Bomb safety kit top Eid gift in Pakistan

With safety being top priority this Eid in view of recent bomb blasts in Pakistan, most Pakistanis played safe and stayed indoors, but -- like always it was difficult to dampen their sense of humour.

Over cups of green tea and Sharbat-e-Roof Afza they brainstormed top 10 Eid gifts. The list ranged from gifting bags of flour -- the price of which has surged in recent months -- to hand fans, what with the country hit by prolonged power cuts.

Stop.pk, a popular website offered Eid gift ideas to its members. Topping the list was a bomb safety costume/kit!

Other alternatives included demanding 'Eidi' (Eid gift in cash) in dollars as the Pakistani rupee was falling to new lows.

In a solemn bid, the website, which describes itself as an 'extremely addictive internet lifestyle for Pakistanis', also offered a 'surprise gift box' containing a dua (prayer) that relatives and friends do not have to contend with any personal or national disaster this Eid.

While the well-heeled joked about giving UPSs and generators as corporate gifts, the less-privileged talked of hand fans and battery fans.

The most e-mailed card was about Eid celebrations at the presidency. The 'official greetings from the presidency' had newly-elected President Asif Ali Zardari dancing with his Sindhi cap on, while Information Minister Sherry Rehman played the guitar and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani kept the beat on drums.

During the dance, Interior Minister Rehman Malik pops up along with Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar to cheer Zardari and do a 'balle balle'.

Other most e-mailed cards were those that speculated how Pakistani politicians would spend the Eid holidays. One card dedicated to former federal minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed read: 'He will make even more predictions on this Eid regarding the current government.'

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was shown managing 'zakat money', top lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan was shown taking out 'yet another march on Eid', sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry was 'still hopeful of getting his seat back' and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman was having more 'even more halwa'.

PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi brothers were showing counting their 'remaining bicycles' -- a joke that combined the party's election symbol of the bicycle and their rapid loss of support.

Last but not the least, former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, known to be a foodie, was depicted on a card eating mayoosi (hopelessness), gham (sadness) and gussa (anger) while Zardari ate 'Sheer Korma', a traditional Eid preparation  'made of promises and politics'.