Elephant and Kitty

The best guests bring ginger beer! (posted by Amber)

2008-05-09T21:41:52Z

hooray! my esophogas is slowly getting better, i ate a bit of (well-chewed) naan tonight, the most solid food i've had in a week. tonight i also got to enjoy home-brewed ginger beer. so refreshingly delicious in the s. asian summer heat. and i *never* knew how easy it was to make! i've been craving ginger ale for ages, and usually end up shelling out a wad of cash for carbonated water which i spice and sweeten up. but no more, it's homebrew ever after for me thanks to our meheman (guests) from Austria: Birgit and Martin.

They're an awesome, sweet, down-to-earth young couple who have spent 4 of the last 5 years camping and cycling around the world, the last 3 in Asia. they've not once taken a bus, train or plane on their journey, carry 60-80 kilos of gear on their bikes and are probably the most frugal, low-impact travelers i've ever met. we met them on this site (which will enable us be able to afford visiting paris for a few days on our way home). birgit and martin have a neverending stash of lovely stories from their trip to share (though too bad their site doesn't have more in english). when they are finished they will become sheepherders in austrian alps making cheese for extra money, which is just about adorable enough to make us want to expatriate and join them.

since devin's camera got stolen (along w/ my cell phone and i-pod) we can't take a picture of the ginger beer or the 4 of us, so this recipe will have to do instead. (Next time I'll experiment by adding some other spices or a bit of pineapple juice.)

*****Birgit and Martin's Fabulous Ginger Beer*****

TAKE: a clean, empty 1.5 liter plastic soda bottle

FILL:
3/4 full of water

ADD:
juice and chopped remains of 1/4 a lemon or 1/2 lime (or 2 pakistani-sized lemons)
3/4 inch piece ginger, washed and chopped
3-4 heaping Tablespoons sugar (make a cone out of paper to help you funnel it in)

SHAKE: till sugar is dissolved

ADD: 1/2 teaspoon of dry, active yeast... gently tilt/swish the bottle once or twice.

SET: in a warm corner for a day if it's summer, longer if it's winter or you want a stronger flavor.

CHILL: in freezer or fridge till cold. Keep it upright when chilling to let the yeast settle to the bottom.

OPEN SLOWLY! there's a lot of fizz so be careful

STRAIN and pour into glasses. Pour it *gently* to avoid agitating the yeast at the bottom. Enjoy!!!

A quiz about our groceries (posted by Devin)

2008-04-17T08:50:45Z

A. and I arranged our food in our kitchen so we could show you, our lovely readers, how much food costs here:

Here are the questions (no cheating):

(A) How much, total, did these groceries cost?
(B) What are the top two most expensive items?
(C) Which items cost about the same as they do in the US?
(D) Which is the most cost-inflated item (i.e. above its normal price here)?

In case you're wondering, here is an inventory (from left to right, starting in front):

4 kele (bananas)
1 kira (cucumber)
1 mooli (daikon)
4 baingen (eggplant)
1 large bunch dania patta (cilantro)
3 kenu (tangerines)
.5 kg aloo (potatoes)
1 kg tomatar (umm... tomato!)
1 cup dahi (yogurt)
2 sticks makkan (butter)
2 Liters whole milk
1 Liter lowfat milk
1 sponge
4 mombatti (candles)

(A) Rs. 540, or $8.41!
(B) Dairy! (1) Butter (Rs. 55 or $.90), (2) Milk (Rs. 47/each or $.73)
(C) Milk - regular milk in the US is about $3.
(D) Candles. Because of the power outages, candles are Rs. 25 a piece currently, down from a high of Rs. 60 a piece a few months ago.

Although the groceries are very cheap for us, many Pakistanis make only Rs. 120 per day, which makes it very hard to feed a family. Prices of basic commodities remain higher than normal here, which means people like those we interviewed for our piece on the wheat shortage often get by on just roti.

Tasty treats and the writing on the wall (posted by: D & A)

2008-03-27T18:38:43Z

Amber is too sick and Devin is too busy with job applications to write any in-depth political analysis about the situation here in Pakistan. Instead, we present you with a montage of recent photos... and hopefully will muster up the energy to write something more gritty in the near future. (Disclaimer: These were taken with a cell phone, thus the rather poor quality.)

It's strawberry season! We're not sure how long it will last, so we're taking advantage while we can. These shakes are made with strawberries, milk and a little sugar. We had these while shopping in Anarkali in the old city. It is at least 200 years old, making it one of the oldest bazaars in South Asia. It is named after a famous legend about a prince that fell in love with a dancing girl.

After going to Anarkali, we asked our taxi driver where we could go for good samosas and he took us to Shadman bazaar. The samose may well be the best in Lahore - not too salty, perfectly spiced filling, and light and crispy on the outside. Unfortuantely we ate them, smothered in a bit of warm chole and sweet chutney, too quickly to take pictures. But, for our second course, we had dahi balay, a chaat (snack) made with yogurt, a crispy dumpling made from lentil flour, boiled potato chunks, chick peas, and some raw vegetables on top. A perfect and cooling snack as the mercury creeps up, up, up.

On a walk the other day, we spotted this splendid sign. It looks like some sort of domestic finishing school for women. if I had to go to such a school, I'd definitely pick one with the word "deviant" in the title. Seriously.

Graffiti, defense* style. That it's not "illegal boy" or "illegal man", but "Illegal boy man" makes it cake! What does it mean? Who knows.

* Defense = Defense Housing Authority, an upper-middle-class suburb of Lahore.

Finally, a bit of politics! Well, not really. But this tree sits on the campus of the Lahore University of Management Sciences, where Devin was working until recently. Look carefully at the sign... across from this tree is another, planted by the former head of the world bank. For better or for worse, these are the kinds of people you would expect to be planting trees at one of the most elite universities in the country.

Aloo Gobi

2008-03-15T06:50:13Z

We've been meaning to share recipes with you for some time; hopefully today will be the first installment of many. While most Lahori specialties are meat-centric, the average person cannot afford to eat meat on a daily basis. Thus, dal (lentils), sabzi (vegetables) and roti (flatbread) make up daily fare. The first recipe we're sharing with you is for a dry preparation of aloo-gobi, which is served in North India as well. The result is a lovely blend of cauliflower and potatoes coated in a caramelized onions and spices. Devin says it's even better the next day.

