Friday, March 25, 2011

Can a Bangladeshi Support the Pakistan Cricket Team?


This Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Pakistan played West Indies in a quarter final match of the cricket World Cup. It was a knock-out game - the loser would go home and the winner on to the semi finals. The venue was Dhaka, Bangladesh. However, one could be mistaken for thinking Pakistan was playing a home game, with the 25,000 fans at the stadium solidly behind the men in green, some even painting the Pakistan flag on their cheeks or waving the star and crescent flag [source: Dawn].

On Facebook, I posted a Youtube video of a Bangladeshi spectator and a Pakistani visitor exchanging T-shirts. I was also supporting Pakistan over West Indies. This prompted a discussion by some people that these Bangladeshi supporters of the Pakistan team were a "disgrace to the nation". As a Bangladeshi, I was told, I should not be supporting the Pakistan team (which I was in this game).

This is why.
…… we were told to kill the hindus and Kafirs (non-believer in God). One day in June, we cordoned a village and were ordered to kill the Kafirs in that area. We found all the village women reciting from the Holy Quran, and the men holding special congregational prayers seeking God’s mercy. But they were unlucky. Our commanding officer ordered us not to waste any time ...
- Confession of a Pakistani Soldier

Gendercide Watch has an account of the genocide unleashed by the Pakistan army on the civilian population of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) in 1971. Information can also be found on Genocide Bangladesh.

The details are horrible. The number of dead in Bangladesh in 1971 was almost certainly well into seven figures. It was one of the worst genocides of the World War II era, outstripping Rwanda (800,000 killed) and probably surpassing even Indonesia (1 million to 1.5 million killed in 1965-66) [Source: GW]. Apart from the killings, as many as 400,000 women were raped (and these figures are from unbiased Western sources; Bangladeshi numbers quote a higher number).

Now why do these atrocities, which occurred over 40 years ago, still have a resonance today? In particular, these are due to the shameful attitudes of modern day Pakistani citizens and their government. For example, if you talk to an average Pakistani, his or her attitude to 1971 can be categorized as one of the following:

1) These atrocities did not happen. The numbers are wildly exaggerated (possibly an Indian conspiracy to destabilize the "brotherly relations" between Pakistan and Bangladesh). Yes, there were some deaths, since this was a military action, but not anywhere close to the numbers mentioned here.

2) The army only had orders to kill Hindus.

3) Yes, these atrocities happened. But so what? It was a long time ago, and I, a modern day Pakistani, had nothing to do with it. So why should I apologize?

4) This was a shameful chapter in Pakistani history and I am truly sorry. Pakistan should formally apologize to Bangladesh and acknowledge her actions.

Sadly, not enough Pakistanis feel like the last scenario. Recently, former cricket captain Imran Khan has demanded an official apology from the Government of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh for the atrocities allegedly committed by the Pakistan Army in 1971 [Source: 1 and 2].

As for (1), it's just not true because Pakistan's own Hamoodur Rahman Commission agreed that genocide occurred and recommended their leaders to be tried. As for (2), so what? Killing "only Hindus" is supposed to make genocide acceptable?

It's (3) that provokes debate. Should citizens today apologize for actions committed by their government years ago? I believe that in the absence of an official apology by their government, for actions that occurred with full support of the elite amongst the citizens of the time, likely their fathers or that generation, today's generation bears some responsibility to acknowledging the hurt and shame of 1971.

Why did, then, Pakistan get such support in Dhaka on Wednesday? I believe it was due to several of the following reasons.

1) They were playing West Indies, who had badly defeated Bangladesh in the group stages. People therefore wanted to see West Indies similarly humiliated.

2) In the absence of their home team, people support their neighbours or those they feel a cultural closeness with. This is why Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan get good support in Dhaka, or why Pakistan enjoyed good support when they played in Colombo.

3) It's been 40 years. If we still remained angry we wouldn't support England in any games (you could write an encyclopedia on the atrocities committed by the British Empire, apologies for which are still to be dragged out in many instances), or even Australia (the descendants of the worst of British convicts).

Personally, I keep politics and sports aside, and I genuinely like this Pakistani team. They play good cricket, are led by a terrific captain (who leads from the front), are a bunch of talented athletes that have overcome huge hurdles in their God-forsaken country to reach this stage. The Bangladesh cricket team would do well to learn from the attitude and resolve of these players.

