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Namira Salim Pakistan Today chats with the multi-talented Namira Salim, regarded as the first Pakistani female astronaut, Honorary Consul to Monaco, artist and peacemaker Who is Namira Salim? How would you define yourself? Namira Salim was born a dreamer. She dreams, believes and acts while placing the strongest faith in her convictions and the inner voice that guides her. Every dream she conquers, ignites a new dream to inspire others to follow their aspirations. What does it mean to be recognized as “the first Pakistani astronaut”? It is immensely fulfilling to see how my potential spaceflight has inspired women and the youth to excel in all fields of life. This is the most treasured title I could have held in a land of over a hundred and eighty million people. I was greatly honoured to have been recognized as the “First Pakistani Astronaut” in 2006. Since then, as the Founder Astronaut of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, I laid the foundation of the first private spaceline of the world which will mark the advent of commercial spaceflight at the end of this year. What drove you to pursue space flight training? And what did it entail? My sub-orbital spaceflight training was
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part of and a requirement of the Virgin Galactic Founder Astronaut Programme which was the pre-qualification that cleared me for the actual spaceflight. I trained in the world’s most advanced high performance centrifuge, the STS-400 at the Nastar Center in the US under the supervision of Virgin Galactic. It was a full simulation and an immersive experience into the way the actual spaceflight will be during ‘Launch/Release, Rocket Motor Ignition, Climb to Altitude, Weightlessness, Re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.’ The training process assessed my ability to tolerate and adapt to increasing gravitational forces and motion sickness during my potential sub-orbital space flight.Final training will be held at Spaceport America a few days before our spaceflight. What was the most memorable moment of the training? It was a paradox! At first, I felt completely weighed down by the G Forces as if I was being crushed down by a baby
elephant and then, before I knew it, I was floating in space, as light as a feather... Tell us more about your visit to the North and South Pole? What significance does it hold in your life? I undertook my polar adventures to test my own limits and to go as far as possible on earth before breaking out of the orbit. Achieving these feats gave me the courage to go further and to inspire others. As the First Pakistani and first woman from Monaco at the North Pole in 2007, the South Pole in 2008 and the first Asian to skydive (tandem) Mount Everest in 2008, I take immense pride in having hoisted my universal peace flag, “Peace Making with Nation Souls” at all three poles. I first unveiled this slogan at my solo exhibit held during the United Nations General Assembly in May 2002 and now aspire to raise it in space as the first Pakistani Astronaut. In doing so, I hope to convey a universal message of peace on behalf of my country.
Your tireless diplomatic efforts led to a historic accreditation between Pakistan and Monaco. What went into building this tie? I first proposed the idea of establishing diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Monaco in 2003. From then on, it was a long drawn bureaucratic process. The Embassy of Pakistan to France is first accredited to the Principality of Monaco. To this end, our first Ambassador was accredited to Monaco in February 2009. In August 2011, I was appointed as the Honourary Consul of Pakistan to Monaco. In March 2012, I organized a very high profile and fitting ceremony at the prestigious Oceanographic Museum of Monaco which marked the inauguration of the Consulate of Pakistan to Monaco by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, in conjunction with Pakistan Day. The event showcased Pakistan’s trade, exports, arts, culture and UNESCO World Heritage sites
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through an exhibition and screened a vibrant film about Pakistan. What do your duties as the Honorary Consul of Pakistan to Monaco entail? It is about promoting the culture, trade and a positive image of Pakistan. Besides these areas, I have been concentrating on developing cooperation between the two countries in the area of Environment and humanitarian initiatives, focusing on education and health care in the earthquake stricken areas of Pakistan. The Principality had made generous contributions towards our earthquake of 2005 and floods of 2010, the effects of which I had brought to the attention of the Monaco authorities. So, building stronger partnerships in these areas is very rewarding. You are also involved in spreading goodwill and the peacemaking process? How important is it to centralize women in the peace making process? I have spread peace and goodwill through my art exhibits at top UN summits and during my polar adventures by raising my
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universal peace flag “Peace Making with Nation Souls.” I would like to stress that women are the building blocks of a nation. It is a woman that nurtures the coming generations. So, a woman can play an instrumental role in instilling universal human values, tolerance and a peace loving mind-set in children during the informative years. While woman can make a significant contribution in the peace making process in other arenas, I feel peace making should begin in the cradle! How did you decide to venture into decorative arts? What is the philosophy behind your label A Soul Affair? I ventured into the decorative arts in 1997 when I moved to Monaco to set up my private label “A Soul Affair.” So, that was a decade before I embarked on my polar adventures. Deep down, I am a very creative person, into music (ghazals) and poetry. So, after my post-graduation from Columbia University in International Affairs, I wanted to follow my passion of art and decor, which is what I create under my label. The philosophy behind A Soul Affair
