The mind is a formidable prison. However well intentioned, even those wielding coercive and political power, are ultimately prisoners of their thinking. Lahore like most of the country remained hostage to ‘religious fundamentalists’ and here we use the term with great hesitation, since this might be construed as maligning religious fundamentalism. For these people could not be further way from religion.

For three days, protesters blocked roads, schools, offices and markets remained closed. The cause, the freeing of a woman charged with blasphemy, after eight years of imprisonment, by the Supreme Court. Despite the courageous stance taken by the courts and the instantaneous and bold statement by the prime minister, things remained pretty much as in the past. The promised response, in establishing the government’s writ and for protection of private property, never materialised. The government reverted to the default mode of negotiations even in the face of terrible excesses by the religious protesters and caving in to their illegitimate demands.

But here one may enquire what manner of religiosity is this? Attacking trapped families in their cars on the motorway; torching vehicles; destroying property and causing enormous financial loss to the economy. Over the weekend the city still reels from the aftermath: it remains fairly deserted with little traffic; garbage line the epicenter of protests, where there were political vultures, now crows peck at the accumulated garbage. A crackdown on these elements would have also probably helped the PM’s overseas negotiations too. Apparently they endorse a little show of force.

On a final note some stanzas which seem quite appropriate, from a poem by Zafar Iqbal, I believe that is the poet but I might be wrong: Kaisa ishq Hai? Tere Naam Pe Qurban Hai Magar/Teri Har Baat Se Anjaan Hua Phirta Hai (What manner of love? On your name ready to die/yet of your every word unfamiliar remain); Janey Kab Kaun Kisey Maar De “Kafir” Keh Kar/Shehar Ka Shehar “Musalman” Hua Phirta Hai (Who knows who might kill someone declaring him an infidel/ everyone in the city appears to have turned Muslim).

The only hope is that these extremists, through their uncalled for allegations and ‘fatwas’, are pushing the military, judiciary and the government on the same page. The thing to remember is that paper cuts are quite painful.

Turning to something more prosaic, a colleague suggested a trip to Daroghawala. His promise that you can find amazing bargains on any household things you could dream of. One readily agreed. It was a good thing that we decided to take the Ring Road, since the Daroghawala/Shalimar Bagh exit leads you directly to the Bazaar, underneath the now complete Metro Train track. Incidentally, the terminal where the train ends is enormous. At first glance one thought it was huge complex of flats or offices. Arriving at the Bazaar there are enormous warehouses/sheds and smaller shops. This is where containers from Dubai, Korea, Japan and Europe are unloaded. Most of the stuff is counterfeit or used. The shopkeepers are a bit tight-lipped about the entire affair and not willing to divulge exact point of origin or condition of goods.

Most of the stuff is industrial from medium size cranes, lifts, generators, motors to any imaginable factory parts. There are tools galore, from those used in industry to individual professions including electric saws, grinder, and cutters. For household use there is crockery, cutlery, toys, sports equipment, blankets and any appliances that you can think of. Television sets were particularly cheap.

I came across two other things of interests. Drawn to shop full of perfumes I was initially startled by the price. Yet, on closer inspection realise something was amiss when Lancôme become Lankom and the bottles were plastic instead of glass. A Rolex for Rs3,000 and other Swiss brand wristwatches for a Rs1,000 seemed irresistible but alas were mere copies. As with religion we are drawn to falsehoods. — (AmLahori@gmail.com)

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2018