Besides (other than cricket) Bangladesh now no longer has any need to have an inferiority complex of Pakistan. By ever standard our country is in much better shape than theirs. The Guardian congratulated Bangladesh on a vibrant economy and a strong women's movement on her 40th birthday, something unimaginable in Pakistan. It's no longer a basket case. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently compared Pakistan and Bangladesh, and Pakistan can only look on in envy. This is why today most Pakistanis support Bangladesh and wistfully imagine how different the scenario would have been had the two nations prospered together, while Bangladeshis are proudly marching ahead charting their own course.

Of course, on March 30, 2011, when India take on Pakistan in the semi final, I will be fully supporting India, inshAllah. :-)

53 comments:

Suroor said...

"…… we were told to kill the hindus and Kafirs (non-believer in God)..."

Wow!

mezba said...

Yup, wow indeed! And I have heard actually many of my level headed Pakistani friends use that as an excuse "only Hindus were killed". Which makes this more sad.

We know two Hindu families who lived through 1971 by pretending to be Muslims (and being helped/hidden by their Muslim neighbours). But the army also killed whoever they liked, because in their eyes all Bengalis with their love of music, dancing, saris and bindis were Hindus anyways, even if they said the Kalimah.

Nafees Ahmed said...

Great blog post. I think you should also write a post directed to those fans who unreasonably say we should not support any other teams when the Bangladeshi team goes out. I just don't get this view. Don't these people support a team in the FIFA world cup where Bangladesh fails to qualify everytime?

mezba said...

Nafees, thanks. Yes, I don't get it that some people say you should support ONLY Bangladesh and no one else. If Bangladesh isn't playing, I should be free to support whoever I want! And this is sports, not some patriotic duty thing! In my experience people who talk about this type of patriotism usually don't do anything real worthwhile for their country - it's all talk and show!

Anonymous said...

I commend the hard work of Bangladeshi people and congratulate them on their successful efforts. However, let's not ignore the fact that the WSJ article was written by an Indian - bias is inevitable.

Among all the nations of the world, Pakistan has been the worst target of terrorism and no one except Pakistanis can understand how severely it has affected their daily lives. When labourers go outside their houses to find employment for the day, they hope to be able to return home with bread for their kids because a bomb can be ticking anywhere, read to go off.

Furthermore, the geographic area where Pakistan lies is of extreme importance to a number of countries, which has translated into Pakistan being ruled only by those who are able to satisfy the interests of external stakeholders in exchange for a promise to keep these rulers in power.

Pakistanis want to progress just as much as Bangladeshis or Indians, but there's only so much they can do in the face of puppet leaders in Islamabad (most of whom have pointed their guns at their own people).

On another note, cricket is one thing that brings all 4 provinces of this diverse nation together (though Pakistan's enemies have already hurt that by shooting at the Lankan team). Anyhow, I sincerely pray that the Pakistani team gives a chance for the people of this nation to celebrate something next Wednesday.

Canadian said...

"Among all the nations of the world, Pakistan has been the worst target of terrorism and no one except Pakistanis can understand how severely it has affected their daily lives."

Why should anyone else understand it when you are the cause yourself. Pakistan became the victim of terrorism because Pakistan is the source of all terrorism too. They raised snakes to kill others, which ended up killing themselves.

mezba said...

@Anon, just because the WSJ was written by an Indian does not mean it is incorrect - the facts and incidents cited by the article cannot be disputed.

Pakistan's problems (in my opinion) stem from the fact that all their leaders come from a narrow group of elite from Punjab. Basically it's just two families and their minions. And these people are ready to screw people from the other parts of Pakistan, such as the Balochis.

@Canadian, you should take a look at the support for the Mujahadeen provided by the West in the 70s and 80s. These are the people, created and funded by the West against the Soviets, that have become the terro rists today.

Musa said...

The main cause of Pakistan's problems is its army and ISI and not any politicans.
They are ready to jump in bed with USA one moment and then with Taliban in the next. They are happy to provide mercenaries to Jordan or Bahrain to kill protestors in those countries.
They will gladly kidnap fellow Pakistanis and sell them to the US for a few dollars.
Some of them sincerely believe that Pakistan "destroyed" the Soviet Union and that ISI is smart enough to destroy the "evil West".

