Pakistan Link - April 3, 2015

Pakistan Link The Largest Circulated Pakistani-American Newspaper in North America

Friday, April 3, 2015

VOL. 25/14 -14 Jumadal-ukhra 1436 H

PAGE 26

PAGE 15

PAGE 13

Nawaz Should Ask NA about Sending Troops to Yemen

Altaf Names Three Party Stalwarts as Successors

Nadia Hasan’s Melodious Voice Lives on

A Historic Day for Pakistani Americans

Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan and Senator Tony Mendoza are seen in the California Senate Chamber with a framed copy of Resolution SR-15 that declares March 23rd, 2015 as “Pakistani American Day”

Sacramento, CA: For the first time in California history, the State Senate recognized the contributions of California’s Pakistani American community by adopting Senate Resolution 15 by Senator Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) declaring March 23rd, 2015 as “Pakistani American Day”.

Senate Resolution 15 was passed unanimously (32-0) by the California State Senate on March 26, 2015.

A special ceremony held on the Senate floor following the vote featured the Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan, Deputy Consul General of Pakistan Malik Qamar Abbas Khokhar, Artesia City Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj, and Pakistani American dignitaries from throughout the state.

“Today, the California State Senate paid tribute to the contri-

butions of the Pakistani American community to the diverse fabric of California. SR 15 declares March 23, 2015 as “Pakistani American Day” and provides the people of our state an opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and history of this vibrant community,” said Senator Tony Mendoza.

“It’s a great privilege and pleasure to be in Sacramento to witness the passing of this historic senate resolution. It is a fitting tribute to the patriotism, contributions and achievements of the Pakistani American diaspora in California. We at the Consulate General are proud of our community and express our gratitude to the Honorable Tony Mendoza for spearheading this meaningful and befitting resolution,” said Consul General of Pakistan, Hamid Asghar Khan.

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“It is truly a historic moment for the Pakistani American community here in California. I know people have traveled from all over California and other States to witness this momentous occasion. I am excited to be a part of this day and I extend my sincerest thanks to Senator Mendoza for making this happen,” said Artesia Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj. Author of Senate Resolution 15 Senator Tony Mendoza, a Los Angeles native and former elementary school teacher, represents the 32nd Senate District of California. Previously, he has served for three terms as Artesia City Councilmember, as Artesia City Mayor and as California State Assembly Member. Senator Mendoza has been a staunch supporter of ethnic diversity throughout his public career and has sought to dismantle barriers to ensure that

people of all ethnic backgrounds have RESOLUTION, P3

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Opposition Demands APC over Yemen Crisis Karachi: A joint resolution read at the end of an opposition parties’ meeting held on Wednesday called for a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, and demanded that the government hold an All Parties Conference (APC) before taking a stance on the issue.

The meeting, chaired by former president Asif Ali Zardari, was held at Bilawal House and attended by representatives from the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F).

PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman, while reading out the joint declaration, said the government should summon an APC and a joint parliament session to formulate the nation’s stance on the critical matter.

PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari urged all stakeholders to sit together to resolve their differences.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar said “the government is flying solo on the issue”. The whole nation is concerned about the alarming situation and all concerns need to be addressed, he added.

The participants of the meeting expressed concern over the deteriorating condition in Yemen and its implications on the region and on Pakistan.

It was unanimously agreed that the stability and integrity of the Gulf and all countries in the region are of paramount importance.

ARY & ’Link Sign Memorandum of Understanding

From Left: PL Publications President Arif Zaffar Mansuri, Founder and President of ARY Digital Network Salman Iqbal and Chief Operating Officer of ARY Digital Network North America Asif Jamal

Anaheim, CA: PL Publications,

the publisher of nationwide weekly newspapers Pakistan Link and Urdu Link signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ARY Digi-

Periodical postage paid at Newport Beach, CA and additional mailing offices

tal Network USA on Monday for mutual cooperation and promotion in the State of California.

The President of PL PublicatioARY, P11

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COMMUNITY

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P3

L-R: Deputy Consul General of Pakistan Malik Qamar Abbas Khokhar, Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan and Senator Tony Mendoza

Senator Tony Mendoza and Consul General of Pakistan Hamid L-R: Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan, SenaAsghar Khan standing in front of the flags of California and Paki- tor Tony Mendoza and Artesia City Coucilman Ali Sajjad Taj stan in the Senate Chamber

CG Hamid Asghar Khan and Senator Mendoza speaking to members of the media and the Pakistani American community inside the State Capitol building RESOLUTION FROM P1

equal access and opportunities.

Added Senator Mendoza, “In California, Pakistani Americans are an integral part of our state, having made great contributions in the fields of finance, technology, law, medicine, education, sports, media, the arts, the military and government. It seems fitting that March

23, 2015 be celebrated as Pakistani American Day.” Consul General Hamid Asghar Khan, who has recently joined the Consulate General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, initiated the idea for this Resolution. Since joining the Los Angeles office few months ago, the Consul General has been hard at work to improve the image of Pakistan on the

Copy of SR-15 that declared March 23rd, 2015 as “Pakistani American Day”

West Coast of the United States and to engage the host community and the Pakistani American Diaspora.

Two of the many laudable initiatives he undertook were: Holding a large vigil outside the Pakistan Consulate for victims of the Peshawar school massacre that was well attended by American media, politicians and high government officials, and inau-

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CG Hamid Asghar Khan and Councilman Ali Sajjad Taj with members of the Pakistani American community outside the State Capitol building

guration of a community center at the Pakistan Consulate by Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee Congressman Ed Royce.

Speaking on the occasion Consul General Khan made the incisive point in highlighting the importance of the March 26th event: “The significance of this resolution cannot be overstated. Pakistan is 75 years

old and the first Pakistanis came and settled in this great state 70 years ago.

This is the very first time that on the behest of a visionary leader, Senator Tony Mendoza, California Senate has recognized and acknowledged the tremendous contributions that the Pakistani American diaspora has made to the social fabric and the economy of the state.”

COMMUNITY

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015

L-R: Artesia Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj, California Governor Jery Brown, Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan and California Senator Tony Mendoza.

Photograph taken at Frank Fat’s Restaurant in Sacramento, California on March 25, 2015

L-R: Deputy CG Qamar Abbas Khokhar, and CG Hamid Asghar Khan presenting a book on Pakistan to Senator Tony Mendoza

Group photo taken at a dinner party at Frank Fat’s Restaurant in Sacramento, California the night before the vote on Senate Resolution 15. Senator Tony Mendoza and his staff attended the dinner party along with Pakistani Americans led by the Consul General

Glimpses of the luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted by the Pakistani American Sports and Cultural Organization (PASCO) in Sacramento, California. Pictures by Anwar Khawaja

Artesia City Councilmember, Ali Sajjad Taj, who has the distinction of being the first City Councilmember of Pakistani descent on the West Coast of the United States, contributed tremendously in bringing the idea of this resolution to fruition. He campaigned hard and long, alongside Senator Mendoza, reaching across the aisle to Democrats and Republicans, to achieve this historic success and win richly deserved recognition for the Pakistani American community. Councilmember Taj said, “I was elated to see the jubilation on the Senate floor, many Senators came and congratulated me and others after the resolution was passed by a unanimous vote”.

Currently, there are nearly 47,000 people of Pakistani origin residing in California and approximately 10% of all exports from the United States to Pakistan is from California.

Ras Siddiqui adds: Pakistan Day falls on March 23rd marking the day in 1940 when the passage of what later became known as the “Pakistan Resolution” occurred, which envisioned a new country for Muslims in what was then British India. That country today is known as Pakistan, a seemingly troubled land which continues to defy the skeptics. With over 180 million inhabitants, it is fighting extremism and poverty but at the same time has a contrasting and booming stock market, a strong military with a growing nuclear arsenal. It also has some significant representation in the arts (a recent Oscar Winner), the youngest Nobel Prize winner and is known for being the point of origin of some of the finest food and music around today.

And its Diaspora is also well-known.

There are millions of Pakistanis outside of Pakistan working and contributing to their newly adopted lands, with over 400,000 (year 2010 census) here in America alone and close to 50,000 in the State of California. And the time had come for them to be recognized.

At the California State Capitol on March 26, 2015 history was made in Sacramento when Senate Resolution 15 was introduced and passed unanimously (32-0) in the State chambers marking “Pakistani American Day” and through it recognizing the contributions of our community to the Golden State. Introduced by Senator Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) who was accompanied here by elected Artesia City Council Member Ali Sajjad Taj, the resolution was a milestone event for those present, including the relatively new Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles Hamid Asghar Khan.

