Sleepless night in Kabul.

A Facebook post from Kabul.

Half an hour ago, my friend posted on his Facebook : 'its a long sleepless night'.

I lost my sleep too. Last time, I was in Kabul 2013, I attended his lavish wedding. It was a lively event.

We met March this year when he came to Lahore with his lovely little family.

He proudly spoke about the work he has been doing. Even today, he spent his day helping IDPs rendered helpless on Kabul streets and mosques.

He has been a one man battalion. He has done so much for Afghanistan that one finds it hard to beleive. He made hundreds of documentaries on Afghan culture. Lots of other contributions for Afghan culture and history. He travelled internationally. Everytime, his friends would advise not to return to Kabul from the USA, Europe.

He would laugh off such suggestions. He wanted to live on in Kabul.

Alas. It will be impossible from now on. Perhaps, he will stay on. But he will be trapped there, not living there.

Sadly, a whole country and a whole people have been trapped between barbarism and imperialism.

Four decades have been consumed. I don't see any hope another couple of decades.

I have never been so pessimistic ever in my life also because I have never felt this helpless.

Dear Afghans, you all deserved better, much better.

ہمیں چاہیے تھا ملنا کسی عہد مہرباں میں

کسی اور سر زمیں میں کسی اور آسماں میں