This type of 2 faced fake-Islam following hypocritical Pakistani army members/supporters are generally fans of Zia ul Haq, who epitomized all of this. They actually believe Pakistan would have conquered Kashmir, Central Asia and Iran if Zia ul Haq was still there.
And the problem lies in the fact that the moment someone points out the army/ISI's role, he is branded a traitor and thats the end of the matter.

mezba said...

@Musa, thanks for the insight. My knowledge of Pakistani internal politics at present is rudimentary at best.

It's a sad case, Pakistan.

Canadian said...

"@Canadian, you should take a look at the support for the Mujahadeen provided by the West in the 70s and 80s. These are the people, created and funded by the West against the Soviets, that have become the terro rists today.
"
What sort of argument is this? West provided them support to kick out USSR. These guys are killing their own people.
Your argument is like army recruited someone and made him a top class soldier. He then turned rogue and became a mercenary. So the fault is with army which taught him the skills.

mezba said...

@Canadian, same type of argument as you are making, really.

And stick to the point of this post, please.

AW said...

Mezba, You're right about where Pakistan's problems stem from. It is basically run by a couple of criminal families whose only aim in life is to collect wealth. Regarding the WSJ article, I was pointing out the fact that the author can choose to point out whatever indicators of success he wishes to. They would all still be 100% correct but it's just that many other legit stats may not have been reported, which is also a form of bias.

@Canadian, you obviously don't know who the mujahideen are. Do research on this and you will find it extremely interesting. Most of them were illiterate, unemployed people who flew in to Pakistan's north with the help of US funds to "fight in the name of Islam" (as US called it) and "help other muslim brothers" (Afghanis suffering from US's biggest enemy). Others trained to become terrorists were from Pakistan's tribal areas, where the citizens to this day feel that they were always a part of Afghanistan and the British forced their area into Pakistan's area during the 1947 partition of India. They don't give a damn about Pakistanis and Pakistan's Constitution doesn't apply in their area either. They use their own tribal laws. Too bad the Russians decided to invade Afghanistan and Pakistan happened to be the neighbor who got caught up in this mess. Pakistan is definitely the biggest victim of terrorism and you can only do so much to stop it when human beings turn into bombs.

Really sorry for going off topic, Mezba. One more day until the game!

And last time, it wouldn't let me comment from my google account.

mezba said...

@AW, I looked at some newspapers online and it does seem the support of Bangladeshis for Pakistan seems to have irked a lot of people over there, and some are speculating that many of the attendees are the Urdu speaking Biharis.

Wow I just wish our countries would let go of old issues and move on. I know even India and Pakistan have still not solved Kashmir. What they should do is just agree on status quo and move on.

Anonymous said...

as a modern bangladeshi,i do not have any resentments against pakistan.whatever occurred in 1971 we all have left it behind,the massive gruesome killings and mutiny.but we as a nation,just cannot hold our grudge against pakistan as a whole nation,just because of what their government did to our people(then East Pakistan) 40 years ago.whats done is done,and now we all want to move on and would want to stay in harmony with our pakistani brothers and sisters.i would like to make it clear that now we do not have any resentment against pakistan,we will always support pakistan through thick an thin when needed.
and in terms of cricket we would always support the pakistani cricket team.i dont know why,but i love the pakistani cricket team,and no doubt its one of the best teams in the cricket world.other tham this,we even support australia, sri lanka etc.and when your home team is playing in the world cup,this doesn't mean that u shud only support ur home team and know other teams.we the people,as a nation,or people in the world,we all do have the freedom,liberty and independence to support whatever team we want.and as for the game of pakistan vs west indies,after pakistan won,i was literally very much shocked and upset when the captain shahid afridi did not thank us,the people of bangladesh for giving immense support to his team,despite 1971.i screamed in joy after pakistan won,and i was happy when afridi said that it was like playing in pakistan,but at the same time i was hurt that neither the captain nor his teammates had expressed any sign of gratitude towards our people.

mezba said...

@Anon, that's Pakistan for you. I also did not expect, so wasn't surprised, when Shahid Afridi didn't thank the supporters. As a captain, the winning captain, you always out of courtesy thank the crowd. But the Pakis are captained by a pathan who's not educated or cultured, so what do you expect.

I cannot bring myself to support Pakistan through thick and thin, as you said, nor did I scream for joy, but over West Indies I picked out my own desi folk. But come the match of Pakistan vs. India, I will be firmly in India's corner.