To quote some lines from the resolution text here: “Whereas, With diligence, fortitude and an enduring belief in the American dream, Pakistani immigrants have helped to turn emergent areas within the State of California into thriving and respectable communities, while raising their children to be productive Pakistani-Americans; and Whereas Pakistani Americans have become an integral part of mainstream American society and have made important contributions as Californians in the fields of finance, technology, law, medicine, education, sports, media, the arts, the military and government, as well as other areas; and Whereas there remains much to be done to ensure that Pakistani Ameri-

cans have access to resources, have a voice in the United States government and continue to advance in the civic landscape of the United States; and Whereas, Celebrating Pakistani American Day provides the people of the United States with the opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions and history of Pakistani Americans, and to appreciate the challenges faced by Pakistani Americans; and Whereas, as the Pakistani American community prepares for a new era and creates a new history, Pakistani Americans must instill in younger generations the proper appreciation of the courage and values of their forefathers……”

Resolved by Senator Tony Mendoza, that he recognizes March 23, 2015 as Pakistani American Day, and commends the many residents and organizations throughout the State of California, that have supported and promoted the culture, traditions and achievements of Pakistani Americans.” (Dated this 26th day of March, 2015 signed by the Honorable Tony Mendoza 32nd Senatorial District) If one was to expand on examples of just a couple of the contributions of Pakistani Americans in California, one founded a computer company (AST Research) and put our community on the technology radar not only in this state but worldwide. The second is currently protecting America’s sensitive networks and is a leader in Cyber Security (FireEye). And if one were to go back in history, the country of Pakistan itself has made significant contributions to the free world as a whole by risking its own security while aiding US Foreign policy stra-

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tegically and materially in the fight against totalitarianism. And several Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans have themselves risked their lives to help in the past and continue to do so in the present to keep our adopted country secure.

At a follow-up reception in a room just outside the California State Senate some leaders from our community from southern California, the San Francisco Bay area, Stockton, the greater Sacramento area appeared visibly moved by the ceremony which had just taken place. Many of us have been here for over 4 decades and are now part and parcel of this country, in both mind and spirit ,but Pakistan too is a part of our life. We would like to see our country of origin do well and get out of its current difficulties.

At a again gathered, this time to acknowledge the assistance of the Mayor and a City Council Member from the nearby suburb of Elk Grove for a cricket tournament held last year and to be held again on April 4th and 5th (at Hal Bartholomew Sports Park, 10150 Franklin High Rd, Elk Grove, California - 9 AM to 10 PM this coming weekend). At the lunch Consul General Hamid Asghar Khan took the opportunity to interact with community leaders from all over the region and to present Mayor Gary Davis and Council Member Steve Ly small tokens of appreciation. Representatives of the Pakistan Association of San Francisco, the Pakistani American Association of Sacramento, AMV Foundation and other groups were represented here including some from the Los Angeles area (including Pakistan Link’s Arif Mansuri). One local Pakistani-

American leader described the day as the happiest in his life!

The significance of this day for Pakistani Americans is increased manifold because this event was held in Sacramento, California, a region where possibly the oldest Pakistani community resides in this country. Some families here can trace their ancestors back to the early 1900’s when Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs arrived in California to work in California’s agricultural sector.

Since this influx was only of males, many of these men married Mexican women and mixed religion families were common. Later, just like Partition happened in British India, the community here was divided into the Pakistani and Indian identities in 1947, when the oldest Mosque in the west was also founded the same year (and still exists at 411 V Street in Downtown Sacramento). Later when Asian exclusion laws ended women from Pakistan also joined the community. Predominantly Muslim Punjabi, Hindko and Pashto speakers have lived here for several generations. It was good to note that some of their representatives were present here to see this Senate Resolution passed, recognizing their contributions and their identity. The only question that comes to mind now is: why did it take so long?

Thanks are in order for all the supporters of this effort from within the Pakistani American community and we hope that this is a beginning which our next generation can build upon. And our sincere thanks to Senator Tony Mendoza, for introducing this resolution, and to all members of the California Senate, who supported it.

OPINION

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P5

Discord and Division

Pakistan Link President

Arif Zaffar Mansuri

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n By Mowahid Hussain Shah

W

ith the Senate 2015 process over and its Chairman picked, it is time to step back, pause, take a deep breath, and reassess.

The arguments being offered to endorse the selection of the Chairman center on his being the architect of the 18th Amendment, presenting it somehow as a good thing for the Federation. But is it? Under the hijab of greater autonomy to provinces, it nourishes more ethnic resentments and is a pathway to more provinces.

Inadvertently, it may be doing the task of those who would like to see the fragmenting and marginalization of national solidarity. In effect, the 18th Amendment repudiates the founding ideology of Pakistan.

A rudimentary reading of the spread of Islam beyond Arabia clearly suggests that its appeal to the wider world was owed to its breaking the shackles of tribalism through the message of social justice and equality. A tribal creed remains restricted to its own tribal territory. It is of no use to nation-building.

Pakistan today is mired in tribalism, sectarianism, and provincialism. In other words, hate. And those who foment division and discord are making hay while the sun

is setting. Just because everyone thinks that something is a good idea doesn’t necessarily make it so. Just because pork is widely consumed

In effect, the 18th Amendment repudiates the founding ideology of Pakistan. A rudimentary reading of the spread of Islam beyond Arabia clearly suggests that its appeal to the wider world was owed to its breaking the shackles of tribalism through the message of social justice and equality. A tribal creed remains restricted to its own tribal territory. It is of no use to nation-building. in many parts of the world doesn’t make it hygienic. The Adventist Church bars pork.

100 years ago, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan warned about the perils of balkanization. His warning remains relevant.

Last summer, I took a trip to Kosovo. There, in the heart of Eu-

n By Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry

“

rope, I visited the Muslim town of Gjakova. One could see the elegant minarets of Ottoman period mosques. Gjakova was the site of

Pittsburg, CA

A free press is not a privilege, but an organic necessity in a great society… A great society is simply a big and complicated urban society.” Walter Lippmann

Thomas Jefferson, America’s 3rd President, once famously said, “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers”.

What do the people of Pakistan read and watch most: lies and their glamorized enactment. Half-baked truths, tilted presentation of facts and ground realities; brutal, personal competition among the TV anchors to be the “first” in the breaking of news, which often turns out to be a trivia; or a reportage on a blast, or the rape of a child. In short, Pakistan’s media is a major contributor to the confusion and disillusionment that has currently wrapped the people of Pakistan. Media has the potential to act as a weapon of “mass- destruction”.

Mr Saurav Karmkar is right when he tweets about the TV anchors. “What these anchors do on television is similar to what a bored aunty does… always ready to add fuel to the fire… commenting on unrelated matters with the intended objective of creating a controversy, similar to what a neighborhood aunty calls, ‘chugli’ “.

By the way who is an anchor? The term itself is as confusing as it is enigmatic. Time magazine of February 12, 2015 has shed some light on it, “On February 10, we learned that one of the most respected voices in the media would be leaving his anchor desk, as would one of TV’s biggest celebrities known for jokes and fake news.

That it is not immediately apparent which part of that sentence refers to Jon Steward and which to Brian Williams…” The news clearly referred to Brian Williams, a serious journalist who had developed a surprising ability to disarm audiences on sitcoms and talks shows, and to Ron Stewart who perfected himself in the art of self-deprecating himself as well as others. What did Brian Williams do to get suspended without pay from NBC Nightly News? He had falsely claimed, on air, that “a helicopter he’d flown on in Iraq had been shot down by an RPG”. “Williams rise and downfall sum up the contradictions built into the term anchor, perhaps the most unglamorous title

Serbian attempts in 1999 to massacre and destroy the Kosovar Albanians and their heritage.

2015 is also the 20th anniversary of the genocidal massacre of Bosnian Muslims in the town of Srebrenica, which was declared a UN safe haven under the custody of Dutch troops. The UN troops

Pakistan’s Own Foe: Its Media

ever given to a glamour job. A ship’s anchor, after all, does its job under the surface, unnoticed. A news anchor’s job is to ride astride the prow of the network’s flagship and be seen. And Williams was the best of his generation at being visible, before he came unmoored.”

Compare William’s little exaggeration to what Pakistan’s TV anchors tirelessly project and present to the public through their hyperboles.

These anchors in their fancy dresses in Pakistan, shamefacedly and without any fear and moral compunctions, indulge in promoting the sickening biases and prejudices of the network’s owners; foam-mouth in pleading the innocence of the politicians whose corruption tales are even self-evident to the elementary school kids; who promote hate-crime; indulge in defamation and slander and incitement. The juicier the distortions they make; the brighter they see the chances of their ascension in the employers’ eyes. Yasmeen Aftab Ali in her book, “On Media & Media Laws” writes that there is a lack of high level of accuracies; focus is on being the First to report, and not on being the most accurate and truthful… this has created serious credibility issues”. Different TV channels report widely different figures on the killing of innocent people and of the soldiers in the war against terror. Sensationalism is yet another issue; search for the juicier stuff is non-stop, such as rapes, kidnappings for ransom; terrorist attacks and the destruction caused by such attacks. Real issues remain unattended to.