My first word of advice to those embarking into the territories of Indian and Pakistani cooking is not to be overly afraid of oil. Now, I'm not saying that you need to be the typical desi aunty or mother-in-law who drowns the overcooked remnants of what once was a vegetable in at least an inch of oil. Nor need you cook the restaurant version of desi food found primarily in Indo-Pak restaurants outside of the subcontinent, which inevitably include copious quantities of malai (cream). But I'm also saying you should avoid being health nut aunty. Anyone who has grown up in a South Asian immigrant community in the US knows one or two... she's the one who zealously converts to no-fat cooking after being exposed to US diet fads and insists on making chai with nonfat milk, much to the chagrin of her family.

Most of my preparations would not get the seal of approval from either party. But, as they say, there is joy (and flavour!) in the middle path...

ALOO GOBI

Ingredients*

1 Small head (or half a large head) cauliflower, washed and chopped into florets
2-3 small potatoes, washed and cut into 3/4" cubes
5-6 T Oil**
1 t Cumin seed
5-6 Cloves garlic, minced
2 T Fresh ginger root, minced
1 Medium onion, minced
1 Small tomato, minced
4-6 Small, green chilies (remove seeds if you don't want it so spicy)
1 t Salt (more or less to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 t Tumeric powder
2 T Dried methi (fenugreek leaves)
1/4 C Water
1 + T. Dry-roasted*** coriander powder
1 t Red chili powder
1 T Amchur (green mango powder, or substitute 1 T lime juice)
pinch Garam masala
handful Cilantro, chopped

Optional
1 1/2 C Cooked chickpeas/chana (or one can)

Method

+ Optional step
In a large mortal and pestle, combine onions, tomato, green chili and mash until it looks like yummy salsa. It should not be too pasty. (If you don't have a large enough mortal and pestle, just mince these three ingredients nice and finely).

+ In a medium-to-large pot, heat oil over medium-low flame. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a minute until they begin to turn a darker shade of brown. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 1-2 minutes... they should turn golden, but not brown. Next add the onion, tomato and green chili mixture. Saute, stirring, until onions begin to turn golden brown.

+ In a small bowl, combine water, coriander powder, red chili, amchur powder and mix together. Set aside.

+ Stir salt and tumeric into sauteeing ingredients . Now, add the water/spice mixture and the dried methi leaves; cook it for a minute or two until a bit of the water has cooked off.

+ Now add the potatoes and cauliflower and stir well. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, then check, stir, add 1-2 tablespoons of water if necessary to keep it from sticking. Don't add too much water or it will turn soggy. Repeat this step for about 10**** minutes until cauliflower is begins to get soft. If you are using chickpeas/chana, stir them in now along with half of the cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft enough for your taste.

+ Finish by putting a pinch of garam masala and sprinkling the rest of the cilantro on top.

+ Serve with yogurt and fresh roti or basmati rice.

Notes:
*Since I rarely measure when I cook, these are approximations and you will have to tweak it to your liking.
**Using this much oil ensures that the vegetables don't stick to the bottom of the pot as they cook, but is modest enough to give the dish a light and subtly roasted finish.
*** Dry roasting - I dry roast and grind my own spices every few weeks, which isn't as much work as it sounds like. We'll do another entry on how to dry roast later! Stay tuned.
****We prepare the recipe so the cauliflower is still a bit firm, but you can cook it longer if you like soft cauliflower.

Incendiary (posted by: A.)

2008-03-11T08:32:04Z

You know something that makes me sad? that the only time our friends hear about Pakistan in the Western (particularly American) media, inevitably spurring a cascade of thoughtful e-mails, is when a suicide bombing happens. I'm not saying I don't appreciate the concern, it lets us know we're loved and cared for. I'm just saying, wouldn't it be cool if you also saw a short news feature on qawwali music, or a special on kite-making/flying and Basant, the challenges and successes of women healthcare workers in rural areas, a mini documentary on ethnic minorities, or even a cooking show on tasty Pakistani delicacies, and thought of us?

There are so many complex and interesting things going on Pakistan, I'm just depressed that the only things most Americans hear about the country are those involving explosives. This fosters an identity of/interest in Pakistan, in the eyes of Americans, framed soley in terms of its security situation and relationship to America vis-à-vis the war on terror... without understanding/appreciation for the more complex ground realities in which these things are occurring or interest in the other stories shaping Pakistanis' lives.

Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts midst the recent spate of suicide bombings in Lahore. They seem to be targeting government security/military forces, as has been the trend across the country, especially since Lal Masjid. As to why they have seemed to increase in frequency and spread to previously untouched places such as Lahore at this particular moment is something I wish I could give you better analysis/explanation of. There doesn't seem to be a clear sense among locals either who have varying explanations. What people seem to agree on is lack of faith in Pakistan's intelligence agencies and other government bodies to protect its citizens from such attacks.

Recent attacks on Lahore, where there had never been a suicide bombing until a couple of months ago, has shaken the illusion of an untouchable heart of the Punjab. For those not familiar with local politics, the Punjab is the most populous and wealthy province in Pakistan containing both the federal capital and several other large cities (Lahore and Faisalabad). There has long been resentment throughout the rest of Pakistan against the Punjab's dominance in the military and government bureaucracy and national economy.

While Islamabad/Rawalpindi are also in the Punjab and have been frequently targeted, they also border the Northwest Frontier Province (which itself borders Afghanistan), which has a history of militant politics dating back to the CIA's support of the mujahadeen during the cold war.

The larger blast targeted an office of the federal investigative agency, the smaller one happened in a residential area were both Asif Ali Zardari* and Nawaz Sharif have homes... although I'm not sure if the bomb went off anywhere near their homes or not. This morning as we lay in bed, I thought I heard somebody rattling our door and was alarmed... others are now saying that this was the impact of the blast which was at least 10 or more kilometers away. To reassure those reading, as far as we know we don't live near any top leaders and don't often frequent offices of government security agencies. The hearts go out to the men and women who have lost their lives and loved ones today, as well as for an entire nation that is increasingly becoming the victim of the acts by a vicious, militant minority.

*I really need to find an exhaustive list of Muslim and South Asian names to import into my speech recognition program (though I don't know how many I would have to individually train for it to recognize them). I hardly have a few of my family and friends names programmed in, but I get really tired of spelling out each and every oyher non-Western name :P. Dragon recognizes Nawaz Sharif as "nosh reef" and Asif Ali Zardari as "possibly the very"... before I programmed my father's name in, the program misrecognized it as "Brought before a". Hell, even after training it almost never gets my last name right :p. Someday I will make a video of me tediously attempting to dictate a journal entry for your viewing amusement.... this one took nearly an hour and a half.

Roti, Kapre... and Globalization? (posted by: A.)

2008-03-07T19:07:35Z

Time for another round of pictures.

