Coordinates: 31″26′08.00 74″18′11.00

This is a Rotary adopted Government School

City District Girls High School
Azmat Chowk,
Green Town, 
Lahore.

Go past the SHELL petrol pump.
About 1-KM down, turn Right in the market.
Opposite Bus Depot

It’s ONLY TODAY.  Life continues with or without us.  The question is did we make a mark on it.  Today is a chance for some of us.   Those who want to take this opportunity…. join us.   

How long will we be there?  I don’t know.  The more people that come, the sooner we’ll be done, and the sooner we’ll get out.  So come ASAP.

Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/55p6fl

Coordinates: 31″26′08.00 74″18′11.00

Go past the SHELL petrol pump.
About 1-KM down, turn Right in the market.
Opposite Bus Depot

A project of Loose Ends Pakistan in collaboration with Aankahi, and supported by Samaa Tv.

The objective of the day long campaign is to bring conscientious people together to take ownership of Lahore and play a part in making it even more beautiful.

The project is to clean and beautify a wall owned by a school, involving the students and giving them a beautiful wall to take ownership of.

This event will have live media coverage and appropriate security arrangements will be made.

Loose Ends Pakistan would like to invite all citizens of Lahore to come together to take part in creating a gift for the children, tomorrow’s leaders. 

To sign up, please join our facebook group.

For SMS Notifications please join tag “leplahore” on http://chopaal.pk/

Lot of people have questioned my motive and usefulness of cleaning a few feet of Karachi’s walls.  Let me make some very objective points.

1/ The spot chosen has very high visibility, and a spot where most everyone visiting Karachi, sees quite soon after leaving the airport.  Thus the mess at this spot is just a bit too much.

2/ I’m completley against cleaning othere people’s mess, since they never learn not to repeat the mistake.  However, since the city administration has recently made “commercial chalking” of Karachi’s walls a criminial offence and they have also been jailing people for similar offences.  This makes the effort worthwhile.

3/ Being high visibility, cleaning this spot will definitely not go unnoticed.  Thus a strong message and statement would go out.

4/ This particular spot has been heavily branded by the biggest telecom companies of Pakistan, who can definitely afford better and more socially responsible methods of advertising.  Cleaning their mess would send out an even stronger statement, since you can’t really argue with poor and struggling businesses.  However, it’s fair to question multi-billion dollar companies when they do such things.

5/ Lastly, the idea is not to clean a few feet of public wall.  The idea is to make people take ownership and responsibility of a country, we so easily ignore and take for granted.  We have become completely insensitive to the filth that we live in.  The plan is NOT to clean a large area.  The purpose is to actually get as many people as possible to do it with their own hands.

So, if noone showed up tomorrow morning, I will clean a spot 2′X2′ and leave.  I want every one who comes there to only take ownership of a 2′X2′ spot and clean that.  It will hardly take 15 minutes to do it, if done from scratch, but it will make one realize what it feels like to stand in scorching heat and clean the mess we so easily make.

The weather forecast for Sunday 12th October 2008 is excrutiatingly hot.  Don’t let that discourage you.  It’s only a few minutes in the everyday life of a policeman, a sweeper, or a worker cleaning the walls.  Let us, the affluent, spend a short while in his life, so we can appreciate what ruthless and insensitive tyrants we are.

We, members and volunteers of Loose Ends Pakistan, Ankahi’s team, and volunteers of Samaa TV will be at the venue, God willing, by 9:30 AM.  I’d urge those who are coming to come as early as possible, so we can finish the job and move to a second location by noon.  That way we can get out of the scorching sun as soon as possible.

A lot of companies and organizations are supporting us in this event, and I’d like to thank them all in advance.  I have been so occupied with organizing all of this, that I don’t even know who has sponsored what.  I will, insha Allah, acknowledge each one, after the event.

I would, however, like to thank all the authorities that have agreed to provide us logistical support for the event.  This includes the city district government of Karachi, and the police.