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from Holland fled when the Serbs encircled Srebrenica. The guardians abandoned their wards who were entrusted to their care. This didn’t happen during the time of Hulagu Khan in 1258.

Much earlier, I was fortunate to visit Sarajevo when it was an exemplary model of coexistence, pluralism, and Muslim heritage.

It hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. It was Tito, the leader of unified Yugoslavia, who had tamped down destructive divisions and sought inclusion. After his death, provincialism ran amok and led to the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia into many parts.

Provincialism is another form of inflaming petty resentments. And there is no time for pettiness now in Pakistan.

Politicians who cannot deliver the hard yards of governance instead exaggerate victimhood and a sense of inequity to justify their rule. Discord is fitna. It represents a constant threat within.

Basking in victimhood is a recipe for perpetual underachievement.

But this is the political culture that is being entrenched, without comprehending the folly of its far-reaching implications.

Historic memories are notoriously short and suffer from selective amnesia. Too many today may need to have their recollections refreshed by the calamity of 1971.

Unbridled media has almost become a virtual Frankenstein. It is learned that the Visual Media is owned by the property tycoons, and a kind of manifest rivalry is traceable through these TV anchors who work for them. A. R . Khalid, a teacher of Journalism at the Punjab University in his book, “Communication Today”, writes, “The fact is the Pakistan journalists are anything but human. Most of them are the worst breed of parasites. Instead of helping the nation they seem hell-bent to suck its blood, to strip it to last drop and even to bargain national interest for the sake of personal aggrandizement. Their slogan about freedom (of press) is only a camouflage to squeeze personal benefits out of the state officials who spare no effort either to out-clever the journalists”.

Anchor Saafi invited Munawar Hussain of Jamiat e Islami to further inflict the inflicted people of Pakistan, by condemning them to hear, “soldiers killed on the border while fighting the terrorists are not martyrs”; Hamid Mir when attached in Karachi by an unknown group did not wait for a second and blamed the ISI for the attempt on his life. Everyone condemned the attack and demanded that the assailants be brought to justice; but one TV channel even rushed to demand the resignation of the DG of ISI. The whole issue became history, and it is business as usual.

Do people who by nature and trend are egotistical and self-centered, deserve to be TV anchors? One gimmick loving gymnast is now running a show called, “Neelam Ghar”. Had he taken the trouble of seeing himself in the mirror, dressed in fancy attires, he would have reformed himself way back. But for money and fame this buffoonery would continue to stay as a sustain FOE, P12

Views and opinions expressed by authors and contributors in articles, letters, opinion pieces, reports, advertisements, etc appearing in Pakistan Link and Urdu Link are their own. The paper neither shares nor endorses them and thus should not be held responsible for the views/opinions of the writers & advertisers.

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OPINION n By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai

“

Washington, DC

All of us remain concerned that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir should be solved through peaceful negotiations and should be willing to lend all the strength we have to the resolution of this matter.” - President Nelson Mandela at the NAM Summit, September 2, 1998

In matters of international conflict resolution, that can only imply the involvement of a third party mediator or facilitator. If Ashok and Ahmad can’t put Humpty Dumpty back together because they can’t agree on where the pieces go, then Sam, a specialist in eggshell reconstruction, should be called upon in order for differences to be resolved.

Most importantly, without a third party’s impartial diligence in pursuing a settlement, breakdowns in lines of communication or other disputes that may arise will inevitably create barriers to resolution, and the process will fail. The side in the dispute which offers initiatives will always be seen as weak when both are out rattling their sabers; hence no progress can be made.

Although it seems that the UN would be the most ideal party to do so, it’s obvious that UN involvement needs acceptance from both Pakistan and India. India has made it clear that the UN’s monitoring of the Line of Control separating the two sides is itself unacceptable. Efforts to involve other major power

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

Kashmir: Urgency in Dialogue Process brokers has achieved nothing, and most have alliances with one or the other of the two countries that would taint the process.

The world powers can still persuade India and Pakistan to go back on their position in respect to the UN. Alternatively, they can suggest to both neighboring countries to simply agree that some other neutral party which perhaps professionally engages in conflict resolution might work between the two countries, creating an unbroken line of communication between them so that differences can in fact be resolved.

This mediator or facilitator should not be any party that is tied to any known national or international political agenda, whose funding should be derived independent of such interests, and which may pursue the resolution of this conflict objectively.

It would be the task of such an independent agency or a personality of an international stature to review solutions to the dispute which have garnered some attention and agreement in the past and to propose steps that would bring Pakistan and India together on points of alignment, with the full inclusion of the Kashmiris themselves. Since the future of Kashmir is at stake, it is vitally important that its own interests, however varied among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and others, be a party to any discussions that are to take place.

Numerous proposals have been made in the past for resolving the Kashmir dispute which the neutral

agency might take into consideration, such as that proposed by Sir Owen Dixon’s Plan in 1950, Ambassador Yusuf Buch’s Proposal in 2003, to Ambassador Kuldip Nayar’s Proposition in 2014.

There are several key issues that have been addressed in such proposals that need to be taken into consideration again.

1. Should all military operations cease and all troops from both countries be withdrawn?

2. What political, economic, national defense or social interests do Pakistan and India have in their respective regions of control in Kashmir that are important to retain?

3. Is their involvement in the

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power structure of a future Kashmir necessary to preserve such interests?

4. Should the long-term objective be complete sovereignty and independence for such a state, or should a power-sharing arrangement be sought with the countries now involved?

5. Should communal interests that divide these regions culturally and religiously be used to establish provincial or federalized boundaries in order to separate them politically?

6. Should the Chanab River be used as a boundary in making such a division?

7. Should the Line of Control be dissolved?

8. Does land or territory make a country or do people make a country? Which has greater priority in

deciding Kashmir’s future?

9. Should the interests of the people who now live in Kashmir be given greater priority than geographic considerations of proximity to Pakistan or India or any other interests of those who live outside its boundaries?

10. Is peace possible if the interests and desires of the population inhabiting Kashmir are not given the highest priority?

11. Should valuable resources within Kashmir, such as water, which provide an essential need to all countries involved, be managed by a board or coordinating committee composed of members from all who benefit with international guarantees?

12. What examples of international conflict resolution may be used to identify successful pathways to resolving the conflict?

13. What are the benefits that would accrue to both India and Pakistan in resolving this dispute?

It is clear that resolving this dispute requires a careful evaluation of its many points of contention and addressing them one by one in a carefully drawn out process in which coming to an agreement on each sets the stage for moving on to the next. The most basic set of principles must be established and adhered to regarding human rights, the interests of the Kashmiris themselves, and the preservation of vital interests that both India and Pakistan have at stake, and then to proceed with steps toward objectives that result in a win-win solution for all.

- gnfai2003@yahoo.com

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OPINION

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

The Best Place in the World to Be a Muslim: America or Europe?

n By Dr Akbar Ahmed

“

Washington, DC

I object, Dr Ahmed,” said the large bearded man in a turban and shalwar kameez as he rose slowly from his seat. I had just shown my documentary film Journey into America in the theater at the American Embassy in London to a large audience of mainly Muslim leaders from all over the UK. The occasion was an unprecedented one in which the embassy had graciously invited this large Muslim gathering into its building in Grosvenor Square, which more than anything resembled Fort Knox in its security.

My mind was racing through a list of possible places in the film that a South Asian imam — his appearance and accent gave away his ethnic identity — could have objected to: praising Thomas Jefferson as a visionary, the risqué scenes at Mardi Gras, or the descriptions of African Americans as the best examples of Muslims in America.

“In your film, Muslims say America is the best place in the world to be a Muslim. I disagree. The UK is the best place in the world to be a Muslim.” One or two more gentlemen with beards had risen quickly after him to say the same thing, not to be outdone in publicly expressing their fealty to the establishment knowing full well there were several high-profile figures in the audience,

including at least one lord and a police commissioner.

There was palpable relief in me and I suspect in other members of the audience too. The imam’s objection raised a question in my mind.

While the statement expressed a wholly subjective view, its logical corollary was a question. Which Muslim community — the American or the European one — was in fact better placed, integrated, in short, better off to be where they were in relation to the majority population?

The methodological conditions to examine this question could not have been more perfect if a social scientist had set up an experiment in a laboratory. One community — the Muslim ummah in the West — split in two by an ocean and finding itself on two separate continents, the bulk of whom arrived around the same time, after the Second World War, and living in lands dominated by white Christian populations. How would the two look like over two to three generations from the time the original family members arrived?

How much of the identity of their ancestors would they retain? Which Muslim community would be more felicitously integrated into the larger American or European societies?

