The smell of letters
The World Post Day — Oct 9 — made us revisit the post office to discover that it is one service that actually works in this country

Except for the constant hum of traffic, everything is quiet today. The rusty coloured colonial GPO building stands somberly in front of the old afternoon sun. Because it is lunch break, the cold blue and red post mail-boxes outside the main door seem to endlessly wait for the touch of warm fingers dropping in, perhaps, a forgotten letter to an old friend.

The break is now over. Once inside, you are surprised by how vast the rectangular space is and the way everything smells of paper. An ample assortment of furniture — which includes the completely worn out yet comfortable sofas to the horrid metal green chairs — serves as waiting area on the corners, in the heart of the room is the counter area. The counters are lighted by old blinking tube lights and inhabited by serious-looking men.

All the windows of the building are open, yet the noise of traffic has gone and is replaced by the hum of ceiling fans and human voices. Under all this gloom and old fashion is a service that works like a well-oiled machine.

The young man in front of me at counter 11 is wearing a white shirt and black pants. His foot nervously taps the floor as he says something to the post officer. "I can’t understand you, please speak loudly," the officer says. ‘How long will it take for this to reach Multan?" the young man asks. "Is it urgent?" the officer asks. "Yes it is," the young man replies. "In a day," the officer replies. The young man whose name is Munir smiles and thanks the officer. "It’s been a month since I moved from Multan to Lahore. I have started teaching here and I am sending my first money order to my parents. It is extremely affordable and simple, I just had to pay Rs 80 and my parents will get the money."

Ahmed Hussain, the man behind counter 30, has been working as a postal officer for the last ten years. "If you ask me, email is the most important invention of the last century. Now anyone can send written and visual material anywhere. But, not everyone can use a computer and computers can’t send physical items, not yet," he chuckles. Ahmed Hussain says that approximately 100-300 items are received and sent each day.

At counter 33, Tehmina and her small daughter are extremely happy. "All things said and done, there is nothing like a handwritten letter." She hands in a colourful envelope that will fly all the way to Sudan where her husband, who is in the army, is posted with UN peacekeeping forces. "I send him a letter every week and he replies, our letters always find their destinations and my daughter sends him her drawings. Now the feeling of holding your child’s drawing is totally different than seeing a scanned copy on the computer. And with the Pakistan Post’s track and trace system I can always keep track."

"The postal service is one of the things that actually works in our country," says Ali Zain who works for an international jeans merchandiser. "We send and receive our samples always on time and because we get international orders time is extremely important. On top of that its dirt cheap," he says.

This was the most unusual Eid, or so it seemed. Never in my life had I been as sure as I was this time about the Ramzan month lasting for 30 days; so sure that I was even willing to put a high financial stake on it. And I wasn’t alone in thinking so. There were many others on my side who had to go underground, like me, when the most unaccepted announcement of Eid came, right from the horse’s mouth.

The next morning, I was part of the crowd thronging to the nearby mosque to say Eid prayers. On my way to the mosque and on the way back, I was greeted by almost a dozen revellers who first inquired whether I was fasting. Only when I replied in the negative, they stepped forward to hug and greet me.

Some started an argument about the legitimacy of the announcement by the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. Whereas others tried to wind up the debate, immediately, on grounds that the Ummah would not be held accountable on the Day of Judgement for an act of felony committed by a bunch of people.

I reached home and decided not to meet any more people during the Eid holidays. After a heavy dose of breakfast and having read the morning paper, I moved to my bedroom which was occupied by children of all sizes and ages. It took almost half an hour of persuasion and stacks of money in Eidi to transfer these children to another room.

As soon as they left, I switched off the lights and tried to get some sleep. I had hardly closed my eyes when the mobile phone rang. It was then that I realised that I should have switched the damn thing off before getting on to any other business. I had been awake all night and the morning that followed. The phone bell foiled all my sleep plans.

Unwillingly, I found myself attending this call from an unfamiliar number, only to find an old buddy on the line. After exchanging the ceremonial good wishes, he announced he would be at my place within 15 minutes. Before I could ward him off, he told me he had met my younger brother outside our house who confirmed to him that I was home.

This friend’s in-laws live quite close to my house. So he makes a compulsory stopover at my place whenever he visits them to drop his wife and children, even if I’m not home. While his wife and children have a good time with their maternal relatives, this friend sits in our drawing room or lawn, most of the time dosing off in a not-so-comfortable armchair that we offer him. His logic is that his self-respect does not allow him to even drink a drop of water from his in-laws’ house.