I already want to thank my coordinator and personal assistant Ms. Bina Elyas and my secretary Ms. Uzma Hassan, for tolerating my tantrums and harsh work hours.  I also want to thank my wife Reema for coming up with this idea and motivating me to take this on.

The list of people at Samaa TV is endless and deserves a seperate post, but I must specially acknowledge Ankahi’s producer, my friend, my brother, Mr. Adnan Maqbool, and Samaa’s C.E.O. Mr. Amir Jehangir.  Their help and support has been unmatched.

For those who want to be there:

Location: Baloch Colony Flyover. Crossing over Shahrah-e-Faisal

Map: http://tinyurl.com/4e4d2x

Time: 9:30AM onwards

Date: Sunday 12-October-2008

I would urge all parents to bring their children, even if for a few minutes, to hold a brush and paint a few short strokes.  I assure you, your children will remember each stroke for a long time.  I promise you that every time your family, your children, you, will drive past that little brush stroke, you will remember that it is YOUR land, and you will feel proud for it.

Those of you who decide not to come, I beg you to remember us in your prayers and good wishes.  I hope you will at least condemn the dishonoring of this beautiful country by our own hands.

It is almost midnight, the night ahead is short, and the project tomorrow long.  May Allah guide us all and may He give us the strength to touch the land we so take for granted, and to finally take ownership of our responsibilities.

Good night, and I hope to see YOU in the morning.

The objective of the day long campaign is to bring conscientious people together to take ownership of Karachi and play a part in letting it breath again. 

The project is to clean the clutter created by excessive advertising messages in the form of graffiti painted all over the city.   This campaign will be covered by the media, and will have adequate security arrangements.

Loose Ends Pakistan would like to invite all citizens of this city to come together to take a stand and play a part in making Karachi a better place.  

For details of the event, please keep watching Samaa TV.  For security reasons the venue will be announced through: facebook, Samaa TV, and Chopaal.  Please register yourself with Chopaal and add tag “lepkarachi” for live broadcasts, etc. of the event.

Be there if you care about Pakistan, and don’t want to be someone who waits for others to do what is your responsibility.  God willing, see you on Sunday.

The unofficial promo:

You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We’d all want to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We’re all doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you’ll have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright [x4]

You say you’ll change the constitution
Well you know
We’d all love to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know know it’s gonna be alright

The initial announcement led to some useless comments. A few people attacked Dr. Awab very carelessly, which I regret. Totally wrong attitude. Dr. Awab, on the other hand, reacted with a smile. Totally right attitude. The battle of accusations and smiles is going on. :-/

Mr. Ali Shaikh, who has at times called himself “Ali G”, feels I’ll only get “losers” if I don’t pay them, and wants me to spend money. I feel, I will only get “losers” i.e. people who are driven only by the money that way, and not those who have even an ounce of patriotism or interest in the country.

In essence I’m looking for a very very few people to form a core group that can start working on “The Solution” with me. This would involve a lot of discussions and arguments, followed by quite a bit of writing. The only reward for this work will be a possible answer to the biggest problem we’re faced with, the future.

I don’t think we’d be able to find a grand master plan, or become the salvation for the nation. I dont’ think it is possible nor appropriate for the average man to try to become the government for at least another decade or more. Thus I hope and believe that this exercise will be able to find a road map of the people, for the people, by the people.

Anyone who feels they want to join me in this effort is invited to add your comments here. Since I’m looking for a very very small core group, I will be very selective (It’s my party and I can cry if I want to ;-). I’m using this note only to solicit interest. The real work will happen off of facebook. A lot of work will happen in physical or virtual meetings of the core group.

All volunteers MUST conform to the following:

1/ Resident of Pakistan
2/ No second nationality
3/ No plans to leave the country
4/ No political affiliations
5/ No political aspirations
6/ At least FSc or A-Levels
7/ Computer Savvy

Kindly contact me using either of the following methods:

1/ Add a comment to this note
2/ send me a private message on FB
3/ Email me at fq@faisalqureshi.com

I need you to send me your complete contact details, and a brief writeup explaining why you’re the right person for this exercise.

Please don’t bother posting any other comments or discussion here. I will delete them.