ROTI! The other night instead of just getting roti, we sat down for a proper dinner at our favorite roti shop. In addition to the Roti of all rotis pictured in the foreground, Devin relishes some gosht (meat) dish and a nice cool salty lassi.

...

KAPRE! I am happy because I finally found a tailor that I like :-), even though he speaks no English I managed in my broken Urdu and he made the outfit more or less exactly up to specification. This is in comparison to my previous tailor who always got something wrong. I took this cheap set of fabric to him as a test run and I'm quite pleased with the results. Best of all, the shop is right behind our house and his rates are very reasonable.

...

Pakistan runs on Inshallah Time. For those who haven't lived in Pakistan before, a little explanation is in order. There is a word-cum-phrase "Inshallah" that basically means "God willing"... and it is used liberally when discussing anything in the future. For example, I just planned a coffee date with my friend tomorrow before hanging up she said "see you tomorrow, inshallah". Ask somebody if they can get something done for you by a certain date/time, instead of saying yes or no, the likely answer will be "inshallah". For the secular minded, I could roughly translate it as "hopefully". A somewhat noncommittal response that both conveys a more fluid nature of time as well as the acknowledgment that many factors of life are out of our control.

(Alas, not makan*, but...) GLOBALIZATION: I love this picture because it's such a great combination of Pakistani culture intersecting with globalization... even Subway is on Inshallah time. It has been under construction for who knows how long. As you can see in the picture, the sign is quite faded, and in the three months that we've been passing, it has never looked any closer to being completed. Guess it just goes to show that God is not always willing (at least when it comes to opening mediocre sandwich shops in Pakistan).

...

DAHI: Homemade yogurt. Add this to the list of things that seem ridiculous in America (such as central heat/air conditioning and low occupancy vehicles): store-bought yogurt and, even more bizarre, yogurt makers. Why would you buy a yogurt maker when it takes like 5 minutes and no special equipment to make?

You should try it, it's fun! And kind of like magic. You just put a covered bowl of warm milk with a little yogurt in a still corner, forget about it, and voila! Yogurt! Here's your recipe:

1) Heat the milk almost a boil, then let it cool to about 112 degrees (no need for a thermometer, just stick your finger in -- it should be like a hot but not scalding bath)
2) Mix in 1-2 tablespoons of leftover yogurt (with active cultures)
3) Put it in a bowl and leave it, covered, for 6 to 24 hours. (How long you leave it depends both on the temperature in your house, and how tart you want it.)

* an allusion to my incomplete pun. the slogan of the pakistan people's party (benazir's) is "Roti, Kapre, Makan" (food, clothing, shelter), as it clings to the faint memory of socialist reform that its founder (benazir's dad, zulfikar ali bhutto) originally rose to power on.

The Theme Song for the Supreme Court of Pakistan (posted by: D)

2008-03-06T12:29:11Z

No, seriously.

The Pakistan Supreme Court actually has a theme song, complete with a patriotic video.

The U.S. Supreme Court definitely needs a theme song. I was going to put a link here to John Ashcroft's rendition of Let the Eagle Soar, but they all have ads so I'll spare you.

Sketches From Life in Lahore (Posted by: A.)

2008-03-05T14:18:37Z

i. Haggling

One challenge for many Westerners of living in the sub continent is adjusting to different cultural practices around paying for things. Back at home, there are posted prices that are nonnegotiable for almost anything under the sun, save, perhaps, your car and house. Go to the grocery store, and bananas are a dollar a pound... doesn't matter if they're rotting and swarming with fruitflies, they're a dollar a pound. If you don't like the price, don't buy them. Taxis run on meters, clothes have price tags, computers and cell phones have prices listed on websites or in catalogs.

Things couldn't be farther from the case in the subcontinent, which can lead to many an awkward experiences for immigrants to the USA. Even when prices are posted, they are almost always negotiable (electronics, CDs, clothes, handicrafts) unless they are at an upmarket boutique/store. Many second-generation desis I know have bonded over stories of mothers trying to haggle down prices of onions at a US grocery store, while their embarrassed children scamper to the next aisle and pretend they are unrelated. I remember an incident where my father valiantly tried and failed to negotiate a discount on a mattress for me while the salesman repeatedly told him the prices were set.

Flip the scenario and Westerners are equally ill-equipped to negotiate the kharidari (shopping) culture of countries like India and Pakistan. I remember how on my first couple of visits I was terribly uncomfortable at the mere thought of haggling. In countries like India, with a huge tourist industry, locals get used to Westerners willingness to pay the first quoted price on anything, and quickly realize a lucrative opportunity... instead of starting at a price 50 to 100% more, and then coming down to their actual price... they can start at triple, quadruple or 10 times the actual rate and make a pretty penny off Westerners too polite or clueless to ask about 'the discount'. In countries like Pakistan, it's a bit different. There isn't a large enough population of tourists for locals to have become accustomed to. Therefore, the experience can be the puzzling for both parties.

Some foreigner/tourists believe that, given that inequality in power/economic roles between traveler and local, it would be almost immoral to request any price lower than the initial offer while others ruthlessly argue over pennies (at various times living abroad, I admit having done both). Some, such as my sister who has a background in economics, call prices inflated for a certain group "discriminatory pricing", and explain that it is an inadequate way to address macro problems of economic inequality and can have larger and unforeseen negative market consequences. Lacking expertise in economics, we fall somewhere in between, engaging in the act of negotiating/haggling (in part because it is culturally expected) but also accepting/being willing to pay a somewhat higher price than locals.

Having lived in the subcontinent for a year, I've become a lot more comfortable with the culture of haggling, and have even come to enjoy it at times. At first, like many others unfamiliar with the practice, I mistakenly interpreted the haggling interaction as an adversarial one, walking away angry if we couldn't come to a mutually agreeable price. Over time though, I began to see it as a routine and sometimes playful part of a social interaction. Although I have the basics down (having a general sense of the local price, good-naturedly asking for a discount, making jokes at prices that are outrageously high, being willing to walk away), I'm still figuring out the subtleties of when negotiating is and is not expected.

Last night was a perfect example. Devin was famished and craving pizza, so we dug up the number of the pizza place and made an order. I was feeling proud of myself for conducting the entire conversation in Urdu (and in my fantasy world imagined I hadn't been discovered as a foreigner). However, we were both a bit surprised at the price of the pizza: 410 ruppees for a 11 inch. While the equivalent, 7 dollars, may not seem like a lot in the US... by Pakistani standards it's quite high.

When the delivery man arrived, Devin took longer talking to him than I expected, so I yelled out to ask what was going on. Turns out that the guy had taken pity on us for not knowing that we were supposed to haggle and gave us a 20% discount and free Pepsi... he went on to give Devin his personal cell phone number, saying that if we called him directly in the future, he could get us the same pizza for 210 rupees (probably expecting a small tip).