Anonymous said...

http://www.pkarticleshub.com/2011/03/26/the-leader-in-imran-khan/

Anonymous said...

@mezba,u shud see this http://www.pkarticleshub.com/2011/03/26/the-leader-in-imran-khan/

then talk about supporting india.im not a racist,im a bangladeshi girl but im half indian myself.but i dont know why,i jst cannot help but hate india now.being part indian myself doesnt make me support india.im not a racist,i even love my indian friends,i never realized that india was trying to break the harmony.and i literally started hating india ever since the BDR mutiny.and above that,they are trying to take over everything and intervening in almost every business possible

Anonymous said...

on the other hand i guess its best not to mix sports over politics.but im supporting pakistan over india in the semi.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the previous Anonymous about Shahid Afridi not thanking the Bangladeshi crowd. I thought it was rude as well. By the way I am a Pakistani (of Punjabi heritage, if that is supposed to any make a difference). One Afridi is not the ambassador of all of us. However, if you do want to talk about sports persons being ambassadors I do clearly remember Wasim Akram and the other players hugging and congratulating the rest of the Bangladeshi team after Pakistan lost to them in the 1999 world cup. It was not just your regular handshake of 'Good job Mate'. It actually showed brotherhood not just good sportsmen spirit only.

I am a born and bred Pakistani who came to the US after high school. My husband is a born and bred Bangladeshi who also came here after high school. Ours was a semi-arranged marriage. We and our families were looking for someone with similar Islamic and social values and we found each other. Seeing dislike for modern day Pakistanis in the eyes of modern day Bangladeshis it is no wonder why we are the only Pakistani/Bangladeshi couple that I know of. Surprisingly I see a lot more Indian/Pakistani couples then Bangladeshi/Pakistani couples.

To be honest your post hurt and irked me a little. Not for my sake but for that of my future children. I will just somehow will have to teach them both sides of the story of 1971, not from a political perspective only but from the human perspective as well. I just know I have a tricky path ahead of me where I will have to teach my children to care for all three countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and USA. All three with their faulty politics and people.

mezba said...

@Anon, you are Indian and you are supporting Pakistan over India? How is that possible?

The link given is revisionist history, the way some Pakistanis WISH history was. Imran Khan knows better.

@Anon, I remember the 1999 world cup and Akram saying "we lost to our brothers".

Wasim Akram has been one of my favourite players and a great sportsperson.

I have seen a few Bangladeshi/Pakistani couples (usually girl is from Bangladesh and guy is from Pakistan) but unfortunately all of them broke up, though for not historical reasons but more basic marital reasons.

To be honest your post hurt and irked me a little.

May I know why? Honestly curious.

Ali Shahid said...

Hi Mezba,
I am 25 year old and I always consider Bangladesh as a brother muslim country and the nation as a brother muslim nation.
The politics of power make people do horrible things. You cannot blame the entire German nation for the sins of Hitler, similarly all Yugoslavians cannot be blamed for what Milosevic did. It is all politics.
I would like you to read this news article in Pakistan's largest newspaper Dawn . Also I think Afridi was to naiive to assume that all support in Mirpur was from Pakistan. Dont blame him because he didnt go to a proper school and came directly to Cricket at age 18

http://blog.dawn.com/2011/03/24/thank-you-dhaka/

Thanks
With Love from Pakistan
Ali Shahid

mezba said...

Ali, thank you for commenting.

I think what irks many Bangladeshis, and why the comparison with Germany is not valid, is that the Pakistan government never accepted the blame, nor did they apologize for 1971, no one was ever put on trial or punished, and some people still think like the link mentioned by the previous commentator, that it was all an Indian conspiracy. If you ask the Germans, they are ashamed of the 2nd world war, they take the blame for it, people were put on trial and war reparations were made.

I hope all muslim countries can exist as friends and brothers.

Anonymous said...

@mezba,im not indian mezba,im HALF INDIAN(i even have middle eastern roots),but thats not what im talking about.im a native of bangladesh.i was born in bangladesh and im a bangladeshi and a proud one.i love my country and it doesnt matter which ethnic background i am.im indian from my paternal side and they despise india more than me.many are not aware that india is after breaking the harmony among our neighbours.

Anonymous said...

