Daily Times

RAWALPINDI – Ali Ahmad, a young boy in his twenties, currently living in Rawalpindi after he left Damascus around two years ago, was born and brought up in Syria, but he was never granted Syrian nationality as he had a mixed Pakistani-Syrian parentage.

Soon after the conflict started, the Pakistan Embassy instructed Pakistani nationals to relocate from Syria, he said, adding that he had to leave his Syrian mother behind and migrate to his Pakistani relatives, he had never met before. This resilient Syrian baker shared his thoughts openly for the public.

It is pertinent to mention here that conversing with Ahmad was a humorous ordeal for both of us, as we had to employ an English-to-Arabic dictionary as well as some help from Google Translate, but it was an interesting insight to his life to say the least.

How was life in the Syria you grew up in?

Life was great in my hometown. I had three brothers, starting going to school when I was six years old. The schooling there is free, secondary education isn’t very expensive either. I was interested in boxing and football. I had a license for boxing and kept it on with it for at least three years. I used to enter the school from one gate and leave from the other and go to gaming arcade with a group of friends. I felt completely at home there, no one there knew that my father belongs to Pakistan. But as militants emerged, it got very bad, they martyred one of my brothers, and we had to leave it all behind.

What do you miss the most about Syria?

I miss my mother and other family members, my friends, my room, the cupboard in it and the clean factory that I worked in, my job there (the initial pay there was near Rs 40,000) and Oh yes! My lover (mehbooba) too!

And who exactly was your lover?

Well, there were three, all of them worked in the factory. First, we fell in love and she got married, then I fell in love with another one, and she got married, and the same happened again! One of them is in Europe now. She’s the only one that still calls me. I don’t know where the other two are, they never call.

How much did this conflict influence your life?

I lost a brother, and the place I love most, Syria. If we hadn’t left, the militant militia would probably kill us, and if the Arab Army of Syria found out that I am the son of a Pakistani national, they might not give a good treatment to me.

What do people think of the administration under President Bashar al-Assad?

(President) Assad was great in the start, but I don’t like him anymore. Most of his support is from the army, and the army is very oppressive too. Syria used to be great in the start of his administration. All religious and ethnic groups were united and we were all friends. But now there is a clear divide. We would like election, like Pakistan and any other democratic country. You have (Prime Minister) Nawaz Sharif and (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman) Imran Khan and many others, but in Syria, we have only one that is Bashar al-Assad.

What might happen if Assad goes out of power right now?

For me, the Islamic State militia will probably take over and we don’t want that. I like many other Syrians just want to live in a stable Syria again. Currently, I am waiting for a job in Saudi Arabia.

What discomforts you in Pakistan?

I didn’t really like it when I was new here. After some time, I started to enjoy it. Though I wish it could be cleaner. Most of hotels here would have been shut down if they were in Syria. I like the food but it is really spicy, almost everything they cook here is spicy. I have a problem with that so they keep the spice in control while making my food at home.

What do you like about Pakistan?

Many things – the education here is excellent as compared to the Arab countries. The educated people are very smart. But Pakistan doesn’t have as much money as the Arabs, or it would be much better right now. It makes me want to study too sometimes. I love to attend marriages here in Pakistan, as the celebrations here are one of a kind. Among the food, I love Biryani with lesser spice of course. I can’t eat the kind cooked in restaurants here.

What do you do for entertainment?

I like to listen to Arabic songs, but I watch Turkish movies. Sometimes, my cousins here translate Pakistani dramas when I watch them. I have seen Indian movies too especially movies of Amitabh Bachan, translated in Arabic. I did not know a lot before coming to Pakistan. And I never think it would be such a rich experience here.

Hasnatul Hasnain Sheikh, a Kashmiri blogger, is author of this interview-based feature. He can be reached at hasnatsheikh@yahoo.com