It made me laugh, because like so many things in Pakistan, there is always a back channel... even for pizza delivery. And also because it reminds me of other times when I haven't haggled but accepted the initial price. Of course, sometimes people are happy to take your money, but in several instances shopkeepers have looked at me uncomfortably and uncertainly... and, after shifting for a minute while counting my change, announced that they are giving me a discount (anywhere from 10-30% off). My interpretation being that by failing to negotiate, I've made a social faux pas... forcing them to overcharge me more than they feel is fair, and thus they give me a partial discount to maintain their own sense of business integrity. So, the lesson is, next time you order pizza in Pakistan (at least from Ginos)*, don't accept the first price! :-)

* I imagine this may not apply in the same way to transnational chains such as Pizza Hut, though who knows?

ii. Professional Pakistani Bartenders

You might imagine that they are few and far between in a country where the possession and sale of alcohol is illegal for over 95% of the population (all Muslims). And, you would probably be right. Sure there are a 3-4 formal bars in the fancy hotels around the city, but other than that, it's mostly a DIY affair. While the black market is extensive and thriving, and half the population seems to have a bootlegger, professional bartenders are another matter. . We met our first one today.

Walking home, an old man on the scooter approached from the opposite direction.

"What's your country?" he yelled as he slowed to a stop. Devin answered "USA" at the same time as he kept walking on. Devin especially (with his red hair and blue eyes) is accustomed to being chatted up by random people on the street, due to the lack of tourism and scarcity of foreigners in Pakistan, people are often eager to talk to someone from another country. For some reason, I stopped and turned to face the man who had a mischievous grin, a pakol hat, and the beginning of an underbite perhaps caused by a loss of teeth. He was frail but lively, dressed in a salwar kamiz with a vest buttoned over top.

"Ah, USA, I have lived there! Where in the USA?"
"Seattle, Washington"
"Oh, not there. I lived in Houston, Texas, beautiful place. then in New York." He flashed us another grin, "you know, I'm a professional bartender!"
"Really? Not so many jobs in Pakistan , na?"
"No," he scowled, "but I worked at the PC." (arguably the fanciest hotel in town)

He went on to recount his adventures in bartending, how he missed going out to get an ice cold one at the local bar back in the USA (making an exuberant gesture of cheering his imaginary mug of beer), and swore about this blasted country where you can't get a proper drop to drink. "It's like a graveyard here!" He exclaimed good-humoredly and proceeded to produce a business card.

"If you want a party at your house, call me (wink wink nudge nudge)... you want Johnny Walker Black? I've got it, Johnny Walker Black." Devin smiled, but politely declined the offer which was repeated several times, explaining that he had a liquor permit. The old man smartly shot back that even with a liquor permit you can't get the good imported stuff (true, imported stuff usually only comes on black market... with a permit you can buy deadly cheap, although mediocre, liquor made in Pakistan).

At that, we said our goodbyes and the old man sped away while we walked home smiling.

Photo update! (posted by: A & D)

2008-02-29T19:50:38Z

This one's for Amber's mom who asked if we had any recent photos to share.

So here are a smattering of photos from the last month. Starting out with the mouse nest that Devin found in his suitcase when we were packing to move to our new place:

One very traumatized mouse ran out of the bag after Devin unknowingly dropped it on the floor :(.

On nearly every street in Lahore, you'll find these little snack-vendors. The setup is a bowl of hot sand placed over a fire, on a pushcart. In the mitti, a variety of things are roasted, the usual choices being: peanuts, soaked chick peas, soft corn, and hard/pop corn. It quickly became one of our favorite snacks, bought in Rs. 5 or Rs. 10 quantities (8-16 cents). One of the downsides of living in a wealthy neighborhood where car culture prevails is that we hardly see these snack vendors pushing their carts down the streets. In fact, the only one that we've seen was in the small bazaar near our house.

An illustration of the lack of water in our house most mornings:

We love our rooftop! We have a panaramic view (of a bunch of other rooves) and often spend our weekend afternoons soaking up the sun in this brief period of spring before the summer heat.

A game on the roof.

A neighbor weaving a net(?) on her roof.

Riding a scooter, Pakistani style. Middle class people in the US get an SUV when they start a family. Middle class people in the subcontinent get scooters. (Look closely - there is a whole family of 5 on this 110 cc bike).

The best roti ever comes down this shoot from a mysterious tandoor in the sky. These are no lackluster roti, but thick, wide rotis with both tender, chewy bits and and roasted, crispy pockets! The microphone is to call up the orders. Amber's favorite occupation of late: going to the market to watch the order go up and the rotis come down. It's important to always buy an extra roti because it's impossible not to devour one on the way home (Though they are best if you can wait till you get them home and slather them with butter, Mmmmmm).

More photos are here.

morning walk (posted by: A)

2008-02-19T08:30:24Z

It was a good morning, both Devin and I got to take showers before the water went out. He made a big pot of steaming elaichi chai that we slurped down by the cupful, his with honey and mine with chini(sugar).

There is one month of perfect weather in Lahore, when men and women emerge from winter's cover of wide woolen shawls pulled over heads and shoulders. The chill has departed and summer's blistering heat has yet to arrive. I find my spirits lift with these days, as winter's weak sun swells to a buttery warmth. Nasturtiums, marigolds, dahlias, and sweet alyssum spill out of their pots, naïvely thriving before the fierce heat of summer scorches all tender greens to the last drop of moisture.

We step into blinding sun and brazen sky, I squint and Devin has a sharp pain in his head from the sudden contrast. Clear and carolling blue, the sky is eerily vacant, with only an odd crow diving, instead of the usual gaggle of a thousand bright kites bobbing in the breeze. There is a ban on the ritual spring (Basant) kite flying this year after innovations in synthetic kite string, razor sharp, led to hundreds of injured and dead, necks and bodies sliced by the taut invisible wire.

Devin walks on to work and I circle back home, making sure to place my sore ankle carefully on level ground with each step. To my right a heavy concrete water or watch tower rises up on crisscross girders. In the shadow beneath it, a small black cat squeezes between the wire fence and begins to trot across the road. Without looking, it quickens its pace, hearing and rumble of an approaching motorcycle. In one quick moment, I see its miscalculation. The cycle swerves around the corner, and the cat's hind quarters launch into a run. Then, just like that, a tumble of black fur and the cat flips over like a plastic bag caught in an alley-gust. I let out an involuntary shriek as a cycle continues on. The startled man looks briefly over his shoulder, his legs, draped in a loose salwar, are relaxed astride the purring metal engine.

