Extraordinary Rendition

Hakim Hazik

I have a dream.

I have a dream that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all civilians are created equal’. 

I have a dream that one day, in D Square of the parliament on the banks of Euphrates, the sons of Yazid and sons of Husain will sit down on plastic chairs inside a bomb proof container and thrash out a plan for an equal share of the Government loot.

I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but the content of their dad’s wallet. 

I have a dream that up on the hill, the vicious parliamentarians with their lips dripping with words of electoral democracy and constitutionalism will hold hands with those in the Aabpara and bow in submission for their heads to be chopped off. 

I have a dream in which I have been blessed with a vision of the holy of the holies, the exalted Field Marshall himself who with a gesture of a finger on his lips has won me over and has caused my heart to melt. He has told me that the faithful will be rewarded by his holiness in this world and the next, in Islamabad and in Toronto, with milk and honey that can be poured over Fauji cornflakes and with freshly minted notes of the Canadian dollars and British pounds. 

I have a dream that one day the hills of Margalla will be made plain and the plain of the parade ground will be made plainer so that the reformers and the apostles can descend onto them with parachutes provided by the Field Marshall, beloved of God and his coming foretold by the chosen scribe Munir Akram in the holy Dawn.

This is our hope. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of corruption a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to work together, milk the Brits and the Americans and the Canadians together and still stand up for the blasphemy law in front of the non English speaking audience and be able to lynch the lowly Christians together. 

This will be the day when all of the God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “Deep state, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of security, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the agencies’ pride, from every mountainside, let care takers  reign. 

Let care takers reign from the Snow capped mountains of Haji Pir. 

Let care takers reign from the Chinese enclave of Gawadar. 

Let care takers reign from Emirates’ lease of Cholistan. 

Let care takers reign from Aabpara. 

Let care takers reign from the GHQ. 

And when this happens the children of Yazid will come to Model Town for parleys and the holy of the holies will buy me a ticket to Mississauga

I have a dream.