rests in universal spiritual values. Fundamentally, we are all souls trapped in a human body, limited by time and space. Such a dimension is representative of our temporary existence. Our reality is the soul, which is our eternity. Therefore, if peoples of the world begin to engage with one another on the platform of universal values and ethics which are synonymous with all cultures, there would be more peace and tolerance in the world. At the outset, A Soul Affair started spreading such a universal message of peace through art, music and poetry at the top most forums of UNESCO and the United Nations in 2000 and 2002, respectively. What are some challenges that you face in juggling your many different endeavours? I am not always able to spend as much time with my family as I would like to and I still find it hard to make time for my art, music and poetry. In fact, I still feel I have a long way to go on this front as I make time for several innovative ideas in the making. What message would you give to young girls in Pakistan?
means, having faith in your inner convictions and acting in the right timing.
Believe in yourself, dream and act. But most essentially, never give up on your values, no matter what the gain. In losing one’s truth, one
only makes short term gains. At times, when things don’t work, one should surrender, but surrendering doesn’t mean giving up. It only
How are you feeling about going into space this year in Richard Branson spaceship? I will be greatly honoured to be the First Pakistani and First South Asian Space Tourist. But what’s most fulfilling is to see Virgin Galactic leading a revolution in space technology. Therefore, the advent of commercial spaceflight will provide opportunities for the common man, researchers, scientists, satellites and payloads to go to space in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner. Therefore, I am thrilled to play a humble role in making “space” for others and inspiring others to reach for the stars.
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She has and she WILL By Tabinda Zuberi
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akistani women have held leadership positions since the birth of our nation. Our country has produced remarkable women politicians over the course of time who have worked tirelessly at grassroots and as well as policy levels. Election 2013 has witnessed many such examples where despite failing to secure a party ticket, women politicians have contested as independent candidates in different parts of the country reaffirming the fact that their political career is not dependent upon the mercy of a party leadership but is rather grounded to serving the nation in true spirits. During Election 2013 women in huge numbers tried their luck in the politics. As per reports generated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) 516 tested their fates in elections this year on general seats including 161 for National Assembly and 355 women for the provincial assemblies. During the
previous round of elections back in 2008, women were able to secure 60 and 15 seats in the Assembly on reserved and general seats respectively. For 2013 elections, until now, out of the total 342 seats in the National Assembly, 55 reserved seats have been announced as the decision pertaining to Punjab is still pending. The results reveal that out of many women contesting on general seats only 14 have been successful, securing 5 National and 9 Provincial assembly seats. History repeating itself, gave a marginal space to women candidates to contest elections on general and reserved seats. 2013 elections have been no better than the previous; with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) having the highest number of general seats secured by women in the National Assembly. On the other end of the spectrum we had (JamiatUlema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) with absolutely no party tickets issued to women. Despite women struggling hard
to step up their political game, the ground reality is extremely disappointing and discouraging. Women’s representation in the Parliament is not a mirror of the genuine efforts made by these women in terms of legislation, policy formation and tangible work. Pakistan has produced seasoned political women working at all tiers of the government who have significant experience in policy formation, introducing bills and calling attention to notices. Reports produced over the course of time clearly indicate the growth of these women and reflect on their outstanding performance over decades. During the past ten years women parliamentarians have introduced and co-introduced the highest number of bills many of which pertain to issues which their fellow male colleagues fail to address. Also their active participation has been recorded during sessions in parliament in terms of questions put forward for better and meaningful
