I am due to be married this coming january inshAllah … i’ve been away from home (pakistan) for my study for a year now, so will be returning home after 1.5 years …
the effect of watching.reading pakistani news, while not being in pakistan, i feel, has a more intense effect .. especially in relation to family members back home, and i am constantly worried …
When i was still in pakistan … i remember the day (last week of dec 07 or first week of jan 08) i had my bachelor’s thesis jury … the exhibition was in the Tollinton market on mall road (now converted into a gallery space) … and half way through the jury i heard a huge THUD … i thought the generator broke (those days the light was going every half-hour after one hour, or something) … but only to realize soon … a bomb had exploded less than a half a mile down the road on the High Court …
we were locked in the tollinton market, and no one was allowed to come in or go out … had a huge amount of security outside, even a metal detector gate was installed for each one of us to go through …
i used to drive myself, my mother was horrified at the thought that i have to come home alone, and pick my brother on the way …
but the difference then was … it had become such a “mundane” thing for bombs to explode .. one or two had exploded in model town a few weeks back then … and we didnt care much anymore … yea like whatever .. another one .. whats new …
life used to come back to normal after three days …
NOW … my fear has intensified .. and i am horrified for the celebration that is due in january … for me going home, friends (whities) who will be flying there … i am worried about all this, and scared for the worst …
how are all of taking all this who are due to be married in the upcoming months, or those who are getting married right now …
what is daily life like?
how do you manage preparations among all this chaos?
are you keeping your weddings low key with no lighting and stuff?
do u think it would be dangerous for white folk to be roaming around lahore (with people to keep an eye on them ofcourse) …
what other impacts has this situation had on weddings? with halls/other bookings ,etc.
I would like to know as well. My MIL is delaying her going to Pakistan for wedding shopping due to the political conditions. I just hope it all gets better soon!!
Re: weddings & the current political situation of pakistan
My mom is in Lahore now and I know she's a bit concerned - she may leave to come back early. I think the situation is more escalated than what we may be hearing. I know they closed all the universities and schools there after an incident in Islamabad. I also heard that Emirates has cancelled flights to Peshawar, but I think they're still running flights to the other cities.
Re: weddings & the current political situation of pakistan
I'm in Karachi and no bombs have exploded here recently.. so the bazaars are open. I went yesterday too. We can't stop our daily routine. I have to go to uni every day, my dad goes to his hospital. I can't say much about the other cities except what some relatives have told me. Traffic conditions were bad in Islamabad in the few days after the GHQ and university blasts. A friend in Peshawar says she hears missiles overhead and gunfire. In Islamabad, there's also gunfire in some areas. But ppl are still trying to live as normally as they can because Pakistan isn't officially "in a state of war" although the environment and tension say otherwise. I'm due to get married in Feb and I'm not going to go to a parlor, I'll call a MUA to my home. We've booked a lawn and everything. Also I'm prepared to do my makeup myself and get rukhsatied from home (as happened to a girl I know on Dec 27 2007). Who knows how worse things will get in the upcoming weeks. It all depends on what will happen in the days leading up to the wedding.
So right now, Karachi is open, there are weddings going on, bazaars are busy as usual. Can't comment on Lahore and Islamabad..!
Re: weddings & the current political situation of pakistan
Struck at 12.30am, 6.2 on the richter scale, took place in the Hindu Kush mountains (Kabul), shocks felt in peshawar, isb and lahore too. No reports of casualties or fatalities as of yet, will probs get better reports in the morning.
:hinna: it’s so horrible …
i am just remembering a documentary i saw a loooooong time back … it was about the life of occupied kashmir … i remember a shaadi they also documented …
God help Pakistan! cuz people have mutilated into only destructive beings … constructive is not a trait we own anymore! :hinna:
All my Relatives/family in my dear country Pakistan.
Planning togo get married there but feel very insecure dangerous.There is NO law and regulations
.NO security of jan,maal and Izzat.Ihave heard stories that ppls followed from Airport and sncahed all money and sometimes shot the ppls coming from abroad with so many hopes and wishes to stay in their own homeland spending time with their relatives.
I LOVE my country more than anything but has so many fears going their with family.