@mezba,i also have other friends here in BD who are also part indian like...we all hate it the same way.and i guess another reason for hating india is the fact that most of them are crooked,selfish,arrogant,and they even hate other countries.they even try to take over them in a way slowly.

mezba said...

Noted.

Anonymous said...

okay,after seeing yesterday's india vs pakistan match,i can bet that the pakis were threatened to lose.at the beginning when the opening batsmen were not hitting the ball so much,ok i thought that they were playing it safe.but after the first 4/5 overs they were still playing that way,and i was like "CMON HIT THE BALL ITS HIGH TIME NOW!!!".a few of them looked like they were either bribed or threatened to lose,except for afridi and wahab.and why did shoaib aktar retire so early???he should've stayed till the end,and many are guessing that he must have been forced to retire early.he looked very helpless in yesterday's match and that he couldn't do anything to help even if he wanted to.my mom and i also observed yesterday that the pak players looked quite worried and pale for some reason,and it didn't look like it was for the match,coz even if the difference of the runs needed to win from the balls was quite a lot,the pakis had the ability to cover that with 4s and 6s.ok,what im saying is,they looked like they were wondering elsewhere.and the game looked like that the pakis had lost intentionally.if they were playing it the right way,they could have saved us an hour or two of our time.the game would have ended long ago.in other words it looked like that pakistan had no good batsmaen.i mean,they had beaten teams like australia and sri lanka this world cup,and scoring a 261 was nothing for them.it clearly looked like a game which had been intentionally lost,maybe for being threatened to harm them or their family,people etc by indians.WHO KNOWS???and lets not forget that after bangladesh lost with south africa,it had been revealed by the reporters that shakib al hasan had been threatened to lose,or he might lose his family.and who threatened him,we don't know this.and this is sooooo absurd!!!i also remember in 2007 when bangladesh defeated india in the world cup,after that the indian cricket team came to BD for a test series (literally to prove that the indians were actually better!!!).after india defeated BD in the series,later on it was also revealed in the papers that india had done some black agic against BD that time.i mean this is so pathetic!we also know that pakistan is notorious for bribing as well,to set up their matches.but lets not forget,so is india.we even heard of india bribing to set up the matches of this world cup.only God knows whats going on.but i will conclude,that after seeing yesterday's match,we are sure that the paks had been threatened by the indians,not bribed.coz an indie or a paki can never bribe each other.even if they do,they wont accept it.so the term threat can be used here.

mezba said...

Oh God another common Pakistani problem - whenever your team loses you blame it on match fixing.

Just accept that Pakistan lost to a better team, India. Pakistan played well, really well, to reach the semis, but India is a much more professional team. And in the end it's all a game of cricket.

In a way, this defeat will make them concentrate on the real issues facing their country such as increase in bombings, violence, poverty, women rights, etc., instead of being under the delusion of grandeur from winning a cricket match.

Anonymous said...

speaking of the so-called "better" and "professional" team winning,india played with their heart and soul and they scored 260 runs!and pakistan did not play properly and they lost with a 30 run difference!!!if pak had played properly then they would have finished the game long ago.and i honestly,i wont be surprised if there had been a match fixing!!!

Anonymous said...

and why didn't misbah hit the ball properly?even the commentators got pissed,they were saying that it was very strange that misbah wasn't even hitting the ball!he even took no powerplays,nor did he even run to get an extra point.after seeing the performances of misbah and younus that day,they should be only allowed to play in test matches.im not saying that india is not a good team.both india and pakistan are two of the cricket giants,bt pakistan looked like they were trying to lose.afridi and wahab played really well,bt the some looked like,especially misbah and younus,they were bribed or sth.well,what was done is done,may the best team win the finals(with no match fixing,no threats,no bribery and all that crap hopefully).and im sooooo goin for sri lanka.and right now,seeing the match,sri lanka is not in good shape.only 35 runs from 11.3 ovrs!!!

Anonymous said...

btw misbah im that half indian anomymous,supporting pakistan.im not pakistani.and i will always support the team india is playing against.and even if pakistan wud have won that day,i wud have still supported sri lanka to win the finals.

Anonymous said...

http://www.i-am-youth.com/india-vs-pakistan-semi-final-world-cup-2011-match-fixed-fixing-video-news/1340/

Anonymous said...

