Say THANK YOU to a robber

I went to Karachi, last month to give an interview in the US Consulate. After giving my interview, I took an auto rickshaw to go back to my flat. But what happened next was something that I will remember all my life.

It was 8:45 a.m, when I was travelling in Boat Basin, when a boy of young age sitting on the back seat of a motor cycle was saying something to me. I wondered and asked him what happened and then he said give me the bag by showing me a pistol.

I fathom that the boy is a robber and trying to rob me. Although, I am not a typical Karachite, but I have spent substantial amount of time in Karachi during my college life. I was fully aware that street crimes in Karachi are quite common, but what really astound me was the timing and place where this incident took place.

The time was 8;45 which is a peak office hour and  during this time there is lot of traffic on the road due to office going people. It was not late 1 or 2 pm of night, yet the boy was so intrepid that he didn’t care about the rush and broad day light. Secondly, Boat Basin is a part of Clifton which is the  most salubrious area of Karachi and it is considered more impregnable area as compared to areas like lyari, korangi and landhi, but this didnot affect the valour of the juvenile boy. Moreover, our inefficient and feeble police system would have further emboldened him.

  I spoke to him and told him that there is nothing in the bag except my documents and at the same time, i opened the bag and showed him the documents and he replied by saying ‘ok”  and I wave my hand and said  Thank you to him.

The rikshaw driver was amused and chuckled and told me that what is making me laugh is that you said Thank you to a burglar. I told him that there are sundry reasons for me to be thankful to him. My bag contained numerous important documents like my National Identity Card, Visa form, Academic and other supporting documents needed for the visa to be accepted.

If the criminal had snatched the bag, I would have lost all the documents. My trip to America was surely cancelled but my All Pakistan trip was confirmed. As I have given my matriculation from Rawalpindi board, intermediate from Karachi board and graduation from Balochistan University. So, I would have to visit the board offices of these cities and due to Babu culture which is common in most of our government offices, lot of my time would have wasted.

The most convenient way to save time in government offices is to give bribe to the corrupt government servants for doing their duty. I am sure in all three different board offices, I would have been looted again, but that was not enough, there were other places where I would have to go to be looted time and time again like police station and NADRA office. I think everyone knows that our incompetent police do not register an FIR without bribe. Similarly, one cannot get his new NIC from the NADRA office without showing the FIR of the police and more importantly in my city Quetta, NADRA officers are more polite and sympathetic with the illegal afghan refugees as compared to legal citizens. The reason for their hospitality with the illegal immigrants is that for the sake of getting the nationality of Pakistan, afghan refugees pay off the officers and the officers also expect the same thing from legal citizens as well, which means I would have been looted again. So, I had no option other than saying thank you to a criminal for not looting me and saved me from being looted again and again.

  

 

 

 

Bijjar! a fruitful tribal practice

Bijjar! a fruitful tribal practice

Bijjar is a balochi word which means cooperation. We all hear on national television about the drawbacks of tribal system by multiple intellectuals. The primary reason why the intellectuals  rail against the tribal system is that they themselves have minimal knowledge about the tribal system. Their Knowledge about tribal system is restricted merely to snags of this system which encompass things like sardari system, exploitation of local masses by feudals, culture of guns, barriers in way of girls schooling. Unquestionably, tribal system does more harms than goods to a society. Yet, there are heterogenous boons of tribal system and one of them is Bijjar.

Bijjar is a antique component of Baloch culture. According to elders, it is 2500 years old and amazingly it is still prevalent in various parts of Balochistan, especially in Jhalwan and Makran regions. In a tribal set-up, just before the marriage of a couple, kith and kins of Bridegroom ask for Bijjar(help) from their tribesmen, to conduct the marriage ceremony. The tribesmen provide Bijjar in the form of animals like goats, sheep, cows, cash and crops. The relatives of Bridegroom who receives this aid will return it to their tribesmen, when they come to collect their Bijjar. For example, suppose a person has given one goat to his tribesmen, he will get it back, when he will go to collect Bijjar. Similarly, if a person gives one camel, he will get it back on his turn.

Bijjar is a great succour for Bride groom. Even, a common men may collect as many as 200 animals, substantial amount of cash and crops and he has to repay this Bijjar in the form of easy installments. For instance, he has to give one or maximum two goats to a family who asks for Bijjar.

With the assistance of his tribe, the Bridegroom will not feel the weight of expenses of marriage.  Moreover, it will help him in starting his new life. Suppose if a bridegroom get 200 animals in his Bijjar, He may slaughter 25 animals for giving a feast to his guests and may keep rest others animals for his own use. The price of one animal may range from 10000Rs to 100000Rs depending upon the size and genre of the  animal. The worth of 175 animals means 20lac to 30lac Rupees which indeed is a very vast amount. Bijjar rescue the bridegroom in commencing his life after marriage.

One more fine aspect of Bijjar is that it is voluntary one may decline, if he dont desire to give Bijjar. Furthermore, impoverished and people of lower strata are exempted from giving Bijjar.

As compared to dowry, Bijjar is totally opposite. The strain of dowry falls on one family, whereas, Bijjar is a contribution of the entire tribe, which may consist of people ranging from 20 thousand to 50 thousand peoples. Ironically, in urban areas, the onus of imparting dowry is on the shoulder of the family of bride. This is so unjust, a person who is his giving his child to someone to marry, he also has to give dowry besides giving her daughter, whom he has nurtured for 20 years. On the other hand, in tribal setup, parents of bride are exempted from paying dowry. Further, the family of bridegroom is responsible for providing all sorts of help to the parents of bride for conducting the marriage of their daughter.

Dowry is a evil social practice and it is not originally a part of our culture. It is a Hindu Culture, fortunately during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, multitude of evil social practices like satti, ban on remarriage of widows were abolished but this wicked custom of dowry was not obliterated and it is a chief stumbling block in the path of girls marriage. The families of poor girls cannot afford to give huge dowries demanded by boys families.

In my opinion people of cities are very unlucky by not having a beneficial tradition like Bijjar and a sole family has to bear the burden of marriage. Infact, many loose their age long saving for the sake of marriage. By comparing Bijjar with Dowry, even a layman can assume that the custom of Bijjar is far more logical, rationale and honorable than dowry.

There is no doubt that tribal system is outdated and it is impractical in today modern world, but still it contain various handy traits like Bijjar which should not be extinguish as it provide great relief to the couple in their marriage and life after their marriage. The other extraneous things which harms the society like dowry should be eliminated immediately.