I glance around, and either nobody else on the street noticed what happened or am I particularly faint of heart. It's true, I've always been hyper sensitive to witnessing violence or injury... I screen my eyes during TV shows and wait for Devin to tell me when the violence and gore is over. A gut-level recoil, I protect the bodypart I see being injured; a case of over-active empathy*.... and perhaps more so as my own body has become increasingly fragile.

I remember thinking once that it was ironic, how averse I was to witnessing others being hurt when I worked for seven years with survivors of violence and abuse. I finally explained it like this: an anonymous stranger, a character on TV is being injured and I'm a passive bystander... powerless to offer intervention or help. However, the woman recounting abuse at the hands of her husband or family is someone I have a personal connection with. She has survived those moments of trauma and is here with me now. Her telling is part of surviving and healing, I do not recoil, physically or emotionally. We have a personal connection, and me bearing witness to her experiences can play a powerful and validating role, connecting her more deeply and strongly to the reality of her strength and experiences which have often been been mocked, discounted or denied.

Nobody seems to have heard me cry out and, to my relief, the terrified cat, tail electrified, leaps up and bounds across the road and beneath the tower's shadow. Shocked that it can still run, I dart across the road follow it. Peeking through the metal-mesh of the gate, I see is hiding behind a the base of a girder... it doesn't seem to be limping. I strain my head over a bit to get a better look at it and realize three children are staring at me. Two young girls dressed in freshly stitched, identical pink and purple salwar kameez glare at me, and a boy in dusty white kamiz shuffles his feet. Saying nothing, I step away from the fence, put my blank face back on, and continue walking down the road.

* I love Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower for creating a character (Lauren) based around a extreme/visceral version of hyper-empathy.

New Digs (posted by: Amber)

2008-02-14T13:24:52Z

(Feb 12th, 2008)

So Devin and I moved this weekend to a new place. We loved our old place, a huge open kitchen, a super friendly landlord and his family who lived above us, and a conveniently located neighborhood. The only problem was the rent, which was way out of our budget. Now we're paying a small amount (1/3 what we used to) to stay in a couple rooms of a house of Devin's colleague's brother who is currently living abroad. Neither of us like the location, which is basically a wealthy suburb of Lahore.

Thus far, here's a rundown of the pros and cons of our new neighborhood:

+ Commute: Devin is closer to work. Before he had a 1 1/2 hour commute each way via bus and rickshaw. Now we are only a couple of kilometers away, and he'll probably buy a bike.

- Public Transport: Unlike elsewhere in the city, the streets here have few donkey carts, buses, minibuses, rickshaws, horse carriages and bicycles. In a country where few people can afford to own a car, almost everybody does here in Defense (yes, that's the name of the suburb); therefore, there is a dearth public transportation options and it's difficult to get around if you can't walk long distances, like me. For some reason, rickshaw prices are jacked up to double what they would be elsewhere in the city. Annoying since before we could opt for the bus (a fraction of the price), but here the choices are few.

+ Air-Quality: two-stroke engine rickshaws are not allowed in defense, only CNG (compressed natural gas). This makes any huge difference! You can make out the stars at night instead of fuzzy, distant blurs obscured by thick blankets of smog.

- The Burbs: Like any suburb, it has a bit of a creepy self-contained feel to it and is designed more for cars then pedestrians. I've seen fewer women walking here than in our previous neighborhood; mostly, I imagine, because most of the ones who live here get around by car. I panicked at first to realize that there aren't tiny chai and pakore stands at every corner in Defense, instead there are upscale bakeries and cafés where you can buy a cup of chai for 120 rupees instead of 7 rupees and a stale samosa for 55 rupees instead of 7. Vegetable stands and donkey carts stacked with oranges are rare. Instead, there are marked up grocery stores and indoor fruit and vegetable shops with backup generators for when the power goes out.

+ Hidden Labour: We happen to live right next to one of the few, almost invisible pockets of working-poor within Defense, who keep the suburb running as domestic help, gardeners, etc. Amidst the large, obsessively manicured lots and ostentatious houses planted smugly behind gaudy medal gates are a few twisting alleys of cramped little shops, cow stables, vegetable stands and spartan living quarters. The little market/settlement is a pocket of a South Asia in the midst of a suburb doing its best to avoid reminders that it exists within a developing country. Our landlady assumed we would not dare step into such a market (she is also appalled that we deign to take the bus), and told us to send the watchman to get vegetables for us. Our first day here, Devin and I took a walk and bought fruit and milk from a tiny corner store where two young boys behind the counter couldn't stop laughing and pointing at Devin's hair (red and curly) and 2 pierced ears. There are also samosas, jalebis and chai in the market (the 7 rupee-a-cup kind).

- Rich Kids: the other night, we couldn't find a rickshaw home. Unbelievable in a city swarming with them. I felt more unsafe walking home in Defense than I did in our old neighborhood, even though most Lahoris consider Defense to be much safer than the rest of the city. Why? Because of the obnoxious phenomena of rich kids drag racing up and down the streets, skidding out on turns, and generally risking the safety of those around them. It partly pisses me off because I know and loathe the mentality of the South Asian elite. Rich kids everywhere are a pain in the ass; but in third world countries, with immense economic disparity and a level of corruption that gives the wealthy almost total impunity, there is something especially odious about their tendency towards arrogant materialism, royal sense of entitlement, and unabashed self-interest. These are the kids who will go abroad for their education, and come back to plunder the country for their own benefit and nearly kill innocent pedestrians walking down the street with their irresponsible driving antics, while the majority of their kinsman scrape by without enough to fill their stomachs or cover their backs. (half an apology for vicious stereotyping)

+ Friends: But at least a couple of our friends are in the neighborhood.

- Control Freaks: there are lots of conservative regulations within Defense. For example, the banning of sheesha (which is extremely popular in Lahore), all eating establishments are supposed to close after midnight due to complaints from parents that their children stay out too late.

+ Sunroof: there's a ladder up to our roof where I can lie in the sun's gentle rays for the next month or two before it comes vicious and unrelenting.

- Water Shedding? : despite having a reputation for having fewer blackouts (called load shedding) than the rest of the city, there have been about six hours a power outage a day since we got here. We can live with that. What is worse is the water outages, which we never experienced in our old neighborhood, or anywhere else in South Asia for that matter. Devin had to go to work two days in a row without a shower. It makes it extremely difficult to bathe, wash dishes, etc. since we haven't been able to figure out any schedule of the water outages as far.

If an ass-cart driver ran the country (posted by: D & A)

2008-02-01T18:20:01Z

Our friend Abid worked with us on a radio story on the present wheat crisis.

