Rehbar

24/01/2026

In ancient Roman times, during the reign of Nero, the flute-loving ruler, I grew up hearing the legend that he played his fiddle while Rome burned. As a child, it sounded like a distant myth. Today, in Karachi, it is our lived reality.

As Gul Plaza burned, wedding music echoed from the homes of the “uncrowned kings.” Celebrations continued uninterrupted. While families stood covered in soot, begging for news of their loved ones, the elite raised glasses to a future the common citizen can no longer afford to imagine. Children waited for parents who never returned. Shopkeepers who left home for an ordinary workday became names on a list, not faces in memory. Grief hung in the air, unanswered and heavy.

This is a familiar script. A tragedy occurs. A “joint committee” is announced. Promises of justice are made with solemn faces. Then the files disappear, buried quietly until the next fire, the next collapse, the next preventable death.

In Karachi, we survive through self-help, Apni Madad Aap. But our resilience has slowly become our curse. When we arrange our own security, rescue our own victims, and bury our own dead, the state learns to look away. Human life becomes disposable. We have mistaken survival for progress, endurance for dignity.

Change does not trickle down. It erupts from a shift in consciousness.

We need a Renaissance mindset. Just as Europe in the 14th century moved away from blind fatalism toward reason and accountability, we must stop blaming “destiny” for crimes rooted in criminal negligence. Buildings do not kill people. Corruption does. Silence does.

Look at Nepal and Bangladesh. Their youth stopped asking for permission and walked into the halls of power. If we do not become a questioning nation, we will remain spectators at our own funeral, watching the flames from a safe emotional distance until they reach us.

Accountability is the only fireproof solution. If we do not demand a system where a shopkeeper’s life is valued as much as a king’s celebration, then we are not waiting for justice. We are waiting for the next spectacle.

The embers at Gul Plaza have cooled. But the grief remains. And our demand for change must keep burning until human life is valued above political fiddles, empty ceremonies, and staged condolences.

-Kanwal Tariq

13/01/2026

محترم دوستوں آداب عرض ہے-

آئیے میں آپ لوگوں کو ایک دلچسپ بات سے آگاہ کرنا چاہتی ہوں. جیسا کے آپ جانتے ہیں کہ اردو زبان دنیا کی چند خوبصورت زبانوں میں سے ایک ہے . میں خود اردو زبان کی بہت بڑی شیدائی ہوں. میں اس زبان میں ایک مصنفہ ہوں . کچھ دنوں سے سافٹ ویئر یا آن لائن آپشنز کی متلاشی تھی جس سے میں اردو زبان میں لکھ سکوں یا ڈکٹیٹ کر سکوں۔ میں نے کئی آن لائن ویب سائٹس دیکھی ہیں جہاں آپ اردو میں ڈکٹیٹ یا لکھ سکتے ہیں۔ ویسے تو آج کل https://www.write-urdu.com/کو استعمال کر رہی ہوں جو نسبتاً آسان ہے . اورآج کل میں اسکا استعمال بھی بہت خوش اسلوبی سے کر رہی ہوں .

خیر - تمہید باندھنے کا مقصد یہ تھا کہ یہ اگاہ کر سکوں کے مائیکروسافٹ ورڈ میں یہ آپشن موجود ہے . آپ اگر HOME میں DICTATE کا OPTION پر SETTING کو کلک کریں گے تو زبانوں کےOPTION مل جاتے ہیں۔اور پھر آپ اپنی پسند کی زبان کو CLICK کریں جس زبان میں آپ لکھنا چاہیں .

اب میں جو بات آپ کو بتانے جارہی ہوں ،اس کو دیکھ کر میں خود بھی حیران ہو گئ. جب میں نے بولی جانے والی زبان پر کلک کیا ، تو انگریزی میں انتخاب کے لیے کئی OPTION موجود ہیں: جسے (آسٹریلیا، کینیڈا، برطانیہ،انڈیا اور امریکہ) وغیرہ اور اس کے ساتھ زبانوں کی لمبی فہرست سامنے آگئ۔ جس میں عربی، چینی،فرانسسی ، ہندی وغیرہ زبانوں کی فہرست موجود ہے . حیرت کی بات یہ ہے کہ گجراتی، مراٹھی، تمل اور تیلگو گو کے ہندوستان کی علاقائی زبانیں ہیں، لیکن یہ بھی عظیم زبانوں کے درجہ یعنی ڈکٹیٹ DICTATE میں نظر آ گئ ہیں۔