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legislation. Their accumulative parliamentary experience of over ten years is reflective of the consistent up-ward growth and development. Resultantly, operating in small numbers in a male dominated political environment, it is only the best who survive the storm and stand firm in their constituencies. What is it that takes these women politicians to emerge as effective women politicians and secure nomination and party tickets to be elected is something that ties down directly with a particular skill set. “The skills of advocacy and decision-making helped me a lot in my political endeavors, lobbying efforts and campaigning during elections. It was only because of the training that I was able to understand others better instead of making them understand me better.” -Sabrina Javed, Member Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). District Vice President, Women’s Wing. Addressing the crucial needs of these women who were to contest for elections 2013, Search for Common Ground Pakistan is one such organization that engaged with over 150 women politicians in a series of training workshops, forum and networking platforms. The organization and its partners namely; Insan Foundation Trust, Paiman Alumni Trust and Uks Resource Center are aimed at equipping women parliamentarians and councilors from across party lines and geographical boundaries with a particular skill set that is required for effective political campaigning and media interface. “It seems that the main ingredient for emerging as an effective political leader is a required skill set complemented by the will to learn and lead.” It will not be wrong to say that while majority of women contesting on party tickets can just enter the game by using their family magic
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wand, we can find examples of women emerging from areas and backgrounds which do not provide a cushion to their political careers. One such example is of Sabrina Javed who is Vice President of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), District Jhelum, Punjab. Sabrina attributes her political and social success in constituency mobilization and media handling skills that she learned through various training workshops held by the organization. Sharing one of the major successes of her post-training politics, she says that incorporating the issues of domestic violence and non-formal education into her party’s manifesto were only possible after exercising skills around advocacy, conflict resolution and consensus building which enables her to respond to various disputes within her party and the community. Another beneficiary of the training Rukkaya Hashmi of Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (PML-Q), recalls her political journey as a challenging one where she continued her struggle to be noticed by her party’s leadership. The problem surfaced in political meetings and also in her efforts to reach out to the media. It was after the training on Effective Media Messaging that she was seen leading the delegation and discussing the whole situation after the massacre in the Hazara Town of Quetta with the President of Pakistan. It was her who took lead in mobilizing like minded politicians in the affected region to present solutions to the President. This opportunity opened doors of confidence for her; she was heavily covered by the media. Rukkaya is now a prominent and leading politician in Balochistan and her efforts and services are always given coverage by the media. “I handled the whole situation very technically, applying all the tactics I was taught that could bridge the gap between media and a politician. The next thing I knew, I was leading my delegation and discussing the whole situati on
with the President of Pakistan!”RukkayaHashmi , Member Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (PML-Q). Ex-MPA It seems that the main ingredient for emerging as effective political leader is a required skill set complemented by the will to learn and lead. The national ‘WILL Campaign’ - Women’s Initiative for Learning and Leadership led by Search for Common Ground Pakistan is aimed at raising general awareness on and advocating for women’s political participation and leadership in Pakistan. The campaign promotes women’s political participation at all tiers of the government and highlights the tremendous amount of efforts and contributions made by them. It is vital for organizations working on similar grounds to be part of this drive. Given the current political environment, quota system and induction processes; equal representation can only be realized if political leadership, male counterparts and the Pakistani population at large buy into the idea of women’s political participation and recognize their efforts and accept them as effective leaders. Despite being under-represented these women continue to remain highly effective as compared to many of their male counterparts. With male politicians heavy focus on business and commerce, what Pakistan now calls for is a greater number of women politicians who can deliver around social and women-specific issues alongside the main stream issues.With the new government being put into place, it would rather be the most favorable time for us to celebrate and support these women! Tabinda Zuberi is a Development Professional and can be reached at email: tabindazuberi@hotmail.com
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Books
Ghalib’s epistolary art in Persian The two books in view share some ‘uncollected’ Persian letters of Ghalib translated into Urdu along with their original Persian text By Syed Afsar Sajid
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artau Rohela is a renowned poet, scholar (of Urdu and Persian), translator and travelogue writer. He has specialized in translating Ghalib’s Persian letters – collected or scattered. With some seven prose and verse publications to his credit, he also holds the coveted national awards of Pride of Performance and Sitarai-Imtiaz in recognition of his literary achievements. The two books in view share some ‘uncollected’ Persian letters of Ghalib translated into Urdu along with their original Persian text and the Persian correspondence (with its Urdu translation) between Ghalib (17971869) and his noted contemporary Ghamgeen (1780?-1851).
