July the 28th, 2010 was a day of sorrow, of grief, of depression, and of a heart-numbing awareness that even when we, as the determined conquerors of the Universe, the zealous explorers of the hidden world of success and glory, the resolute pursuers of ambitious goals happen to be ambitiously planning our next ten steps for next five years, the Unseen Hand of Providence may well be writing the time and manner of our exit moment, from this world, during the next moment, the next minute, or the next hour.
I was just making preparations to start grappling the business challenges of the day when a friend rang me up and said in a tone of voice that spelt horror.
"Switch on your TV."
Precisely what I did, not knowing that I was opening the windows of my mind to a harrowing shock that would not go away.
An airblue Airbus had crashed into the hills of Margala, and the fate of its 150+ passengers was unknown. Promptly came Mr Rahman Malik to inform that about 5 had been rescued alive. That built a hope in many minds---especially those whose near and dear ones had been aboard the ill-fated flight--- that there could be more survivors.
My mind, as I watched the TV channels trying to outinform, outperform and outbox one another in the coverage of the soul-shattering tragedy, couldn't help going back to the tragic Cairo crash of the PIA's inaugural flight to Egypt in which too the plane had crashed while landing. All but 6 had perished. And the six survivors became a living testimony to the fact that "even death could not kill those whom the Providence wanted to live". Among the dead were my Editor Abu Saleh Islahi and a few dear friends.
Then my mind went back to a magnificent Hollywood movie by the title of FATE IS THE HUNTER
Yes, fate indeed is the hunter. It will hunt us down, once our name is on the hitlist.
Not meaning thereby that we should abandon our desire and struggle to live. What however we need to abandon is our ill-placed faith in our continuity.
That the fateful flight didn't have on its passengers' list my name, or Mr Zardaris name, or Mian Sahib's name or Chaudhry Sahib's name, or General Sahib's name, should be treated as a good reason to thank the Almighty. But who knows whose names are going to be on the next list?
So shouldn't we bow before God to beg His Forgiveness for our crimes and sins, while we still can think, feel see, and speak?
The difference between the Dead and the Living is, that the Dead are never going to have any opportunity to make amends for their ill-doings.

It is good that NADRA and the EC have agreed in principle that the voters' list will be brought in line with the database of NADRA. This will certainly eliminate all bogus and double entries in the voter's list which is said to be in millions. It is hoped that all those persons who have attained the voting age will also be registered without any further delay as very little time is left for the next elections. All those politicians who believe in free and fair elections have been demanding since long that the voters' list needs to be scrutinised and double checked as some vested interest have manipulated it to their advantage by registering bogus votes in millions as well as making double entries. They have been underscoring the need for updating it by including the names of all those persons who have attained the voting age now and whose names don't find mention in the voters' list.Time is, however, of the essence. The EC and the NADRA will have to work overtime to make it possible within the next two years so that when the new elections take place all eligible voters get due opportunity to exercise their right of voting. If they succeed in their mission, the EC and the NADRA will have done an excellent job.