Anyhow, with the benefit of hindsight, this friend seemed quite harmless compared to many other unannounced visitors who graced us with their presence this Eid. And this time we had quite a few of them. Probably because people avoided visiting public places due to security concerns and preferred to call on relatives, friends or acquaintances instead. Another reason was the extraordinarily long break that gave people extra time to make social visits.

The most irritating guest that I had to entertain was a close relative of my distant uncle, who came in the middle of the night of what was the third Eid day, accompanied by his six family members including children and a housemaid. He could not inform me about his visit in advance as his mobile phone was "disconnected due to non-payment of bill".

"How could I pay my bill when all the franchise offices are closed." He even tried to justify the time of the visit by saying he could not find a better time and day to get hold of a journalist in his house.

Dare I mention that he also came empty-handed for which he gave an excuse that all the bakeries and gift shops had run out of stocks as their staff had not reported after holidays. "We could not even find out a good food joint open. That’s why we haven’t yet eaten anything," he made the final announcement.

Now, this came as a blast as I could easily work out that the immediate task at hand was to find some good outlet to arrange food for them. It was at this moment that I got up from my chair, reached out for my car keys, and decided never to spend Eid at home in future.

• Documentary Film Festival at Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium. Today id the last day. Films will be shown from 7-9pm.

• Puppet Show at Alhamra, The Mall every Sunday at 11am.

• Talent Hunt Show (singing) every Saturday

• Panjabi Sangat is a weekly gathering every Friday and Sunday

at Najam Hussain Sayed’s house at 7pm

where Punjabi classical poetry is readand sung.

Any person who visits the Sangat can

freely and actively participate in the above mentioned activities.

• ‘Vasda Lahore’ photo exhibition is being organised by Lahore Sudhaar and Urban Resource Centre Lahore.

This exhibition will be based on entries submitted by citizens

Other than photographs, verse and poetry,

as well as sound recordings are also welcome.

These days, Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee of the provincial metropolis has introduced a new policy, allowing spouses to reserve the space to put their souls in eternal rest in the historic and the biggest graveyard of the city.

Miani Sahib Graveyard — the oldest cemetery of Lahore — is situated in almost the heart of the city with Chauburji on one side and Mozang on the other.

Previously, there was ban on reserving space for more than one person in the graveyard due to scarcity of space. The ban on reserving space was imposed in early 1990s, according to the administration of the graveyard. The purpose was to manage the space in the wake of increasing demand for reserving space.

Being the oldest cemetery of the city, dense with population of over eight million, people from almost every locality many a time prefer to bury their dear departed at this place where the souls of their forefathers lie in eternal rest.

The graveyard, having millions of graves, is spread on more than 1,206 kanal of land and is managed through a special committee headed by District Coordination Officer (DCO) of the city, some ex-officio and some non-official members.

Till 1990 there was no consistent policy on the graveyard and people would reserve reasonable and desired spaces through ‘influence’. It was somewhere in the ’90s that the committee felt the need for a clear-cut policy on advance booking of graves.

A couple of weeks back, the committee decided to lift the ban for reserving the space for graves on the condition that only spouses would be allowed to reserve the place. If a spouse has passed away and the space is available with his/her grave then the one who has survived can also reserve the place adjacent to his/her grave.

Interestingly, this condition does not apply on flat places, the administrator of the graveyard committee Idrees Shahzada told TNS.

"There are many ditches in the available huge space of graveyard. The spouse(s) who want to reserve the place would have to fill a ditch which would require earth used for four graves," he said, adding, "and if the spouses want space for two graves they would have to fill the ditch with earth needed for eight graves."

The graveyard committee has also removed a sizeable number of encroachments on the graveyard land. Some matter has also been taken to court. The objective of the whole plan is to facilitate the public and their dear departed maximally.

However, the administrator told TNS that the desire to have grave with spouse or advance booking for spouses was low in the past. On the other side, people and elders of the city have appreciated the new policy.

Miani Sahib Graveyard Committee is also being reconstituted in coming days. To strengthen the system of the graveyard an ordinance was also ratified by the Punjab Assembly in 1962. The law titled ‘The Miani Sahib Graveyard Ordinance 1962’ has set some rules and regulations and reserved some more space for the graveyard. The graveyard is divided into seven parts that include Sirki Bandah, Bara Muqaam, Haq Saayeen, Nizam Shah, Teetar Saayeen, Ghoto Saayeen, and Dhaya Hamo Shah.

Regardless of a recent move for reconciliation between the PML-N and the PPP leaders in Punjab, the plan to overthrow the PML-N-led Punjab government has not yet been shelved completely by the PPP. Insiders say the recent normalisation of relations between the two parties will soon prove a temporary phase as both sides have not yet laid down their arms and efforts are still underway to replace Shahbaz Sharif’s government with a PPP-PML (Q) coalition.