Finally, given the history of the two continents in dealing with their minorities and their current economic and political uncertainties, what are the prospects for Muslims in the future?

Ethnic composition While there is so much discussion and controversy about Muslims in the West, the actual numbers in

terms of population are tiny. The US has a Muslim population of 1% to 2%, while Europe has a higher percentage, with around 5% of the population being Muslim. There are also substantial Muslim minorities in European countries. In Bulgaria, they constitute around 10% of the population, the highest Muslim mi-

goes back to the very beginning of American history. Over the years, the identity of the slaves was eliminated, but in the 20 th century, African Americans began to adopt Islam in various forms and declare they were “reverting” to the religion of their ancestors. In Europe, however, there are entire nations of indigenous Eu-

In the US, Muslim immigrants tended to be part of the professional class, with many doctors, lawyers and engineers.

Women were active in their communities and adjusted fairly quickly. Had it not been for 9/11, they would have adjusted even better nority population in Europe.

Muslims in the US and Europe can be divided into three broad categories: indigenous or native Muslims, immigrant Muslims and converts to Islam.

In the US, there are no “indigenous” Muslims, but the closest would be African Americans. Some 30% to 40% of the slaves brought to the US were Muslim — some estimates are even higher — so Islam in America

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ropeans who are Muslim, including Bosnians and Kosovar Albanians.

They believe they are European and are, by any standard. Other Muslims who could be considered indigenous are the Turks of Greece and Bulgaria.

After World War II, immigrant Muslims from the Middle East, South Asia and other places came to the US and Europe. In the US, large numbers of mainly Arabs and South Asians came to study and work,

but there were Muslims emigrating from the entire Muslim world, from Cambodians to South Africans to Indonesians. This was made possible by the passage of President Lyndon Johnson’s landmark 1965 immigration bill, which President John F. Kennedy had initiated. The intention of these immigrants was to stay and pursue the American dream, and they entered the middle and professional class.

In Europe, this process was different, with large numbers of immigrants coming to work as manual labor. World War II, in which 70 million to 80 million people were killed, devastated Europe’s economy and manpower was needed in factories. Agreements were signed with Muslim nations, commonly former colonies, to provide such manpower.

So Algerians went to France, Moroccans to Spain, and Pakistanis to the UK. Exceptions included Germany, which had no Muslim colonies and drew on its historical relationship with Turkey in recruiting large numbers of Turks as “guest workers.”

The intention of the European immigrants, unlike those who went to the US, was to make money and return home. The association with the former colonies and the post-World War II labor agreements meant that, again unlike the US, the Muslim population of European countries is highly centered on one ethnic group.

For example, a very high percentage of Muslims in the UK are of Pakistani descent and the same is true of Turks in Germany. This means that in terms of visibility PLACE, P28

OPINION

P10 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015 n By Dr Amineh Hoti

I

Lahore, Pakistan

mages are based on histories, encounters and the ability of those represented to fight for an equal voice to represent themselves.

Creating negative images of “the Other” is deeply problematic for the idea of human morality, as it implicitly rationalizes the condoning of violence against “the Other.”

Similarly, images are built of countries as images are built of men and women: this one is a “good” one; that one is a “bad” one. This one is “friendly”; that one is “hostile.” Beneath this surface of media information and propaganda in which each country perceives itself as inherently good and “the Other” as inherently evil, there are real people struggling to survive, to find their next meal, to live a life of dignity.

I write from a country where people like you and I live with our families -- loving grandparents, self-sacrificing parents with babies, innocent children and know-it-all teenagers. Where we search for tools of peace-building to heal our fractured but shared world.

Frankie Martin, an American researcher and a student of my father, Professor Akbar Ahmed, at American University in Washington, DC, recently accompanied my father on his research project, Journey into America. He relayed the following experience to me. Walking down a street in Florida during field research, he met a friendly elderly woman who was gardening.

They struck up a conversation during which he told her that he had previously been involved in an exciting research project called Journey into Islam, a project which took him to nine Muslim countries -- including Pakistan. She stopped him midconversation, exclaiming, “Wait!

What? Pakistan!” then after a pause she said, “Do people there love their children?”

Frankie, who has been involved in a lot of bridge-building work with Professor Ahmed calmly replied, “Yes, they do -- just like us. They are very family-oriented and are indeed very loving to their children.” The woman shouted back in the direction of her husband in the house, “See darling, I told you they love their children there.” She explained that violent images of Pakistan dominate the news. However, she owned a sweater that said, “Made in Pakistan,” which gave her hope that people “out there” did more than kill each other. She felt deep down that people everywhere were good and productive -- her sweater spoke more to her, in this case, than the image of Pakistan that has systematically been conveyed through media.

Negative images of “the Other” are harmful to those who are the object of this construction because these images can drive them into self-protective behaviors that push them towards the periphery -- towards further marginalization.

Muslim immigrants to the West encounter the differences between cultures more sharply, especially because they are often exacerbated by media depictions of Muslims (all South Asians get affected -- Sikhs and Hindus included -- and we hear stories of them being beaten up by local people who misinterpret them

In Pakistan, We’re Not So Different from You

all as “Pakis”). Media’s depictions of “the Other” at present, especially of Muslims, drive people apart, create walls of misunderstanding, increase stereotyping and degrade mutual respect. Instead, I think, media can and should bring the world closer together through fair and equal representation of all sides within conflict stories -- and more scholarly and positive analysis.

As much as the West may have a pervasively negative perception about Pakistan, the same can be said about how Pakistanis perceive the

led to revenge and more violence -with many innocent people caught in between.

The Attack In Peshawar During the days preceding the attack on the army-run school in Peshawar, some reports, including those from parents I spoke with, say the terrorists had smuggled and stocked weapons and explosives inside the school canteen. Others indicate the men came through the cemetery near the school and were already armed. The principal, a

homes -- people not involved in the politics of war but wanting to better their everyday lives and those of their children. The boys wore Western clothes to school, spoke and wrote fluent English and had dreams. Mothers and sisters told me how intelligent, hard working and wise these boys were -- some wanted to be engineers, others doctors, and yet others scholars.

I was shown the beds of two deceased brothers (one 15, the other 19) by a young sister who shared the same room. She felt lonely without

While Western media tend to paint a simplistic image of Pakistan as the hub of extremist activities, in reality the majority of Pakistanis are the victims of terrorism (thousands of innocent people in Pakistan have died since 9/11). A terrorist cannot and should not define Pakistan for the rest of the world West. The outcome of this gap is a propagation of dislike and intolerance of “the Other,” which can lead to the kind of violence we see today in the world. In Pakistan, people on the periphery of different ethnic and religious groups are resisting the central government because the government appears to be a Western ally (For a detailed ethnography on the center and periphery in the tribal areas, see The Thistle and the Drone written by Professor Akbar Ahmed). Violence begets violence and locks people into cycles of revenge.

A famous tribal Pukhtun proverb goes: “He took revenge after a hundred years and said, ‘I took it too soon!’” In this case, when tribal people and modern states encounter each other through violence and force, the people who suffer the most are the ordinary helpless people and children, as seen when the Taliban took revenge on an Army Public School in Peshawar and killed 150 children and teachers. The Taliban announced that they would take revenge on the children of the army for the killing of their innocent families in north Waziristan.

The real people who died and suffered were those not involved in the war -- they happened to be in the right place (schools) at the wrong time (time of global war not of their choice). Ironically, the Arabic-Urdu word “Taliban” is plural for “students” -- who symbolize a thirst for learning and development -- and it is a term we, in the educated Muslim world, regret being associated with violent extremist fringe groups.

America’s “war on terror” had, for many innocent and impoverished people in remote northern areas of Pakistan, become a “war of terror” upon them and their children. Tragically, in a vicious cycle, violence has

dedicated educationist like so many other brave and bold female principals in Pakistani schools, refused to give the men any names, parents told me. For her, they were all her responsibility as precious young adults. As punishment for her defiance, parents and friends of the boys killed told me, the men threw petrol on her and burnt her alive in front of the students, just as they reportedly did with another female teacher who resisted while trying to protect her young students.

The men were well informed about the school’s layout and timetable it seems, for they came into the hall at a time when all the senior classes of boys (15 to 21-yearolds) had gathered for an assembly that morning. Dressed in their crisp white shirts and green sweaters, the Army Public School boys -- most of them children of civilians -- ended that morning’s assembly in terror.

Many killed were in Class 8 -- 15 years old in their prime -- innocent of the world around them and not involved in the politics of the people who had killed them. Some were shot in the limbs, then savagely killed with knifes. Pakistanis are asking who these “people” were who did this and who funded them.

Accompanied by family and a friend, I went to offer condolences to the mothers of the boys massacred in Peshawar. I did not know them personally, but as an act of humanity and compassion, we wanted to share in their terrible loss and deep grief.