Amber:The professor I interviewed said that poor people spend a huge percentage of their income on wheat, he couldn't remember the exact figure but it was some are around 40%. Therefore, when the price of wheat doubles (the prices have varied over the last couple of months, sometimes double what they normally are), a poor family would be required to spend almost all their income on wheat to keep eating at the same standard. Of course, since this is not feasible, many people eat less and can no longer afford other essential commodities. like the UN food program officer said, there's nothing cheaper for people to switch to because wheat is already the cheapest staple.

One thing Devin and I noticed is how among poor people, the typical thing you hear is about being able to continue eating "two meals a day" as opposed to the three we in the West (and the middle and upper classes here) are accustomed to. For some, those two meals consist of soley roti (flatbed made from whole wheat flour). Now you can understand what a national crisis it is for the price of wheat to skyrocket like this.

Devin: This was the first piece that we've done with a substantial amount of Urdu interviews. Although our Urdu is improving, it is still terrible. Thanks to Abid, we were able to include a number of Urdu voices in the piece. Abid spoke to Mumtaz, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his wife, Kulsom, a domestic worker, about the current situation. Here's what they had to say (listen to the Urdu as you read the translation):

Kulsom: The worst is Pervez Musharraf. The worst. Who has grabbed us and created such conditions that I won't see worse even after I die.
Mumtaz: No politician is any good.
Kulsum: But he is the worst.
Mumtaz: Even if they put an ass-cart driver on the seat, he would be better than these rulers.
Kulsom: He'll also become like them, one look at money and they all go mad.

Reflections on a subcontinental year (posted by Devin)

2008-01-25T11:31:48Z

It's been over a year now since we settled into our life in the subcontinent - hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly. It was around this time last year that I was stumbling through the streets of Banares on crutches, struggling with Hindi script, and developing a bad, hacking cough from the pollution. Now, one year later, we are only a (long) day's train ride (and one international border) from Banares. Although I am no longer on crutches, and the pollution here isn't as bad, I am still struggling to learn to read and write (in Urdu now), and finding myself pining for the days of Hindi study, where the alphabet made such good sense.

I thought that, by this time, I might be getting sick of eating desi food, but, to the contrary, I still find that my favorite meals involve some combination of daal (pulses), sabzi (vegetables), and roti (unleavened bread) or chaal (rice). Our cooking style combines these Pakistani staples with western influences, with, in my opinion, great results. One dish I never get tired of is sprouted daal, sauted with veggies and spices, served with chaal or roti. After a few days sitting in the open air, the daal develops a lovely, nutty flavor, and the texture borders just short of crunchy. Yum.

On the work front, I recently recovered from hosting a delegation from the National Lawyers Guild for work. They had a 10-day visit culminating in a press conference in Islamabad and the release of a joint report entitled Defending Dictatorship: U.S. Foreign Policy and Pakistan's Struggle for Democracy. After the delegation left, I slept for a week. Okay, not quite, but I was pretty sick and grumpy.

I also purchased a mobile phone recently. Yes, gentle readers, it's time for the obligatory low-res, mobile phone pics. It's difficult for me to do this because, being a photo geek, these look SO bad to me, but I just can't lug my camera all around town with me. And I know how much you all like to see pictures of the everyday here. So, with those apologies in advance, here goes:

This little one has taken a liking to us, ever since we started feeding it. I think it's our charming personalities. She may be pregnant. She used to walk on the wall along the side of our house, but now she's started perching there, waiting for us, and when we go outside and put down the bowl, she doesn't even run away.

This is one of the ubiquitous minibuses that drives, honking loudly, through the streets of Lahore. The fare ranges from Rs. 4 - 7 for the trips that I've taken (that's about $.10 USD). They're fast and cheap, but this one isn't even close to capacity. I counted one time in Islamabad TWENTY-ONE people in one minivan. That means this one still has room for 7 more people (counting 5 unseen in the picture). Not really sure how, but it seems like there is always room for one more.

We attended our friend Pascal's (mentioned and pictured in this post) son's wedding reception. The reception was definitely my favorite that I've attended so far in the subcontinent. It was raucous, crowded, and not a bit pretentious. But the poor bride and groom - they had to sit under these high-powered video camera lights for hours while a long string of people had their pictures taken with them. I think they got every single guest under those lights at some point. I'm amazed the bride's makeup didn't melt.

Two other notable things about the wedding:

When will I ever learn about timing in Pakistan? We were running late, which is to say, the wedding "started" at 6PM and we had planned to arrive at 8, but we weren't ready to go. I called Pascal and he said that the bride and groom hadn't even arrived yet, so we decided to shoot for 8:30. We arrived at 9:15, in a bit of a panic that we would be too late. The couple still hadn't arrived. The reception didn't get rolling until around 9:30, 3 1/2 hours late.

Pascal is Christian. Christians make up less than 1% of the population here. We met a nice Hindu man at the wedding. It turns out, Christians typically invite Hindus to their weddings, and Hindus do the same for Christians.

In other news, Amber and I have decided to explore our options for extending our stay here. That means that I'm going to start to look for a longer-term job here (my present position runs until the end of May).

Another suicide bombing... (posted by: D)

2008-01-10T07:49:37Z

There was just a bomb blast outside the Lahore High Court, right before the weekly protest rallies that have been happening on Thursdays since November 3rd (and before that, during the summer when the Chief Justice was ousted). It looks like it was targeting police officers who were outside the court.

Amber and I are both safe in Islamabad.

democrats and polling on pakistan (posted by: A)

2008-01-08T10:51:03Z

Oh Barack, when will you get some advisers on foreign policy with half an inkling about the ground realities and Pakistan.

Don't you realize that threatening to send an American troops onto Pakistani soil further increases already pervasive hostility against America's role in the region? And if you actually did it? This is my prediction, the popularity of the Taliban would soar, your average Pakistani who may now slightly negative or ambivalent about the Taliban would feel a surge of sympathy and even support of those who, upon an American invasion, would start looking more like heroes than villains.

For about five minutes, Hillary actually had a thoughtful idea regarding Pakistan, suggesting that the bulk of aid be shifted towards development work such as education and health care, though I have absolutely no faith at all in her to follow through on such a suggestion. Joint oversight of Pakistan's nukes, which she has suggested recently, will only further Pakistanis' impressions and hostility toward the notion that America is more in control of their country's policies than they are. (This blogger predicts the military overthrow any government would agree to such oversight).