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8652368-match-fixing-tape-india-pakistan-semi-final-is-leaked-video

Anonymous said...

Mezba, I am a Pakistani and proud. You sound like a Bangladeshi with an inferiority complex- hence the constant comparison between the two countries and claiming that Bangladesh is better off than Pakistan. My country has its issues and problems, but yours isn't even on the map.

CANADIAN_INDIAN said...

mezba, last Summer during Soccer WC you were telling that English soccer team is like Indian cricket team. Lot of money with nothing to show for their national team. Time to eat the crow today.

mezba said...

@Anon, if onlys don't count, what counts is what happened. If Pak played properly, if this if that ...

@Anon, why is everyone blaming Misbah? What did Razzak do? Why did Afridi go for that big heave?

@Anon, wow - an Indian supporting Pakistan over India....

@Anon, 2-cent politicians hoping for their moment in the sun.

@Anon, see above. Pakistan lost. To a better team. That was India.

@Anon, wow, a proud Paki not even getting the point of this post.

And by the way, given the reasons why Pakistan is on the map (terrorism, women's rights, bombs), it's better that Bangladesh not be on the map.

@Canadian_Indian, that was last summer. India is a much better team now, and deserves to be world champion.

Anonymous said...

@mezbah,i had been to the stadium in mirpur to see the match of bangladesh vs south africa.2/3 of our players were not supposed to be out.during tamim's one,we even saw the review,and the ball didn't even touch the bat.and in shakib's review of lbw the ball didn't hit the stumps.but the freaking third umpire said out.and seeing yesterday's match of india vs sri lanka 3/4 of them were supposed to be out,but the umpire said not out.i also agree with the half indian anonymous who was supporting pakistan about the match fixing.during pak match,if you see in slow motion,when afridi got out ,just before that he nodded at someone,and then he got caught.why in the world would someone nod and then get caught??go figure!and mezbah,i can see that your a strong supporter of the indian team,then i guess its pointless to make you understand the whole thing.definitely india is the best for you in your eyes.even i supported this team before,until they started all these craps.and speaking of pak lost to a better team which is india,if india was the better team then why did they bribe and set-up matches!!!and when there was the tie between india and england,many did claim before the match that it will be a tie.there are lots of evidences over the internet that india did all that,and they wanted to win at any cost,so they chose the cheapest way.pathetic!!!i would still say that pak could have crushed india that day,that is IF THEY WANTED TO!there was poor fielding of the paks,poor partnership,tendulkar's survival,the third umpire's too much diverse and exaggerated demonstration of tendulkar's survivng lbw,shoaib aktar not playing.these sort of activities ruins the beauty and the enjoyment of the game,especially when you can see it clearly infront of your eyes that whats really going on!and people who are too blind too realize whats going around,i have got nothing to say for them.and FYI,im a daughter of a defence officer,so i have got more access to these kind of info than civilians.

Anonymous said...

@mezbah,history can repeat mezbah,see this, http://hubpages.com/hub/Dhoni-Guilty-of-Match-Fixing-Twenty20-worldcup-2009

mezba said...

Wow, ok if you want to believe your players are sellouts and dishonest, rather than just having a bad day, go ahead.

Anonymous said...

Not the point of your post but oi about Britain sending their 'worst convicts' to Australia! The worst British criminals were hanged. Less grievous offenses, like stealing a handkerchief, merited deportation.

It's their actions after coming to Australia that is more troubling, with their foul treatment of indigenous populations.

AH

mezba said...

Anon, noted.

Mashriqi said...

Bangladeshis are the only people who support a country (India) that is hell-bent on ruining it. I was in Bangladesh recently, after a long gap. The number of Indian businesses, channels and overall excruciatingly high Indian influence over all spheres of life was quite disgusting for me as a proud Muslim.

Bangladesh was created as a market for Indian products, and it is pretty much a "ghulam state", even the people I spoke to on the street acknowledged this fact. India does not easily allow Bangladeshi investment, Bangladeshi channels to be aired, our movies to be shown. One recent example is how theyy introduced non-tariff barriers to stop Rahimafruz (an outstanding Bangladeshi company) from exporting batteries to India.

Someone as educated as you and someone who professes to be pro-Islam, I simply cannot understand how you can support the Indian team. I am not saying that all Indians are bad because they are not, but this Bangladeshi trend is truly unfortunate. Ghulami korar eto shauq keno Allah jane! Pakistann zindabad, ummat-e-musulman zindabad

Mashriqi said...