When I sat with the mothers in their homes, I saw the deepest of human pain, impossible to express through mere words. After the traditional prayer offered for the souls of the boys, there was a struggle to find the right words. The pictures of the boys were freshly mounted on frames on the walls. These were middle class

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her brothers, and now every night she hoped they were there in their own beds before she slept -- the pain was horrendous for her. She showed me the boys’ pictures, school bags, piles of books with a prayer mat on top of them and a Scrabble board right at the bottom of the pile -- the 15-year-old had three bags full of books which now lay there in the entrance to the house newly built by their parents (the father a banker and the mother a school teacher).

They had worked all their lives for their children and moved from the village to the city of Peshawar to give their children a better future.

The mother held their pictures to her eyes and cried her heart out for her beloved sons. It was unbearable -- and deeply heart breaking.

Together we cried and cried again -- she for her sons, and I for the loss of such truly beautiful and brilliant young boys. The sister asked me crying, “Can someone tell me why they were killed, tell me one thing they did wrong? They were the best boys -- so good, they were so loving and so caring.”

One boy loved bringing people together. He dreamt of making a multilayered house to bring all his relatives together. With him there was “ronak” -- liveliness. When his younger sister would say, “Let’s do this tomorrow,” he would tell her, “Don’t leave it till tomorrow da maze bia bia narazee” (this life/fun may not be there tomorrow). He’d tell her, “I want to challenge you so that you think beyond the average level.”

When he had typhoid and was out of bed in winter, ready to go to school, his older sister (in the picture with me) scolded him. He replied, “We are zinda (alive). We are not affected by the cold. You all (who are living as a disconnected world community) are murda (dead: not challenging

yourself mentally enough and not connected enough). He loved education, peace and faith. He would say his five times prayers and sit for long in the mosque behind our father.”

He had told his sister that “something would happen and the whole world will remember them.”

She cried, “Why! Why! Why!” then showed me the boys’ schoolwork.

The writing was neat, logical and it had the teacher’s remarks in red, “well presented work.” On the cover of the schoolbook were the words, “I shall rise and shine.”

The mother softly told me, “I do not want any compensation for my sons -- no money; nothing from the government. I just want the honor for them of the Nishan e Haider.”

Martyrs are given this honor upon the ultimate sacrifice of life for their country. The boys died not just as a sacrifice for their country, but as a consequence of world politics today -- policy makers must seriously ask themselves, “Is force really the right way to deal with violent extremism, or will it breed more violence?”

In another house, a Pukhtun army officer and father of a 21-yearold boy who was killed in the massacre, told me that while he puts on a brave face in front of his family, when no one is looking he goes into the bathroom and cries his heart out for his precious and youngest son, whom he lost at such a young age.

The Problem With Our Global Panic Over Terrorism This is indeed a deeply sad comment on the nature of humanity -- when people become so brutal that they use force and kill because someone holds a different point of view or is born in a different family.

It is important to highlight here the point that although Western media have created a panic over terrorism, it is these Pakistanis (the families of the people killed in terrible acts of terrorism) who are the real victims of terrorism. While Western media tend to paint a simplistic image of Pakistan as the hub of extremist activities, in reality the majority of Pakistanis are the victims of terrorism (thousands of innocent people in Pakistan have died since 9/11).

A terrorist cannot and should not define Pakistan for the rest of the world.

Consider an instance of the reverse -- the man who killed three Muslim students in North Carolina.

If that was the only person or story we heard about around the world (and in America), then would he, as a white American, define every white American for the rest of the world, ignoring the reality of his particular extremist view? Similarly, the Taliban cannot and should not define Pakistan. If this is allowed, then it provides no moral support, understanding, or compensation from the international community for the families in Peshawar. As human beings, we are connected across borders to each other’s pain -we cannot deny this natural instinct in ourselves or the responsibility of connecting to others across borders as fellow human beings.

While the image of Pakistan abroad is not rosy, in Pakistan, many Pakistanis widely say that some of this violence is funded by “unfriendly” states to destabilize the country. Indeed, the Pakistani army funded a feature film called Waar in which Indian agents pay extremists on Pakistan’s borders to destabilize WE, P31

OPINION n By Dr Aslam Abdullah

I

Las Vegas, Nevada

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11

The Daughter of Islam, the Real Martyr

magine how she was surrounded by a group of males shouting Allah o Akbar kicking, punching, hurling fists at her.

Imagine how she was trying to shield her and making her sure that her hair and face are not exposed to her attackers because that is how she was raised to live her Islam. Imagine her shirt is torn and her trousers pierced into pieces by the surging crowd. Imagine a weak, harmless, innocent girl surrounded by the so-called vigilantes hurling stones and determined to kill her.

Yes this is not a figment of imagination.

This happened in Afghanistan, the place that once boasted of having several Islamic schools run by Muslim women.

Yes, this happened in Afghanistan, where Taliban are claiming to have established an Islamic Emirate. Yes, this happened in a community whose members begin everything in the name of Allah, the most merciful and the most compassionate. It happened in March, 2015, the month the world observes as a month of women.

This happened to a daughter of Islam under a false accusation. The fathers, and the brothers could not stop the crowd, rather joined it and did what they believed was God’s work.

None from the local masajid, those who claim to be spokespersons of God, came to her rescue. They were, rather, among those who were inciting the crowd and serving their creator. No one asked: Is the accusation against her false or true? No one gave her a chance to speak. No one bothered to have a merciful glance at her.

After all, they were the ones serving the most merciful and mercy-giving.

The heavens did not tremble. The mercy of the one who created her was not there to save her. He watched her burnt alive. He watched

her suffer because He has prepared a reward for her in the world yet to come. This is not new.

Throughout history, people are killed in his name and He prefers not to intervene for reasons he alone knows.

Is this burning of the real martyr an isolated incident?

This is not an isolated incident. Violence in the name of God is a reality in the Muslim world. In some countries we stone fornicators and adulterers to death. In others, we kill people of different sects, in others we blow up mosques and religious sites with people praying.

We, who claim ourselves to be Muslims, then use religious justification to kill, rape, destroy and bring unspeakable harm to none other than Muslims. We occasionally in the name of resistance throw a few missiles at enemies that do not cause any harm, yet result in retaliation leading to the murder of hundreds of innocent.

We attribute all this to God giving comfort to our masses that we are doing this in the name of God, in the name of the most merciful.

In the name of Shia Sunni doctrine we have killed millions.

In the name of inter-sects, we have killed

thousands.

In the name of hijab and non-hijab, we have killed many.

In the name of beard and non-beard, we have killed many.

In the name of nationalism and ethnicity we have killed millions We the ones who claim that we are the most blessed nation ever created; We, the ones who claim that we are the best people ever raised for humanity; We the ones who claim that we are the recipient of the last message of the divine; We, the ones, who claim that our prophet is the prophet of mercy and compassion; We, the ones, who never feel tired of lecturing the world, how wrong others are and how right we are; We, the ones who keep on reminding ourselves how pious and holy we are because we pray so much and fast so much and perform pilgrimage so much, yet when it comes to defending human life, including the ones we have differences with, we remain confined in the apathy of our ideas., We have become so insensitive to human sufferings in the name of God, that nothing moves us. We always try to justify the violence by putting blame on this or that. We say others

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are engineering it in our community and our country.

We have become a nation that is bent on destroying ourselves. If we are not committing physical violence, we are committing verbal violence against each other. We are characterassassinating each other, we are backbiting each other, we are cheating each other, we are speaking hatred against each other. We are destroying each other under the influence of greed. We have become so much obsessed with gender issues that we are willing to do anything to maintain male superiority.

Yet, in our masajid, a game of hypocrisy is played out. With the holier than thou attitude, we try to convince ourselves that we are the best.

It is time to critically examine ourselves, I mean our attitude, our understanding of faith and our commitment to the divine. It is time to look at our families and see how we have been raising our younger generation. It is time that we look at the way we run our organizations and masajid..

But more important, it is time we create a community of those who truly believe in compassion, love, kindness and mercy. If we have to live our faith, we have to turn our hearts into the places of prostration to the divine, we have to create our families as the new masajid and we have to move away from the crowd controlled by the gatekeepers of Islam who are quick to turn the mercy of God into the fury of His creation.

We create this community on the basis of values that make us behave humans with rights and respect for all. This community can be created by only those who truly are conscious of the real divine message, the message of oneness of humans and mercy and kindness to all with no hatred towards anyone.

These are trying times and they require our serious commitment to our faith. If we remain silent at this juncture, more Farkhundas will be burned alive and brutality and violence reign supreme in the name of God.

OPINION

P12 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015

Tradition, Reform and Modernism in the Emergence of Pakistan - 5 n By Professor Nazeer Ahmed

T

Concord, CA

he Unionist Party swept the provincial elections in the Punjab in 193637. The Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League, with their centrist all-India agendas, were both miserable failures in that election.

