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Saturday, 11 February, 2012
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SAFmA screens ‘The english Patient’ ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) Cine Club on Friday screened the nine-Academy Award winning movie ‘The English Patient’ here at the SAFMA premises. For those who have forgotten the depth of romance and passion that the movies are capable of conveying, Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient can remedy the situation. This is one of the most unabashed and powerful love stories of 1996, using flawless performances, intelligent dialogue, crisp camera work, and loaded glances to attain a level of emotional connection that many similar films miss. Is The English Patient melodramatic? Of course, but it’s the sort of finely-honed melodrama that embraces viewers rather than smothering them. This wellcrafted story, brought to the screen with great care by British playwright and director Anthony Minghella, and based on the prize-winning novel by Michael Ondaatje, serves up the love of Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) and Katharine (Kristin Scott Thomas) in a way that is simultaneously epic and intimate. The English Patient has an elliptical structure, beginning with the same scene that it ends with. In between, it moves several years into the future, and even further into the past. The opening sequence, which takes place during World War II, shows a British plane being shot down over the North African desert. The pilot, a Hungarian count named Laszlo Almasy, is badly burned in the ensuing crash. Years later, in 1944 Italy, we meet him again. Although his outward injuries have healed, leaving his features scarred beyond recognition, he is dying. He has also supposedly lost his memory. Hana (Juliette Binoche), the Canadian nurse who cares for him, takes him to an isolated, abandoned church to allow him to die in peace. There, injecting him with morphine and reading to him from his beloved volume of Herodotus, Hana seeks to seeks to stimulate his memories. Meanwhile, others arrive at the church — a mysterious, crippled war veteran named Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), who has a hidden agenda, and a pair of bomb experts, the British Sgt. Hardy (Kevin Whately) and his Sikh superior, Kip (Naveen Andrews), who becomes Hana’s lover. Eventually, through dreams and waking flashbacks, Almasy’s memories come flooding back, although Caravaggio asserts that he hasn’t really forgotten anything — he just wants to forget. The story then flipflops between the present and a period during the late-’30s and early- ‘40s, when Almasy is part of a British mapmaking effort surveying the Sahara. It’s then that he meets Katharine Clifton, the wife of a good-natured pilot (Colin Firth) who is helping with the project. The English Patient is the sort of intelligent, epic love story that seems so rare these days. There’s something about this film that lingers long after the end credits have rolled - a desire to re- experience all the feelings generated by the movie, perhaps. One of the reasons for The English Patient’s power is that it strikes universal chords.
ISLAMABAD: Relatives of missing persons hold pictures of their loved ones during a demonstration outside the Supreme Court. sTAFF PhOTO
Promotion of social sciences vital: Dr Sohail
ISLAMABAD
P
STAFF REPORT
ROMOTION of social sciences at institutions of higher education is vital for good governance, active citizenship, rule of law, peace and tolerance, said Prof. Dr Sohail H. Naqvi, executive director, Higher Education Commission (HEC). Speaking at a reception organised by Centre for Civic Education Pakistan in honour of Dr Nasser Ali Khan, Member Operations and Planning HEC and Prof. Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin, Chairperson National Committee for Development of Social Sciences upon assuming their new
tasks, Dr Naqvi said the HEC is committed to development of social sciences in Pakistan and a number of practical steps have been taken in this regard. “The subjects related to social sciences have been included as an integral part of BS-4 year’s program” he added and emphasized the importance of close linkages between the campuses and communities. Dr Nasser Ali Khan, Member Operations and Planning HEC said that all possible efforts would be made for provision of equitable, accessible and high quality higher education in Pakistan. He urged the civil society representatives to work closely with HEC in this regard. Prof. Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin,
Chairperson National Committee for Development of Social Sciences and vice chancellor, University of Gujrat said that a countrywide consultation process with stakeholders has been launched to improve the state of social sciences in Pakistan. He also informed that every year thematic conferences in the fields of social sciences, arts and humanities will be arranged throughout the country. Zafarullah Khan executive director Centre for Civic Education appreciated the HEC efforts for promotion of social sciences and establishment of country s’ first ever Inter University Consortium in this regard. Prominent academicians and heads of civil society organizations attended the reception.
CdA to organise family gala at F-9 park today ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
For celebrating the colours of federal capital, the CDA Officer Welfare Association (COWA) in collaboration with private organisations will organise a colourful family Gala at Fatima Jinnah Park today. According to a press statement issued on Friday, Secretary Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD), Imtiaz Inayat Elahi and Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Engineer Farkhand Iqbal would be the chief guests of the celebrations. The marathon one day event will comprise of colourful activities including Tug Of War, Luddi, DJ, Police Band, Food Court (National & International Cuisine) Musical Chairs, Kite Flying, Magic Show, Cricket, Horse Dancing, Rubab, Badminton, Signing Competition and Folk Dance. The event is the first ever of its kind in the history of CDA and would be characterised by different stalls, shops, food court, game shows, play rides and other festivities designed in a unique manner. A meeting to finalise the arrangements was also held on Friday at CDA Headquarters. Chairman CDA Officer Welfare Association (COWA), Mansoor Ahmed Khan and other office bearers of the association attended the meeting. Chairman COWA apprised the meeting that the function would be fully charged with colourful entertainment activities and the participants of the gala would be served with delicious foods during the brunch. He also apprised that different programmes have been chalked out to entertain the children and the families.
PWC demands early passage of industrial relations bill ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Workers Confederation (PWC) on Friday appealed to the government to get the pending bill on industrial relations passed by the National Assembly and the Senate to protect and define the fundamental rights of freedom of association of the union guaranteed under Article 17-A of the Constitutional, prior to the expiry of Industrial Relations Ordinance 2011 on 17th March, 2012.
The members of the PWC said in case the legislators failed to make the said legislation within the time which allowed the workers to form trade unions and federations to promote their unity, it would be termed an anti-labour act. This demand was made through a resolution in a seminar on ‘IRO-2011Law for Workers’ held at the auditorium of Wapda Staff College, H-8/1, under the aegis of Pakistan Workers’ Confederation (PWC), Punjab Chapter, presided over by IA Rehman, secretary general, Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). IA Rehman, while addressing the meeting, said the government had undertaken an international obligation by ratifying ILO Core Convention Nos 87 & 98 to bring its laws and practice in conformity with the principles of the said conventions. Khurshid Ahmad, general secretary of the confederation, speaking on the occasion, condemned the policies of the government, giving rise to price hike, raising serious gas and electricity load shedding, rendering millions of workers jobless and
allowing the rich to be richer and the poor to be poorer. The meeting was addressed by Muhammad Akbar of Muttahida Labour Federation, Altaf Baloch of MLF, Niaz Ahmad, general secretary, National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Ch Khushi Muhammad Khokhar, general secretary, PWC, Punjab chapter, Syed Salahuddin Ayubi, general secretary, All Pakistan PWD Workers Union, Osama Tariq, general secretary, Pakistan Workers Federation Punjab, Yousuf Baloch, NTUF chairman, Iftikhar Ahmad, presi-
dent, UBL Employees Union, Zafar Ullah Khan Niazi, M Akram Bunda, Haji Ramzan Achakzai, Abdul Latif Nizamani, Gohar Taj, Mian Reman Ghani, Sajjad Gerdezi, additional general secretary, Pakistan Textile Workers Federation, Shazia Sultan and Omar Asghar Khan. Through a resolution, the house urged the government to take steps to improve the economic conditions of the poor otherwise the economic and social deprivations would result in unrest in the society.