All this Pakistan-bashing is really unfair. Now that it is in serious trouble, all the Indians and Bangladeshis seem to be dancing in joy because they think it proves their flawed political ideology correct. What about before all this terrorism nonsense started in Pakistan, what about before the Lal Masjid incident? What about before Musharraf sold out his country? What was the difference between Pakistan and Bangladesh then? Pakistan was AHEAD in almost all areas, but everyone seems to have forgotten that fact. This nonsensical Pakistan-bashing, especially from Bangladeshis is like "kicking a man when he's down", and it is a truly despicable and dishonourable act, not that Bangladeshis ever had a concept of honour.

The articles that you mentioned that were supposed to be "proof" that Bangladesh is better are just pure nonsense. Especially the article by Tahmima Anam, which is just typical Awami League propoganda. She mentioned that Bangladesh has a "thriving political climate"...really? How come, I as a Bangladeshi cannot see it? AL nor BNP practice democracy within their own parties, how can they run a country democratically? AL ideology is completely AGAINST political pluralism, if you don't subscribe to Mujib's propaganda and lies, then you are automatically a ghaddar. THE PAKISTANIS DID NOT KILL 3,000,000 PEOPLE AND RAPE 400,000 WOMEN, and even the Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission denied these figures. Killing did take place, and many Pakistani soldiers acted like MUNAFIQS, but I can assure you a huge number of deaths were caused by Bengalis killing Bengalis, just look at the Pilkhana tragedy. Pilkhana shows you what Bengalis are capable of doing to each other.

My grandfather's cousin personally witnessed Sheikh Mujib cheating through his exams in Islamia College. I guess I should not expect anything different from Mujib's party and "his" country.

What never ceases to amaze me is how Bangladeshis seem to love to ignore the obvious: a glance at the world map will show that it is IMPOSSIBLE to defend Bangladesh's SOVEREIGNTY from Indian influence and agression, without being part of Pakistan. Indian land-grabbing, unfair trade imbalance and BORDER KILLINGS (forgot Hina Akhter). I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT INDIA WHILE THEY CAUSE DEATH AND SUFFERING TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

mezba said...

@Mashriqi,

Bangladeshis are the only people who support a country (India) that is hell-bent on ruining it. I was in Bangladesh recently, after a long gap. The number of Indian businesses, channels and overall excruciatingly high Indian influence over all spheres of life was quite disgusting for me as a proud Muslim.

Why? I would have thought when a foreign country invades your airspace, carries out an attack in your army's backyard, and leaves, and then continues to kill your civilians, that would cause you to be ashamed.

We Bangladeshis have complete freedom of choice of what to watch on TV, and inspite of the numerous Indian channels and products, still have the love of our language intact.

Bangladesh was created as a market for Indian products, and it is pretty much a "ghulam state"

Yes, a Pakistani revisionist fantasy.

Someone as educated as you and someone who professes to be pro-Islam, I simply cannot understand how you can support the Indian team.

This is a common symptom of an illness of Pakistani supporters. They think every Muslim should support Pakistan.

All this Pakistan-bashing is really unfair.

Only an idiot would think an article written IN SUPPORT of Pakistan cricket team is Pakistan bashing.

The articles that you mentioned that were supposed to be "proof" that Bangladesh is better are just pure nonsense. Especially the article by Tahmima Anam, which is just typical Awami League propoganda.

Yes, when you cannot argue with the message, blame the messenger.

Here are some more articles for you.

Pakistan's army: as inept as it is corrupt

ISI kills Saleem Shahzad

From Abbottabad to Worse

But hush! Pakistan is the ideal Muslim state and everyone should join it, let's spread the fantasy.

My grandfather's cousin personally witnessed Sheikh Mujib cheating through his exams in Islamia College.

Of course. And Zardari is drinking apple juice.

Promote Bangla said...

Its really sad how can people kill each others in the name of Religion.
For these Pakistani leaders should have known that "ISLAM DOESN'T TEACH VIOLENCE" all the misguided chunk of People hav been a blot on Humanity.
Its sad that In Bangladesh today also some "RAJAKARS" are still killing people on the name of Religion.
Why cant these RAJAKARS learn to live with peace and understand personal choices of every human.
-Saurav Chatterjee | সৌরভ চ্যাটার্জী
-জয় বাংলা | Joy Bangla

Promote Bangla (Saurav Chatterjee| সৌরভ চ্যাটার্জী) said...