Results of a recent poll:

Over two-thirds of Pakistanis said they do not trust the United States to act responsibly in the world, while 70 percent believe definitely that it is a US goal to weaken and divide the Islam. About half disapproved of Pakistan's relations with the United States and said Washington was in control of most or nearly all major events inside their country.

At least 60 percent of respondents agreed that al Qaeda and Taliban activities pose a threat to their country's vital interests over the next 10 years. But more than 80 percent said the same of the US military presence in Asia, including Afghanistan.

Thirty-one percent expressed a positive view of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, while another 19 percent had mixed feelings about him. Nearly 40 percent opposed capturing bin Laden if he were discovered inside Pakistan.

Fewer than one in four said Pakistan should use military force in the remote Federally Administered Tribal Areas, a region analysts describe as a refuge for the Taliban and al Qaeda and a hub for militant attacks in Afghanistan.

Elections set for February 18th (posted by Devin)

2008-01-02T19:52:41Z

Notwithstanding seemingly-constant power-outages, I've got another feature coming up on this afternoon's FSRN show. You know the drill. Here's the list of stations, and if you don't get FSRN in your area, you can always check the website later this evening.

Women in Action (photos from protests before Martial Law was lifted)

2007-12-29T13:07:32Z

Old Pictures

This is a post that we meant to make long ago, but didn't get around to. (Ginny, this one's for you!) Some of the previous photos we posted a protests made it look like there were only men participating. Therefore, at this rally on International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10) decrying the lack of human rights under martial law, Devin made sure to get pictures of the strong contingent of women present. This one with the yellow banner is a group of women from the infamous (in Pakistan)Women's Action Forum -- an organization founded to decry some of the anti-women legislation introduced under during the rule of dictator General Zia-ul-Haq and which has since championed women's and human rights in Pakistan. Edit: Devin took the first two, Amber took the last one.

I like this one just to counter the notion of all veiled women being oppressed, locked inside their homes, and without political agency.

Finally, a contingent of female police officers standing at the ready for arrests if necessary. They had been looking at me earlier until the constable (she looked tough!) told them to turn their heads from the camera.

I also have some recordings of protest songs and poetry being sung at a gathering organized by the Women's Action Forum earlier in the emergency. Some of the songs were quite funny, others melancholy yet resistant and beautiful. Unfortunately, our Internet connection is very slow and so uploading them would take too long. Yesterday some rioters/protesters torched a PTCL building that housed fiber optic cables providing Internet and international call services to Lahore. Although the Internet is finally back up, it's at significantly lower bandwidth for the time being.

Benazir post-assassination update

2007-12-28T09:02:39Z

Our neighborhood seems quiet and over all I think Lahore is more peaceful than many cities. I just went out to buy vegetables, chat with the man who runs the newspaper stand and stretch my legs in the sun. Many shops were closed, but some were open as well. Last night on the news for constant reports rolled in of banks, police stations, PML-Q banners (Musharraf's party), train booking offices and vehicles being looted or set on fire.

The interior minister last night said the emergency would not be declared... though, ironically, this might actually be the kind of situation to warrant it. Many observers here think that it would actually be appropriate to delay elections given the internal security situation -- however; USA President Bush is pushing for them to go ahead on schedule and this morning the government has announced that they will go ahead on schedule. Perhaps in the delusional hope that Musharraf will be able to rig his victory before the movement against him grows even larger? Even if he does, such a government won't last for long. Last night the PML N (Nawaz Sharif's party) pulled out of the elections and called for an all party boycott. I haven't heard what the PPP is planning, I would imagine that they're only logical course of action would be to boycott them as well. But, I could be wrong.

I haven't talked much about gender here, though many others have... in part because I'm a little uncomfortable about figuring out how to approach it and its intersection with class. But one thing I'll note is the absurdity of mentions of her being 'beautiful' and 'glamorous' in certain eulogies... just imagine eulogizing a male political leader with praises of his handsome physique.

For those interested in hearing more commentary from people on the ground in Pakistan, here are a couple of links:

Fantastic pictures by a professional Pakistani photojournalist: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34015932@N00/
Blog from a politically savvy Karachi dentist: http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/
Group Blog from Karachi: http://karachi.metblogs.com/

FSRN Feature on assassination

2007-12-28T07:07:07Z

Click here to download the piece, or you can go to the FSRN website and scroll down the article and listen to it.

We'll be doing another feature for today's newscast.

Bye Bye BB

2007-12-27T15:32:48Z

Vo Mar gayia

I had gone upstairs in the afternoon to ask for some help reading Urdu script, something I have been struggling with. Our landlord's wife, Usma-ji, patiently took me through several pages of lessons. After my head was swimming with curli-qs, hamzas and alifs I was going to take my leave when Usma-ji offered me some gajjar-halwa (a rich carrot dessrt) so I sat back down while she warmed some up for me. It was then that her youngest son poked his head in the room and announced, "Benazir is dead! Ayaz says so". Both Usma-ji and I scoffed, assuming it was another Internet/sms rumor while her children excitedly babbled, hoping the rumor was true. Usma-ji turned on the television, I thought to check the news, but she actually watched an Urdu cooking show for five minutes before switching to a news channel. Ribbons of Urdu and English headlines rolled in opposite directions across the bottom of the screen.

There it was confirmed. Two of the teenagers gave each other a high five, and everybody seemed to be running about the house. I joined the commotion, racing downstairs to get my cell phone and call Devin, not suprisingly the networks were busy. Upstairs again, they talked about how much they dislike Benazir, not an uncommon sentiment in Pakistan... although she also has large bastions of support in certain areas, such as Sindh. They also made sure to remark that they didn't like Musharraf any better and that Nawaz Sharif was only barely better. Despite the odd air of giddiness in the room, Usma-ji went on to say that this was a bad thing (she always speaks to me in Urdu, so I didn't get the nuances), perhaps to make up for her children's glee. {later edit: when I asked them for comments for a news story, they were suddenly full of respectful praise for BB, contradicting the earlier scorn -- a reminder that most people outwardly choose to show 'appropriate', as opposed to genuine, reactions.}

Devin arrived home in a somber mood. He told me that when he found out he almost cried and that the atmosphere and the law office was grim. I snapped from observing one end of the emotional spectrum to another. Though neither of us like or trust Benazir further than we could throw her, we agreed that this is a very sad day for Pakistan, setting a dangerous precedent that was foreshadowed on October 18th when a bomb damaged the convoy she was carried in and killed many supporters.