They say the sole purpose behind the delay to undertake such an endeavour by the PPP leadership was to avoid moves by the PML-N to embark upon a confrontation course against the PPP during the President’s visit to the US. There was a strong possibility that if the PPP leadership had wanted to do so, the PML-N leadership would have responded in the same way, thus creating a host of problems for the PPP government at the centre.

Sources say though there is a perception that Punjab Governor Salman Taseer has strictly been warned by the party leadership against making any such moves towards the PML-N at this critical juncture. He is still active in galvanising the Pakistan Peoples Party in Punjab, in addition to making close contacts with the Chaudhrys of Gujrat .He is frequently holding meeting with party stalwarts in the Governor House to devise a strategy to replace the PML-N government in Punjab at an appropriate time.

"We are of the strong opinion that at this moment PML-N is not in a position to destabilise the PPP government in the centre, yet PPP-PML(N) confrontation could send a wrong message to the international community, especially the US administration", says PPP leader Haji Aziz-ur-Rehman Chann. "Nonetheless, we expect that situation will soon turn in our favour in the days to come", he says. "We did not desire to face such a situation when President Asif Ali Zardari was in the USA on a visit that has a special significance for our party".

Talking to TNS, Najaf Sial, a PML-Q leader of the forward block in the Punjab Assembly, says though it seems that normalcy in relations between both the parties returns after a meeting held lately between PPP Senior Minister Raja Riaz and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, this phase may not last long as the PML-N leadership is least bothered to fulfill the promises it made with the PPP regarding redressal of grievances of its members in the Punjab Assembly.

Najaf Sial dispels the impression that the two parties would be able to work together successfully in the light of discussions and understanding reached lately between the Chief Minister and the Senior Minister. Neither did the PML-N fulfill its promises with the PPP in the past nor will it do so in future, says Najaf, adding that the history of PML-N has been replete with betrayals to its friends".

He goes on to say that this practice of betrayal is evident from the fact that as per the deal struck earlier between both the parties, particularly with regard to ensuring working relationship in Punjab; PML-N is bound to give Health as well as Works & Communication Ministry to the PPP but this promise, besides many others are yet to be fulfilled.

Now the PPP has sought all those rights for its members and the PML-Q in the National Assembly which the PML-N members have been enjoying in the National Assembly. This means the PPP and PML-Q MPAs should be given development funds, quota in jobs and a say in postings and transfers in the province, says Najaf. Furthermore, it has also been demanded that a separate place in the GOR should be allotted to the PPP Senior Minister for establishing his Secretariat.

He goes on to say the PML-N government is subjecting the PML-Q members of the Punjab Assembly to all sorts of political victimisation. That’s why Punjab PML-Q Secretary-General Chaudhry Zaheeruddin had to meet Punjab Governor some days ago. He protested at the alleged victimisation of his party leaders and supporters at the hands of the provincial government, says Najaf, adding that Chaudhry Zaheeruddin went to the extent of requesting the Governor to play his due role in this regard and let President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani know what is going on in the province against the PML-Q members.

Pakistan Muslim League (N) Punjab MPA Dr.Asad Ashraf sees no immediate threat to his party in near future. He says his party has a majority in the Provincial Assembly even without the PPP support .The results of presidential elections also show that the PML-N has the support of the majority of members in the Punjab Assembly. "A few within the ranks of the PPP are bent upon creating rifts between the two major political parties, but I hope their evil designs will fall through", says Asad Ashraf .He calls upon the PPP leadership to take notice of the activities of these elements. Otherwise, he fears, the situation may take an ugly turn if PML-N is compelled to retaliate in the same manner.

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) former Central Joint Secretary Mariam Mamdot says the Q-League is not for any confrontation between the PPP and the PML-N in Punjab as Pakistan is passing through the most critical phase of its history. Democracy has yet to take its roots in the country after a long period of dictatorship that has badly eroded the social as well as political fabric of the country. Mariam says people have reposed their confidence in both the parties in the general elections 2008, so their leadership is bound to respect the public mandate. She fears any move for control over Punjab by the PPP will certainly prove deadly not only for the PPP itself but also for the fragile democratic process in the country.

Though most of the PML-N MPAs believe that they are good enough to hold their government in the Punjab on their own without the support of the PPP, Matloob Warraich, Member of the PPP Federal Council, does not agree with this notion .He says, "I don’t think that with the support of 201 members in the Punjab Assembly (including PML-Q forward block), the PML-N government is safe and sound. This indicates that PML-N has in its fold only 15 members more than the simple majority needed to form the government." It is also not clear whether these 15 members have gone to the PML-N for good or not, he says.