Even Allama Iqbal and a few candidates fielded by him were defeated. Traditional Islam, in cooperation with traditional Sikh and Hindu elements, emerged victorious.

Sikandar Hayat, as the head of the Unionist party governed the province until his death in 1943.

This coalition of traditional Muslim, Sikh and Hindu elements endured until after World War II. A student of history may argue that if this coalition had survived and continued to occupy the central space in the politics of the Punjab, partition would probably not have happened. How did this coalition fall apart?

Arrayed against the traditional agenda of the Unionist party were the national agendas of the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League. These centrist agendas meant different things to the two parties.

The Congress party, dominated by Hindu elements from Northern India had the luxury of framing its agenda in all-India nationalist terms because the triumph of this agenda would in effect mean a Hindu-dominated central government. The Congress party saw the Muslims as a minority. Jinnah, deeply suspicious of Congress rule and distrustful of a dominant Hindu majority, would not accept this position. His own disillusionment with the Congress had led him to believe that the Muslims could not trust a Hindu majority for safeguarding their interests. He was convinced that a dialogue between the Hindus and the Muslims must be a dialogue between equals and not a dialogue between a majority and a minority. He championed the two-nation theory, articulated first by Hindu nationalists, in which the Hindus and the Muslims each occupied their own political and social space.

Were the Muslims a minority or a nation, that was the question dividing the Congress and the League.

Neither the Congress nor the Muslim League position was without inherent contradictions. By insisting on a strong central government that by default would be dominated

by Hindus, the Congress party failed to accommodate the anxieties of the Muslim-majority areas. The Muslims were a majority in FOE FROM P5

able human ‘virtue”.

Oscar Wile once said, “There is so much to be said in favor of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.” Serious readers and viewers take more interest in either reading the sports pages or just watch the sports channels first, because they at least show some human accomplishments, some human effort made in a healthy direction. Unfortunately, for the people of Pakistan, even those pages or channels have become barren fields.

Positive, constructive, pragmatic, and optimistic thinking has deliberately been eroded and damaged and even deliberately replaced with sickening cynicism by these TV pundits. They have done more harm to Pakistan than perhaps the terrorists. The terrorists created fear; these TV anchors created a mind-set through the dead and deadly news to the extent that people in Pakistan now just refuse to see that there could be a phoenix in the ashes that surround them. They say progress

large portions of the northwest and the northeast. But they were a small minority in central and southern India.

On the other hand, the position of the Muslim League had its own contradictions.

While it might have made sense for the League to speak of the northwestern and northeastern regions as separate “nations” with Muslim majorities, the idea of an all-India Muslim “na-

a partitioned India with a strong center. These positions were a reflection of the philosophical makeup of the two men, each a giant in his own right, and each pivotal in shaping the destiny of the subcontinent. I will elaborate in a separate series how these conflicting philosophies played themselves out in the turbulent years immediately after the World War II, leading to the holocaust that accompanied

Jinnah knew that there would be no Pakistan without the Punjab.

But he had a tactical hurdle before him. The Punjab was ruled by the Unionist party which was inclusive and had largely stayed out of the communal frenzy in northern India. The challenge before him was to break Punjab loose from the Unionist party and bring the Muslims of Punjab within an all-India Muslim framework tion” glossed over the presence of millions of Muslims in the Indian hinterland who would remain in India, partition or no partition.

Some historians have argued that the objective of Mohammed Ali Jinnah was not partition but autonomous Muslim majority regions in the northwest and the northeast that were free to govern themselves within a federated India. In support of this argument they offer as evidence Jinnah’s acceptance of the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) which envisaged three autonomous regions in a federated India. Two of these, in the northwest and the northeast would have Muslim majorities. It was Jawaharlal Nehru who torpedoes this plan. When the chips were down, Jinnah was for a united India with a weak center while Nehru accepted

and growth is never ending because it is a process, and not an end in itself. In Pakistan, these anchors have so regimented the receptive minds of the people, that they now tend to take failure as a final act.

Pakistani people are in the firm grip of the Murphy Laws. Captain Murphy had been just apocryphal during the Second World War. Perhaps it happened due to an incompetent technician who did everything wrong that he put his hands on which constrained Ed Murphy to say, “If there’s any way to do it wrong, he (the technician) will”. That became the notorious Murphy’s Law. The salient features of this law are: if anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway. If several things can go wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will go wrong first; if you realize that there are four ways in which something could go wrong, and circumvent them, then a fifth way will promptly develop; and left to themselves, things go from bad to worse”.

Now name a positive thing that these TV anchors report or show in Pakistan. The other day, the BBC

partition.

The demise of the Unionist Party and the shift in allegiance of the sajjada nishins of the Punjab were not an accident of history. They were a result of the deliberate and determined policies of the Muslim League. Jinnah knew that there would be no Pakistan without the Punjab. But he had a tactical hurdle before him. The Punjab was ruled by the Unionist party which was inclusive and had largely stayed out of the communal frenzy in northern India. The challenge before him was to break Punjab loose from the Unionist party and bring the Muslims of Punjab within an all-India Muslim framework.

The Congress party claimed to represent all sections of India’s population including

relayed a news of the existence of a tourist bus in Karachi. The project has been initiated by some creative minds, showing to the visitors, the real spirit of Karachi, its vibrant people and their untiring zest to keep the mind and soul together.

The tourist bus shows to people what beauties this great city houses, even in the midst of all the ugliness.

In America the insatiable thirst of the American people is for selfpraise; they are never tired of it. In Pakistan, it is for self-depreciation, for denigration; for denial and for slandering. It is a country where the media thrives on negativity. Even human relations are getting characterized by this virus. One of the constants of the people of Pakistan and of Muslims in general has been the avoidance of facts and ground realities. Though Islam greatly emphasizes on the need of “self accountability and self-correction” the practice largely remains a part of speech, and not of action. Self-righteousness is now being termed as a virtue. “There is always the foreign hand myth nurtured by overpaid and willfully ignorant TV anchors.

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Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Parsees. Indeed, during much of the period for the agitation of Pakistan, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a scholarly Muslim, was the President of the Congress party (1940-45). The inclusive, all-India posture of the Congress party was a threat to Jinnah’s position that the Muslim League alone represented the interests of all the Muslims of India. This position may at first seem obdurate. On closer examination, it was directed less at the Congress than at the Unionist party of the Punjab. As long as the Unionist party represented the interests of the Muslims of the Punjab, the Muslim League could not negotiate with the British and the Congress as the sole representative of all the Muslims of India. Indeed, the Unionist party was a threat to the very basis of the two-nation theory.

Jinnah proceeded to demolish the Unionist party in a two-step process. The first step was the abrogation of the Jinnah-Sikandar Pact that Jinnah had signed with the Unionist party in 1942. Sikandar Hayat was the Unionist Chief Minister of Punjab and was enormously popular in the rural areas of that vast province. The Jinnah-Sikandar Pact was a tactical stand-down agreement that enabled the League to consolidate its position in the rural areas even while it professed its partnership with the Unionists. When Sikandar Hayat died in 1944, Jinnah made his move and abrogated the Pact. Without the strong leadership of Sikandar, the Unionists came apart at the seams. There were many defections. Some were co-opted by the League, some went over to the Congress, yet others to the Sikh Akali Dal. The Second World War was rapidly coming to an end and the British, exhausted from the War, wanted to divest themselves of the Indian Empire which was bursting at the seams with nationalist fervor. They called the Simla Conference of 1945 whose declared intent was to reconcile the positions of the Congress and the League so that an Advisory Committee could be formed to advise the British viceroy on all matters affecting the governance of the subcontinent. At the Conference, Jinnah took a hard stand that only the League, as the sole representative of all the Muslims of India, could nominate Muslim delegates to the Advisory Committee. Jinnah understood very well that the Congress could not accept this demand. It would have meant that the Congress could not even nominate a stalwart like Maulana Azad to the Advisory Committee.

The Simla Conference collapsed. (To be continued)

The guests invited to educate the people are never some enlightened, unbiased university professors; some world-famous high-achievers; some independent thinking nonparty intellectuals; some religious scholars who are able to relate religion to modern life issues; the guests invited are the people who can be likened to the labeled-bottles in a chemist’s shop- highly predictable hirelings. Names are not deliberately mentioned here because they are never absent from the TV talk shows. These ideologues with their harangues further add confusion to the already bewildered people with their “surmises”. One reason that the Taliban mentality flourished in Pakistan and religious tolerance dissipated was that the truth was never spoken. John L. Esposito in the preface to F. E. Peters’ book, “The Children of Abraham”, writes a wonderful sentence. “Religious pluralism and tolerance came late to Christianity. Christendom had no space for Jews, Muslims, and indeed other Christians who were regarded as schismatics or heretics. Islam did provide a space for Jews and Chris-

tians, recognizing them as People of the Book, those who had received God’s prophets and revelation.”

