendly conditions, they must have some match-winning spinners in order to boost their ranking. Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rahman, along with youngsters like Raza hassan and Yasir Shah can occupy the spin department. Danish kaneria's availability will be a huge bonus.

It will not be easy to fill in the gap left by Asif and Amir but fast bowling department has never been an issue for Pakistan Cricket Team. Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul will have to step up. The Management must groom Junaid Khan, Sohail Khan, and Muhammad Talha as well.

Fast bowling department is the weakest link right now. If Pakistan can find a couple of good swing bowlers, rest of the team looks fairly stable and the bench-strength has some equally talented back-up players. If there is a proper vision with proper implementation like Andy Flower had for England team 2 years ago to take a 6th ranked side to 1st rank, Pakistan can definitely take part in the prestigious Test championship. To do that, Pakistan will have to make a proper policy right from the Sri Lankan series in October this year. If Pakistan is able to achieve 4th ranking and play the Test Championship in 2013, It would be a great acievement for them.