@Mashriqi,

Bangladeshis are the only people who support a country (India) that is hell-bent on ruining it. I was in Bangladesh recently, after a long gap. The number of Indian businesses, channels and overall excruciatingly high Indian influence over all spheres of life was quite disgusting for me as a proud Muslim.

Sorry to say but, Mashriqi i must say you should visit India and see our Muslim brothers n Sisters here, they are Proud to be INDIAN. And support for India SHOULD NOT disgust a Muslim cos frankly saying Our Muslims and MUSLIMS of Bangladesh are more realistic and generous than the majority radical Pakistani Muslims, they hav values for humanity and peaceful coexistence and brotherhood which is severely lacking in most of the Pakistani Counterparts.
Note: I have few online Pakistani friends and i am amazed at their thoughts, they are verymuch like our Indian n Bangladeshi muslims- genorous and kind and broadminded. i guess thats the new educated rational youth of Pakistan.

-Proud to be a Bengali !

mezba said...

I think Pakistan is hamstrung by its corrupt army and equally corrupt leadership. They say every country has an army, but Pakistan is an army that has a country.

Anonymous said...

Dude, was very much enjoying reading your blog until I read this:

"But the Pakis are captained by a pathan who's not educated or cultured, so what do you expect."

What gives? Is being Pashtun/Afghan synonymous w/ being uneducated or uncultured?

Disappointing...
Was rather enjoying your posts on the spirit of Islam, against racism, etc.

mezba said...

"Pakis are captained by a pathan who's not educated or cultured"

Is this statement false regarding Afridi when he was captain?

ZAI said...

I don't follow cricket, is neither very popular in Afghanistan where my parents are from (although our team is making relative progress in a sport thats new to our homeland, which is definitely more soccer/football crazy) nor in the US where I was born & raised ...so don't know much about this Afridi.

From what your post described, I'd agree that he is at the very least inconsiderate, if not uncouth. Not contesting that.

Bookending the statement with "a Pathan..." and "...what do you expect" is perhaps not the best way to put it though. To casual observer/reader it comes off as though these qualities are to be expected of Afghans/Pashtuns, even if was not your intention.

Anyways...enjoy the blog overall.
Very entertaining and good points throughout.

Anonymous said...

I have been reading these forums about bangla pak relations and all i hear from the pakis about bangladeshis is the muslim brotherly love. It is a clever way of hiding the racism and atrocities committed on the bengali propulation in order to create a friendly atmosphere. Look at Pakistan themselves. Balochistan hates the Pakistan Government for their indifferent attitude. What is muslim brotherly love doing there?? If you are talking about muslim brotherly love, then talk to your pakistani and bangladeshi brothers in the middle east and ask them how badly they are treated by the kuwaitis, saudis or emiratis. Where is muslim brotherly love there? Remember one thing.Brotherly love comes for fellow beings living around you who love you and respect you for who you are, not based on what your religion is. Bangladeshis love each other for their love of the language and culture because that is what connects them, not religion.

Anonymous said...

I have been reading these forums about bangla pak relations and all i hear from the pakis about bangladeshis is the muslim brotherly love. It is a clever way of hiding the racism and atrocities committed on the bengali propulation in order to create a friendly atmosphere. Look at Pakistan themselves. Balochistan hates the Pakistan Government for their indifferent attitude. What is muslim brotherly love doing there?? If you are talking about muslim brotherly love, then talk to your pakistani and bangladeshi brothers in the middle east and ask them how badly they are treated by the kuwaitis, saudis or emiratis. Where is muslim brotherly love there? Remember one thing.Brotherly love comes for fellow beings living around you who love you and respect you for who you are, not based on what your religion is. Bangladeshis love each other for their love of the language and culture because that is what connects them, not religion.

Unknown said...

Do u consider Bangladeshi hindus, Christians and Buddhists as ur brother too? Love human beings , not religion!!!! That's why Pakistan is in shambles today!!

mezba said...

@ZAI, thanks for your comment.

@Anon, very valid points. Sadly, racism remains a problem within the Muslim community (and also humanity overall).

@Marcoo Shj, yes.