Sip on 'Sonia Smoothie' at Islamabad café

ISLAMABAD: Civil Junction, the coffee shop in the Pakistani capital where politics can be discussed over a hot cup of 'Musharraf Guespresso' or a chilled 'Sonia Smoothie', has drawn up an interim menu, perhaps to keep discussions going during the emergency.

On the new menu, there's 'Well-Done Opposition' and 'Spineless Opposition', both chicken dishes with and without bones for the main course that can be had with 'Activist Daal Deal' or 'Dhoka Dahi'.

For mutton-lovers, there's 'War Against Terror', 'Ba Qaida Gosht' (a tip of the hat to Al Qaida) and 'MQM' or 'Mutter Qeema Mirch' which obviously draws inspiration from the Muttahida Quami Movement. The chicken and the mutton deals come in full or half 'quorums', that's half or full plate.

Arshed Bhatti, the owner of the 'cafi au food for thought', announces in his interim menu, "Civil Junction is undergoing certain transformations, (including) finalisation of the third generation of our food for thought menu.

"Our menu is a friendly knock at your sense of humour and political acumen," declares Bhatti, a journalist-turned-civil activist, who went to the London School of Economics before deciding to open the cafe.

In its three years, the cafi has seen rock gigs, candlelight vigils, peace walks, poetry reading sessions and even auditions.

Last weekend, about a hundred people gathered at the cafi and lit candles to show solidarity with Justice Rana Bhagwandas, the only Hindu judge of Pakistan's Supreme Court who was not allowed to celebrate Diwali with his family after being placed under house arrest following the emergency.

Though 'Musharraf Guespresso' and 'Vajpayee's cup of coffee', which are served with 'handpicked' and 'conservative cookies' respectively, are still a hit during heated political discussions, 'Sonia Surprise', the drink introduced following the Congress' surprise victory in the 2004 general election in India, has been knocked off the interim menu.

Vajpayee's cuppa, described as being 'old, poetically smooth, chronically alone with no foreign hand in its making', costs slightly less than Musharraf's Guespresso, which is "brewed under high pressure and discipline, is very strong and the real kick is in the aftertaste".

With the winter beginning to sink its teeth into the capital, a variety of soups have been added to the menu.

There's 'Nationalist soup', 'Urdu Medium soup' and 'Rural Stock'.

For vegetarians there's 'VVIP', that's Various Vegetables in Pakistan which are served with 'achaar and dhoka dahi'.

The chef's specials include 'East Asian Miracle with Red Spirit', 'Green Resurgence' and 'Political Stakes'.

Along with 'Sonia Surprise' the Civil Junction regulars miss 'Lalu Lassi Dilbihar', 'Madhuri Masti', 'Pak Bharat Dosti', 'Development Milkshakes' and 'Underdevelopment Juices', which have also been knocked off the menu.

"What I really miss at the cafi is 'Sham Democracy'," said a twenty-something regular, who did not wish to be named as she believed the cafe is often under surveillance by security agencies.

'Sham Democracy' has been described as 'a fruitful desert' made of
'scapegoat's milk' and is recommended with 'Military Intervention', a non-vegetarian main course.

The funkily done-up cafi also has a collection of dozens of Urdu and English books and editions of India's 'Civil Society' magazine.