PPLS are afraid of Taliban's but how about the mafia living allover in Karachi?
Most frightening thing is MQM Ghundas to face each and every neighbour hood.They come ask for Chanda and if you don't pay they threat you.They called my cousin in their Unit office and asked him to go door to door for collecting donation when he refused they asked to give them his car to use and told him to walk home.
They took car and brought back after 1-AM...You can imagine how miserable situation can be and worst if you don't control the situation....
Living with families is a big risk and if you have no approach you are not safe at all...
This all my relatives told and my excitement is vanishing after hearing the all that. Doing mehndi/mayon at home even not secure.You can't hide these functions activities.
I don't know how to manage the things?
PLZ tell me how you ppls are facing this situation??
What type of precaution should we take for security?
Its a BIGGEST tragedy feeling in secure in our own ...What a sad and shamfull situation.
I HAVE TO GO THERE COZ HAVE ALL BLOOD RELATIVES THERE BUT HAVE SO MANY FEARS.
WHAT PRECAUTIONS YOU ALL SUGGEST ,DONT KNOW HOW TO OVER COME THIS FEAR....HELP
HappSoul, I can understand your fears. One of our uncles who resides in UK married his son in Pakistan and visits often. He has plenty of money and rich lifestyle in Milton Keynes. He keeps low profile while visiting Pakistan. Doesn't wear any expensive. Just old shalwar kameez and waist coat, he goes beyond that and doesn't shave for 2 days so it looks he has many worries....everyone here thinks he has nothing and hard life....so it works well.
Pakistani's are Vultures. Do not eat anything from anybody's home. Better bring in your own food (pizza or fast food) or cook yourself. They mix "Ash of the Dead" in food or some mithai to put a curse on you and your health starts deteriorating. You loose everything. Closest blood relative would do that. Even I was not spared. I have seen death from very very near. I have seen a lot of people doing it to harm others.
If you come, keep LOWEST profile. If they pass comments or taunt you that you have no money, DO NOT worry or take it at HEART. Inside, you know you are perfectly OK and going in right direction. Thats my humble suggestion!
Iam getting married next year in July InshAllah but my parents are really worried about the situation. We would be going to the bazaars to do our shopping and it would be dangerous to always be out and about! We are avoiding hotels for the wedding and are trying to get some open land to put up a marquee and do the wedding in.
But Allah knows best. InshAllah, everything will be ok.
Happysoul and mustanamalik: abhi itni loot nahin machi pakistan may Allah kay fazl se. No one here has spare time to make you eat ash of the dead unless you have personal grudge with a family member. Even then this is something that happened 20 years back in remotest areas
Prototype, Pakistani's can't sustain prosperity of others....they are known leg pullers. even if you are good and happy to all family members....they will back bite you at some stage so bad....you won't even get up from bed.....just because you have all facilities of life......
It is true that the one who infests other with a curse eventually puts himself in trouble as there is "Law of 3" in Wicca practice. The curse reverts with 3 times more force and even kill the one who sent it. It take 4 to 10 years for natures revenge. So, it is better to avoid and not put one self in trouble. Just keep lowest profile.
I know plenty of wealthy people from Lahore who have to seek help of AALIMS and IMAMS to get rid of evils sent by their opponents.
It is common to get "Ash of Dead" and "OWL Blood", etc from AAMIL stores in "PAK" ISTAN. I have lots of research on this topic. They make you eat that and then bury a DOLL resembling your face in Graveyard and do rituals. Your health starts deteriorating. Its a killer thing. In Saudia they give STRAIGHT DEATH PENALTY to the one who puts CURSE on others.
Well things are defintly bad in pakistan but not as bad as you mentioned. I have been living in karachi for 6 years now and nothing bad happend to me here so far.
I would advice you to not to carry alot of cash with you.
Don't wear any gold in public places at all like bangles and karas. ALot of my relatives were robbed off their gold at gun point while standing outside their own home. So just don't wear real gold here at all. Theres tons of artificial gold-looking jewellery that you can wear at weddings.
Be safe and don't think so negatively.
And this whole witchcraft thing is quite absurd. I wouldn't consider that a reason for not going to pakistan
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