Diplomatic Bubbles:
Chinese massages vs Chinese ambitions
Saeed Minhas
ISLAMABAD: An eventful election period in Pakistan seems to have exhausted the diplomatic corps in federal capital to the extent that soon after hearing the opening address of the newly-elected prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif many of them were seen rushing for a kneading in the city’s elite and notorious parlors.
There was hardly anything wrong with that as many of us encountered
some European, Gulf, Latin Americans and eve African diplomats in many
such known places run by elite hospitality groups waiting for their turn
to get into massage gowns. After all many of them have been running
from Karachi to Khyber throughout the four weeks of electioneering to
gauge the sentiments, weigh the options and find something to write back
home. Ranging from anti-Americanism to TTP’s purported influence on the
elections, they observed everything throughout these grilling and
tension-marred weeks. The polling and the results and then the first
democratic transition of power remained great interest to many of them
as they saw many firsts during these days. Record polling, exuberance of
youth, emergence of a third political reality, boycotts, voices of
rigging, role of media and an election victory speech within hours of
polling time, they remained glued to such and much more happenings.
Ostensibly, politics should have remained the discussion point in these parlours as well but to my surprise it was not the case. While sitting in one such elitist place, I had no option but to eavesdrop to what was going on next to me between a Chinese telecom company employee (wearing Zong’s logo on his shirt) and an American, full of slangs and mouthful of them.
Federal capital already having a notorious touch for having cat or key clubs and night parties was the topic of discussion between these two which later was joined by a Romanian and Czech diplomat. A gang of five families, all of Chinese origin ad their competition with the new arrivals from central Asian republics mostly from Baku and Tashkent was the exact topic of discussion. Crux of the matter was that which place gives better value for money when it comes to body massage.
Hot talk over the sex slaves of China was not the only thing which was going on there as others were also endorsing the lethal combination of such slaves with spying assignments, the air soon became so tense that parlour management had to send them both to their respective service places and end this conversation.
Chinese and Americans seems to have become so much engrossed in each other’s movements these days that it seems that there is a mini cold war going on between the two in our federal capital. If Americans have blocked entire roads on security reasons, so are Chinese doing in F 6 area. If Americans have developed their own clubs and handout places within diplomatic enclave, so are Chinese doing to establish little China Towns in Islamabad. One such was found in F 11’s jungle of multi story buildings where a telecom company has rented out any entire building for its employees. Once you enter the heavily guarded doors of the complex, you can simply tell by smelling the air that our closest and all weather friends are bringing Shanghai here.
A talk with the security experts in the capital also revealed that this tit for tat is becoming a big diplomatic hassle for the foreign office these days. Just before the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Islamabad, they said that a high level security delegation arrived in Islamabad to ensure the security arrangements. During one such meeting, they informed that the Chinese left the then caretaker interior minister Malik Habib completely dumb by telling him the figures of American spies in the capital and around Pakistan. They even asked Malik to completely block the entry and exit points of federal capital for the entire duration of Chinese premier’s stay in Islamabad besides blocking the phone networks to avoid any mishap.
Another official further confided that our all season Chinese friends have officially protested to the government of Pakistan about engaging Saudis in Gwadar port area. Since the Chinese company is entrusted the task of making the deep sea port of Pakistan operational by the last government, therefore, they believe that though Americans have not been allowed to set up their consulate in Baluchistan but by giving the huge tracts of lands to Saudis would eventually bring Americans in Gwadar- game.
Certainly a game is on between China and America for supremacy at the world stage but Islamabad seems to be fast becoming a mini stage for this Sino-US cold war.
Ostensibly, politics should have remained the discussion point in these parlours as well but to my surprise it was not the case. While sitting in one such elitist place, I had no option but to eavesdrop to what was going on next to me between a Chinese telecom company employee (wearing Zong’s logo on his shirt) and an American, full of slangs and mouthful of them.
Federal capital already having a notorious touch for having cat or key clubs and night parties was the topic of discussion between these two which later was joined by a Romanian and Czech diplomat. A gang of five families, all of Chinese origin ad their competition with the new arrivals from central Asian republics mostly from Baku and Tashkent was the exact topic of discussion. Crux of the matter was that which place gives better value for money when it comes to body massage.
Hot talk over the sex slaves of China was not the only thing which was going on there as others were also endorsing the lethal combination of such slaves with spying assignments, the air soon became so tense that parlour management had to send them both to their respective service places and end this conversation.
Chinese and Americans seems to have become so much engrossed in each other’s movements these days that it seems that there is a mini cold war going on between the two in our federal capital. If Americans have blocked entire roads on security reasons, so are Chinese doing in F 6 area. If Americans have developed their own clubs and handout places within diplomatic enclave, so are Chinese doing to establish little China Towns in Islamabad. One such was found in F 11’s jungle of multi story buildings where a telecom company has rented out any entire building for its employees. Once you enter the heavily guarded doors of the complex, you can simply tell by smelling the air that our closest and all weather friends are bringing Shanghai here.
A talk with the security experts in the capital also revealed that this tit for tat is becoming a big diplomatic hassle for the foreign office these days. Just before the visit of the Chinese prime minister to Islamabad, they said that a high level security delegation arrived in Islamabad to ensure the security arrangements. During one such meeting, they informed that the Chinese left the then caretaker interior minister Malik Habib completely dumb by telling him the figures of American spies in the capital and around Pakistan. They even asked Malik to completely block the entry and exit points of federal capital for the entire duration of Chinese premier’s stay in Islamabad besides blocking the phone networks to avoid any mishap.
Another official further confided that our all season Chinese friends have officially protested to the government of Pakistan about engaging Saudis in Gwadar port area. Since the Chinese company is entrusted the task of making the deep sea port of Pakistan operational by the last government, therefore, they believe that though Americans have not been allowed to set up their consulate in Baluchistan but by giving the huge tracts of lands to Saudis would eventually bring Americans in Gwadar- game.
Certainly a game is on between China and America for supremacy at the world stage but Islamabad seems to be fast becoming a mini stage for this Sino-US cold war.
Little China Town in Islamabad but Chinese should remember what Lal Mosque clerics did to their tiny massage girls
ReplyDeletewhat the heck are Saudis doing in Gawadar? so many other muslim brothers are already doing their presecribed job in Gawadar then why Saudis, cannot diggest this one man can u explain please as i dont buy this
ReplyDeleteChinese massages dont tell me how good they feel
ReplyDelete