How many times people hear this kind of truth about Islam from the ulema of Islam? What they hear is that Muslims are the chosen people, and that Allah has forgiven all their sins, current and past, because they are Muslims.

Pakistanis people remained capsuled in a delusionary bubble like zombies, brainwashed into believing that terrorism in Pakistan was the work of some “foreign hand”. It could be, but it was never absent from Muslim history. Even when various militant groups angry at Pakistan proudly claimed suicide missions against military and civilian targets, they were ignored with a statement, “No Muslim could kill another Muslim… it is the work of India, Israel, America or even that of Afghanistan and Iraq”. Now they have added the Saudis as well for aiding them with money, a charge to explain which the PM himself perhaps have had to go. One teacher teaching physics in Lahore reports, FOE, P27

PAKISTAN

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P13

Around 500 Stranded Pakistanis Return from Yemen

A returning Pakistani girl is consoled by her relative at the airport

Karachi: The first flight

dispatched to Yemen to facilitate the evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in the Middle Eastern conflict zone landed at Karachi airport Sunday night, with 500 Pakistani nationals on board.

The returning Pakistanis were warmly welcomed on arrival by their families, political leaders and social activists.

Around 326 evacuees, who had arrived from Yemen, reached Islamabad early on Monday in a sub-

sequent flight. The passengers were welcomed by a PML-N delegation as they disembarked from the aircraft.

Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed talking to media-persons said, “All citizens had been praying for the return of those Pakistanis who were stranded in Yemen. The efforts and hard work of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enabled the return of the stranded citizens.”

He added that the premier maintained close coordi-

nation with the pilot of the aircraft which brought back the stranded Pakistanis from Yemen.

Earlier, Pakistan Ambassador to Yemen Irfan Yousuf who accompanied the stranded countrymen on the flight, said, “I have done my job”. He said 496 Pakistanis have been evacuated in the first batch. They included 116 children. He added that he will continue to help in the evacuation operation from the federal capital.

A PIA crew member

told the media that some 500 passengers have been brought back onboard the flight.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed Senior Vice President Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) Sindh Chapter Shah Muhammad Shah and MPA Humayun Khan to receive the returning families at the Karachi airport.

The prime minister also directed Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and Member National Assembly Tariq Fazal Chaudhry to receive the evacuated Pakistanis from Yemen at the Islamabad airport on his behalf.

A convoy of 600 Pakistanis had reached Al-Hudaydah Sunday after escaping from the embattled Yemeni capital Sanaa to leave for Pakistan. The convoy was inspected thoroughly by the Yemeni armed forces and the Houthi militia before it was permitted to exit Sanaa. The convoy stayed in a school in Al-Hudaydah until its departure for Pakistan.

Reports of Fighter Jets, Naval Ships Sent to Yemen Are Incorrect: FO Islamabad: The government on

Tuesday dismissed reports that Pakistani fighter jets and naval ships were taking part in the military action in Yemen against Houthi rebels.

“These reports were speculative, misleading and incorrect,” said foreign office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam in a statement.

On Monday, some international media outlets including Reuters claimed that Pakistan had decided to send troops, PAF fighter jets and naval ships to Saudi Arabia.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was informed that a Chinese ship would be reaching Aden on Wednesday to evacuate 200 Pakistanis stranded in the city.

The premier was told that the evacuees will either be dropped at Djibouti or Moqalla, where about 100 Pakistanis are already residing, depending on the on-ground conditions of the area and the route that the Chinese ship is planning on tak-

Pakistan’s own naval ship would reach Yemen on April 2 and bring the stranded Pakistanis to the country.

Nawaz was also informed that there are about 75 Pakistanis residing in Sanaa, who would either be airlifted or taken to Moqalla.

High-level delegation: A highlevel Pakistani delegation left for Riyadh to discuss important matters of bilateral interest with Saudi leadership in the wake of the current crisis in Yemen. The delegation comprised Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, PM’s Advisor Sartaj Aziz and representatives of the three armed forces. It will assess the situation, discuss modalities and timing of sending Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia.

“It was decided that a delegation would visit Saudi Arabia today for holding discussions on the matter”, an official communique issued stated.

Nawaz Should Ask Parliament about Sending Troops, Says Shah League-Functional president Pir Pagara at his residence. Both leaders agreed that the government should call an allparties conference to ease the tense situation in the country.

“Pakistan has obtained a strong position in the Muslim world and must do something to resolve the crisis in Yemen,” said Rehman. “The government should also consider its relations with the neighboring countries while taking a decision about any involvement in the conflict.”

Pakistan’s First Animated Feature Gives Young Fans What They’ve Never Had - Pakistani Heroes n By Mallika Rao

Leaving Hundreds Stranded Pakistani

Karachi: Pakistani kids will finally meet homegrown

heroes this May: Amna, Saadi and Kamil, the three spunky protagonists of “3 Bahadur” (“3 Brave,” in Urdu).

The David-and-Goliath plot -- our trio rises up to fight mysterious forces plaguing their hometown -- is the only classic thing about the continent-spanning production.

Pakistan’s first animated feature, it is also directed by a woman, Oscar- and Emmy-winning journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Born in Karachi, the Smith College graduate rose to prominence with documentaries on the Taliban and female acid attack victims -- the latter of which, “Saving Face,” made Obaid-Chinoy the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award. And yet it was “3 Bahadur” that rubbed people the wrong way. Below, she tells us why animation is so hard to pull off in her home country, and so vital.

Being the first to do something is a story in itself.

What has been standing in the way of animated features in Pakistan for so long?

It’s very expensive to create animation. It also takes a long time from inception to the final delivery. Animation requires a lot of investment in terms of technology and human resources. Three years ago I decided that I wanted to do it. Most people laughed at me because it was unheard of to make an animated film, to invest so many resources when you don’t know that you’re going to make returns back.

What inspired you?

I have a daughter who’s four and a half. She loves cartoons but she has nothing in Urdu to watch. She watches Thomas the Train Engine, and of course everybody at that age watches “Sesame Street.” That was a huge factor for me. We are one of the youngest populations in the world and we have no programming for children or even teenagers. We’re heavily influenced by either [foreign] cartoons dubbed in Urdu or Indian cartoons that are very centered around mythology. We have a whole generation of kids growing up in Pakistan who have absolutely no heroes who are local. We need to inculcate in them the feeling that they can rise and they themselves are heroes.

Your animation studio, Waadi Studios [built for “3

ing.

Sukkur /Hyderabad/Karachi: Prime

Bahadur”], is now the first in Pakistan dedicated to feature-length films.

It’s all men, which is quite interesting. I typically employ a lot of young women [for documentaries] but in my animation house, there’s not a single female employee.

That’s just how it is in Pakistan in terms of who is trained in animation. When I started, I was the only woman in Pakistan running an animation house. My employees are all in their 20s and 30s. They had never worked for a female boss in their lives.

What are their aesthetic influences?

We want kids to watch the film and see their neighborhood, their town, their neighbors. Everything had to be very localized. For instance, the film opens with a vibrant fair, so we sent people out to a small town fair to photograph it and bring photos back -- this is what the Ferris wheel should look like, this is what the people should be wearing. Everything has a local flavor. If you watch [the film], you’ll see that even Pakistani buses look a certain way.

How are you marketing the film?

We’ve got a comprehensive tour of schools, 50 schools in Karachi, and 35 schools in Lahore and Islamabad. The message of the film is that change can come from within every child, so we are showing inspiring videos of young people doing fantastic things. McDonald’s is changing the theme of their restaurants across Pakistan, so all employees will be wearing “Team Bahadur” badges.

There’s a special meal coming out. We have one of the largest retail outlets in Pakistan putting out a special line of clothing.

www.PakistanLink.com

Minister Nawaz Sharif should approach Parliament regarding the dispatch of troops to aid Saudi Arabia in Yemen, said leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah.

“We are busy fighting terrorism within our borders, while also not having cordial relations with our neighbors.

Non-political decisions at this juncture will not be effective,” he said while talking to the media in Sukkur on Sunday.

“When all-parties conferences can be held on other issues, why can they not be held about this?”

Politician and constitutional lawyer Rasool Bux Palijo, speaking at a press conference in Hyderabad, pointed to the consequences that Pakistan has been suffering from by taking part in US and Saudi-led wars in the past. “On the one hand, you have a neighboring country that often indulges in aggression at the border; it may step this up if it finds that Pakistan is engaged in a war on foreign soil,” Palijo warned. “And on the other hand, militants and Baloch separatists will also step up their activities to divide the country.”