Ghalib kay Ghair Mudawwan Farsi Makhtootat The book contains the original and translated versions of eighteen letters addressed by Ghalib to Meer Syed Ali Khan Ghamgeen
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alias Hazratji, Nwab Yuuf Ali Khan, Nawab Ghulam Mustafa Khan Shaifta, Munshi Nabi Bakhsh Akbarabadi, Hargopal Tufta, Moulvi Fazlullah, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary (Mr.) Thom(a)son, Muzaffar-udDaula Mirza Saifuddin Haider Khan, Nawab Moin-ud-Daula Zulfiqar Haider Khan, Maulana Muhammad Abbas Showstri, Syed Ibn-e-Hussain Khan, Wazir-udDaula Wazir Muhammad Khan, Khudadad Khan and Walidad Khan, Sh. Amirullah Sarwar, Rajab Ali Arustu Jah, Hakim Imamuddin Khan, and Moulvi Mufti Syed Ahmad Khan besides detailed annotations appertaining to the addressees of these letters together with six appendices on some related epistolary issues/ controversies. Apart from being an apt biographicalcum-sociocultural indicator of Ghalib and his times, this book bears a symbolic significance too as it serves to highlight the innovatory character of his art as a bi-lingual epistle writer. Partau’s translation of the letters bespeaks his ingenious felicity with the two languages. The
book is thus no less than a boon to the scholar and the common reader alike. Flaps on the book by renowned litterateurs like Dr Jamil Jalibi, Dr Shafiq Ajami and Dr Nasir Abbas Nayyar further highlight its form and content to the benefit of the reader.
Ghalib aur Ghamgeen kay Farsi Maktoobat
A scion of the Muslim nobility of central India, Syed Ali Ghamgeen hailed from Gwalior. He graduated to mysticism at the age of 29 at Gaya in Bihar where he stayed in seclusion for twelve years. In addition to religious meditation, he demonstrated keen interest in travelling, hunting, physical exercise, and poetry. ‘Mukashifat-ul-Israr’ is a collection of his mystic ‘rubais’. In its preface, he has thrown a cursory glance at his biography. The book in hand contains the correspondence between Ghalib and Ghamgeen spanning a period of around three years (1837-40). Noted poet, critic and intellectual Khurshid Rizvi has
Ghalib kay Ghair Mudawwan Farsi Maktoobat Ghalib aur Ghamgeen kay Farsi Maktoobat Translator/Compiler: Partau Rohela Pages: 232 – 157 -- Price: Rs.350/- -- Rs.250/Publishers: 1. Zar Nigar Book Foundation, Imran Road, Khayaban Colny, Faisalabad 2. Muqtadira Qaumi Zaban, Pitras Bokhari Road, Islamabad
Apart from being an apt biographical-cum-sociocultural indicator of Ghalib and his times, this book bears a symbolic significance too as it serves to highlight the innovatory character of his art as a bi-lingual epistle writer
contributed a scholarly foreword to the book. Partau’s own preface seeks to explain the backdrop of his interest in Ghamgeen whom Ghalib is stated to have venerated as his ‘Peer-o-Murshid’. The book comprises both Urdu and Persian versions of ten letters of Ghalib addressed to Ghamgeen as well as four of the latter to the former. This is followed by ten appendices revealing some more facts about Ghamgeen’s personal life, pursuits and mystical and creative work including nine numbers of ghazal each by Ghalib and Ghamgeen, composed by them in an identical metrical scheme. This book is also a kind of souvenir to the memory of Ghalib’s illustrious contemporary, the Sufi poet Ghamgeen.
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