لیکن آپ اس بات کو جان کر حیران ہوں گے کہ "اردو" جو بڑی عظیم اور مہذب زبانوں میں سے ایک ہے، زبانوں کے فہرست میں اسکا کوئی وجود نہیں ہے۔ مجھے تواس بات نےسوچنے پر مجبور کر دیا کہ اخر کیوں ؟

میں مائیکروسوفٹ کے اعلی منصب پر فائز ارباب اختیارات سے پوچھنا چاہتی ہوں کے یہ کسی تعصب کی بنیاد پر ایسا کیا ہے. یا واقعی غلطی سر زرد ہوئی ہے.

میری مودبانہ عرض ہے کے اردو زبان کے ساتھ امتیازی سلوک نہ کریں اس کو سیاست سے دور رکھیں . اردو زبان دلوں کو جوڑتی ہے توڑتی نہیں .
-- آخری بات جو بہت اہم ہے . جو قوم اپنی زبان کی اہمیت سے غافل ہو آپ ٹھیک سوچ رہے ہیں--- جو میں سوچ رہی .
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کنول طارق۔

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01/01/2026

Gratitude takes you to higher altitudes.
I had heard this phrase before, but it was only after traveling and moving here to the UK that I truly understood its depth. Back home, I had so many blessings that I never fully appreciated because they were always there,my parents, my siblings, and warmth of the family. Now that I am here, I miss them deeply every single day.
It makes me wonder, and I often ask myself,Why is it that we only realize the true value of things after we have lost them or moved away from them?
This morning, when I woke up and looked out my window, the bright sunlight made life feel beautiful. In the UK, the weather is mostly cloudy and sunlight is a rare gift. Seeing that light today made my heart overflow with words of thanks to God. It’s such a small thing, yet we take so much for granted until it’s gone.
I’ve realized that as humans, we are constantly running after what we don’t have, failing to cherish what we already possess. Happiness isn’t found in expensive things; it’s found in the people around us ,in loyal companions, in a mind free of worry, and in a peaceful night's sleep. We ignore our own well-being and the now, thinking a big house or a fast car will bring us peace. But these moments will never return.
Look around you, appreciate what you have, and be grateful.

Kanwal Tariq

31/12/2025

Happy Holidays 🎊🎄

24/12/2025

"From our team at Rehbar Family Foundation, we wish our Christian neighbors and friends a very Happy Holiday season. We are united by our shared commitment to compassion, charity, and the upliftment of the vulnerable. May this season of light bring peace to your hearts and joy to your families. We are honored to serve alongside you."

17/12/2025

This article is dedicated to my father, my brothers, and my cousins. To the men in my bloodline and those struggling across the world: I see the weight you carry and the silent battles you fight. May these words offer you the strength to keep going and the permission to heal.

The image of a man is often painted in strokes of unshakable strength and stoic silence, cast as a pillar that must never bend or break under the weight of life. Yet, when we look closer through a lens of true empathy, we see a far more complex reality hidden beneath that armor. A man’s struggle is rarely loud; it is found in the quiet sacrifices he makes every day, often setting aside his own deepest desires to ensure the security of those he loves. He carries the heavy burden of being a provider, a protector, and a hero, all while society whispers that showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness. He swallows his fears and masks his exhaustion, choosing to fight his internal battles in solitude so that the peace of his home remains undisturbed.
As women, we have the unique capacity to hear the words he never speaks. We see the fatigue in his eyes after a long day and the weight on his shoulders as he navigates the relentless pressure of expectations. To recognize this pain is not to see him as weak, but to acknowledge his profound humanity. He doesn't just build a life with his hands; he builds it with the pieces of his own unfulfilled dreams, often struggling in silence to bridge the gap between who he is and who the world expects him to be. In the end, his greatest strength isn't his ability to suppress his feelings, but his quiet resilience to keep moving forward for the sake of others. Behind the steel exterior is a heart that feels every blow, and seeing that struggle is the first step in truly understanding the man behind the mask.
Kanwal Tariq

03/12/2025

Rumi remind us that every wound is a door through which the light enters ,making us stronger,lighter and wiser.

03/12/2025

30/10/2025

I got over 100 reactions on my posts last week! Thanks everyone for your support! 🎉

22/10/2025

Team Rehbar