Our landlord arrived about 20 minutes later to deliver our much awaited heater (the antique one we been using had died a few days ago and we've been dressing in many layers to stay warm) and expressed grave concern about the situation. We all concurred that whether or not we agree or disagree with somebody's politics, it is certainly a dark day when terrorism becomes a means for exterminating political candidates. For those not familiar with Pakistani domestic politics, despite Western stereotypes of violent Islamic countries, suicide bombings have not historically been common here. In fact it's only within recent years the scourge has torn apart the country's interior at increasingly frequent intervals... this is something that most Pakistanis find quite alarming.

I will admit that I did get exhausted with Western adulation of a woman who in reality showed her true colors as a particularly opportunistic and corrupt politician. Every time she spoke with such self-righteous passion I cringed. Once you're in Pakistan, it doesn't take long to figure out what most Pakistanis already know: that she has a habit of changing her promises and position as often as the wind changes course -- depending on what is advantageous to her that day. You just get used to not putting too much credence in anything she says. Her ego made it impossible for her to see beyond short-term personal benefit and work towards building her party into more than a cult of personality... something that may be devastating for the PPP in the near future, that is unless her martyrdom sustains it.

Already there are reports of riots in the streets in many cities and towns across Pakistan. We guess that the worst will be in Karachi where her bastion of support is, but even here in Lahore media and personal reports are filtering in of violence in the streets. This single event, a culmination of a turbulent year, could destabilize the country more than anything thus far this year. During the emergency, it was the State that you had to be afraid of, and only if you were actively organizing against its repressive measures. But this promises to ignite the less predictable rage and madness that infects angry masses and spreads easily to those discontent for other reasons (for example, the combination of Pakistan's massive poverty and rising prices of staples like wheat). We are planning to stay home tomorrow and hope that others that we care about in Pakistan will do the same if they can. Some have already been killed in the rioting and unfortunately more probably will within the next 24 hours.

It's not only PPP supporters who are angry and upset, local media reports that Pakistanis of various stripes and creeds who mourn the day that the tactics of terrorism deepened its grip on the social and political life of the country. As self-centered America obsesses about the impact of terrorist acts on its homeland, the scourge of violent (non-state- sanctioned) extremism, does far more damage in the countries where they are based. This is, of course, in part due to the violence of America's state-sanctioned 'war on terror', but also because those governments deemed as American collaborators become targets themselves, and in part because the politics of violent extremism hit hardest and most frequently where they are an integrated part of a larger society.

Who did it? although we've had a crash course this year, we don't know enough about Pakistani politics yet to say exactly who. Although her list of enemies isn't exactly short, but the list of those willing to utilize these means whittles it down to a stub. It stumped me earlier this year when she stated that she would allow American troops on Pakistani soil to help fight terrorism. I boggled, what was she thinking? What Pakistani would support that? Not even the secular liberals I know who are so often branded by their conservative brethren as being supporters of America (Most of them share a strong critique of American imperialism, what differs is their vision of how it should be dealt with).

The attack was well-planned... ~~a suicide bomb blasted out the windows of her bullet-proof car and then a gunman shot her in the neck.~~ Edit: This was reported earlier, but it now seems that she was shot while waving to a supporter out a window, before the bomb blast. The usual predictions will be that militant Islamic groups, were behind this.

What next? The immediate predictions of those we've talked to are this: another emergency may be declared, elections will be canceled or significantly delayed. With the PMLN partially castrated, as its leader Nawaz Sharif and his brother have been disqualified him running for election, and many other parties and civil society groups calling for boycotts of elections, it should be interesting.

We just heard a Jamaat-e-Islami representative on Dawn News call for an all parties unified movement to oppose Musharraf's reelection. Jamaat-e-Islami is an interesting party -- I've written about their student wing, who were fond of using violence and coercion to promote their ends, in my article on student organizing. That said, they are strategic organization -- purportedly one of the only major parties to conduct genuine internal elections. In addition, they gain the moral high ground by boycotting the elections when PPP and PMLN couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate. Historically, they have never won an electoral majority -- and for that many are grateful given the conservative brand of Islam they propagate. Anyway, it's too early for us to many predictions beyond that.

Criticisms aside, I feel a sense of shock at the death of such a large figure in Pakistan, and grief both for her as an individual and for Pakistan as a country. We'll keep you posted. Love and peace to all our friends in Pakistan and around the world during a dark Time.

Benazir Bhutto assassinated

2007-12-27T14:45:03Z

At a rally in Rawalpindi, outside of Islamabad. This is a terrible development for Pakistan and a very, very sad day. Neither Amber nor I were fans of Ms. Bhutto, but are both feeling extremely depressed.

It is likely that Musharraf will declare another emergency and that elections will be postponed.

Amber and I are both safe and staying inside our house.

Student mobilization in Pakistan - Radio Piece by Amber with Photos by Devin

2007-12-01T09:17:05Z

When viewing the photos, we highly recommend listening to Amber's piece.

The student protest yesterday marked two important firsts in the Pakistan student movement. It was the first protest outside the safety of a campus, and it was the first all-student protest involving students from more than a dozen universities.

The protest ended with the singing of the Pakistan national anthem.

how's the fight going? + surveillance

2007-11-14T13:00:45Z

how is martial law going? well, here's a headline from Pakistan's dailies:

Taliban take over Shangla town

What's the score so far? Maybe something like this:

students/lawyers/activists: 0
Taliban/miltants: 5
Pakistan army/police: 4

today reports of increased internet and mobile surveillance were announced in the news. our phones are most certainly tapped (d's was seized by police for sometime and i stupidly wrote mine on a government form when i entered the country), it's a very strange premise to communicate under.... that all calls are being monitored.

Police re-arrest human rights activists (by: Devin)

2007-11-13T09:12:10Z

Updated: 3:15pm

Looks like some of my friends are back in jail. After being invited to come to the police station to pick up his mobile phone, one of the HRCP ~~staffers~~ supporters was detained. Apparently, arrest warrants are out for several others, including an HRCP staffer who I work with. See this article.

(Amber notes) We're hoping that it was just a tactic to keep people from potentially going to the march Bhutto called for. However; rumor is that the warrants are good for 90 day detentions. Most of the people on the list have gone underground. I talked to one friend on the phone briefly, before we realized it was probably better to avoid unnecessary phone conversations (as they were probably tapped). She was pretty stressed out... mostly about having to miss work and not getting support from her community. (/end Amber)

On the bright side, HRCP purchased a satellite dish! So, we now have access to the news again here. The government has been cracking down on the sale of dishes, closing all shops that sell them and (just today) imposing import restrictions prohibiting anyone from bringing a dish into the country.

On the lighter side of things...

2007-11-09T18:09:42Z

My friend C. forwarded me this hilarious survey, which asks the critical, and as of yet unanwered question, Who is hotter, Pakistan's lawyers or Burma's monks?.