He also expressed fears that such a move may negatively affect relations with Iran, destabilizing Pakistan’s only peaceful border. “Wisdom demands that we stay away from the Middle East’s wars and put our own house in order.”

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated that a decision must be taken with the consensus of all political parties. He was talking to the media after meeting Pakistan Muslim

Ambassador Heads Home!

Karachi: While hundreds of Paki-

stanis remain stranded in war-torn Yemen, the Pakistani ambassador to the Gulf state and his staff returned home, leaving expats in a state of confusion as their evacuation without a diplomatic mission becomes more difficult.

Speaking from Aden by telephone, a Pakistani expat Tauqeer Ahmed said that with the return of the embassy staff, the Pakistani community in Yemen is voluntarily coordinating amongst their own people.

“Obviously, we are facing a lot of difficulty. If a government official was here, things would have been more organized and more resources would have been employed to bring people together. Right now, volunteers are doing the work of the officials.”

Around 2,000 Pakistanis are said to be stranded in Yemen, while 503 people, including the Pakistani Ambassador to Yemen and his embassy staff, were brought back by a special PIA flight late on Sunday.

Ahmed, who works for an oil terminal and lubricant manufacturing company, said he could hear the sound of tanks and rockets in the surrounding areas of the airport.

He, along with six other fellow Pakistanis, is currently living in his office, which, they feel, is a secure place.

“So far, I am in the free-zone but God knows when things can go wrong and the rebels come here,” he said.

PAKISTAN

P14 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015

Afghanistan’s President Walks Tightrope over US, Pakistan Ties Kabul: In pursuing rapprochement

with Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is the very antithesis of his fiery predecessor, but his unprecedented diplomatic overtures have prompted rumblings of unease back home.

Since coming to power in September, Ghani has sought to jumpstart long-stalled negotiations with the Taliban for a peace agreement 13 years after they were toppled in a US-led invasion.

Ghani has courted Washington to slow the drawdown of US troops and longtime nemesis Pakistan, which has historically backed the Taliban, in what observers say is a calculated gambit to pressure the insurgents to the negotiating table.

But he walks a tightrope with conservatives, including some within his own fractious national unity government, who are distrustful of Pakistan and wary of Kabul being seen as too obsequious to Washington. Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, well known for his antiUS and anti-Pakistan tirades, and others have warned strongly against Afghanistan’s tilt towards Islamabad -- often accused of playing a “double game” and covertly nurturing the Taliban.

Ghani, an American-educated former World Bank official who uses a more measured tone, has offered unprecedented concessions to Pakistan, including cooperation on military and intelligence matters.

He sent Afghan cadets to study at the Pakistani military academy and reportedly suspended Karzai’s long-standing order for heavy arms from India, whose influence in Afghanistan has long made Pakistan wary.

“On the need to have a rapprochement with Pakistan, there are two skeptical constituencies: One that does not see any substance in Pakistan’s policies and predicts the recurrence of ‘business as usual’ in coming months,” said Davood Moradian, director of the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies.

“The second constituency worries about the cost of rapprochement with Pakistan. Would Afghanistan give up its democratic constitutional process to create space for the

Taliban? Would it mean giving up its independent foreign policy?

Would Afghanistan become Pakistan’s (captive) market and passage to Central Asia?”

“Ghani has to address both constituencies,” Moradian told AFP. Islamabad insists that both countries have shared goals in defeating terrorism and Ghani believes its support is crucial in persuading the Taliban to enter peace talks as well as denying them safe havens on Pakistani soil.

Ghani has cited a massacre

by Pakistan’s Taliban at a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar in December that killed 153 people, mostly children, as helping to bring the two governments closer together.

“Terrorists neither require passports nor recognize nationalities,” Ghani said during his landmark US visit last week.

“I’m hopeful that we will have sufficient wisdom not to sink but to swim together,” he added.

‘Ghani is not Karzai’: Even if sincere, how much influence Pakistan currently wields over the Taliban is yet to be tested.

The insurgent group, which has set the absence of any foreign troops on Afghan soil as a precondition to negotiations, warned last week that Washington’s decision to delay troop withdrawal will hamper peace efforts.

President Barack Obama last Tuesday reversed plans to shrink the US force in Afghanistan this year by nearly half. Hosting Ghani

TTP Claims Responsibility for Killing Army Officer Peshawar: Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday claimed responsibility for the killing of Lieutenant Colonel Tahir Azeem who was shot dead a day earlier by unknown gunmen in Peshawar’s Hayatabad area.

On Sunday, two assailants on a motorcycle targeted Col Tahir in Abaseen Market when he was on his way home from a nearby mosque in Hayatabad Phase 3.

Local police said Tahir Azeem expired on the spot after sustaining multiple bullet wounds. A police official also told Dawn that Col Azeem’s murder appeared to be a target killing because there was no evidence that he had any personal enmity with anyone.

According to reports, Col Tahir Azeem’s brothers— Waqas and Shakil

— were also shot dead in separate attacks in 2004 and 2005. Both Waqas and Shakil, however, had no association with the armed forces.

The government is currently engaged in military operations against militants which were intensified after a brutal attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School on Dec 16 last year, which left more than 130 students dead.

Operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched by the Pakistan Army last year, following a brazen militant attack on Karachi’s international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and TTP negotiators.

Two other military offensives, Khyber-1 and Khyber-2 were also launched last year against banned militant groups in the northwestern region.

at the White House for their first presidential head-to-head, Obama agreed to keep the current level of 9,800 US troops until the end of 2015.

“If the Taliban say the US presence damages peace prospects, then we shouldn’t fall for that,” said Kabul-based political analyst Haroon Mir. “They have ideological differences with us that makes an agreement difficult if not impossible.

They support extremism, oppose women’s rights, girls’ education and freedom of speech among many other things. These are the main reasons they don’t agree with us for peace,” he told AFP. But a senior member of the High Peace Council, an Afghan government body tasked with peace talks, said Ghani’s overtures to Washington had complicated nascent efforts to achieve political reconciliation with the Taliban.

“I understand the need to have good relations with the world, regional countries, as well as Western countries. But I believe we have gone a little too far,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“On his US trip (Ghani) thanked Americans for their sacrifices, but he didn’t speak about thousands of Afghans killed since the US invasion. It was a provocative act that will run against efforts for peace with the Taliban,” he said.

However a large section of Afghan society welcomed Washington’s decision to delay withdrawal plans, with many fearing that without continued international military support, Afghanistan — like Iraq — could spiral into chaos.

Afghan forces are bracing for what is expected to be a bloody summer push by the Taliban and the government has raised the ominous prospect of the Islamic State making inroads into Afghanistan.

“In the previous administration, Karzai had started a blame game with US that had plunged our relationship to its lowest point. He was vengeful about long-term US support for Afghanistan,” said Mir. “But President Ghani is not Hamid Karzai — and that is the reason I believe he will be more successful.”

Shahzeb Khan Murder: Shahrukh Jatoi May Walk away from the Gallows

Karachi: Those convicted of murder-

ing teenage boy Shahzeb Khan may be able to walk away from the gallows if the court accepts the compromise reached between the victim’s family and the convicts.

So far, the court has declared that the much-criticized compromise is ‘genuine’. Karachi’s anti-terrorism court-III (ATC-III) confirmed that the agreement pardoning the four convicts, Shahrukj Jatoi, Nawab Siraj Talpur, Nawab Sajjad Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari, is authentic.

In June 2013, the same court had awarded capital punishment to Shahrukh, the son of business tycoon Sikandar Jatoi, and his friend Siraj, for killing the 20-year-old son of DSP Aurangzeb Khan in Karachi’s DHA neighborhood on December 25, 2012. Their accomplices, Sajjad (Siraj’s younger brother) and Lashari (Talpurs’ servant) were given life imprisonment.

The murder trial gained media attention when the victim’s family launched a protest movement. The then chief justice of Pakistan took suo motu notice of the killing and pursued the case, which led to Shahrukh’s arrest from the United Arab Emirates.

All the convicts had appealed against their conviction to the Sindh High Court (SHC). A year after the appeals were still pending, the victim’s parents and two sisters surprisingly announced pardon for Shahrukh and the three other convicts ‘in the name of Allah’ without receiving blood money. They even pleaded the high court release them at the earliest.

Without passing any order, the SHC had on July 1, 2014, directed the ATC-III Govt. Reluctant to verify the authenticity and genuineness of the compromise signed between to Book Seminary the two parties within three weeks.

Recently, ATC judge Saleem Raza Students Baloch filed his report dated September Islamabad: The government is re- 23, 2014, to the SHC, which was seen by luctant to register a case against the The Express Tribune. The statements of Shohada Foundation and students of Jamia Hafsa on charges of waging war against the state and inviting the self-styled Islamic State militant group – commonly known by its Arabic acronym Daesh – to avenge Operation Silence, which was launched Quetta: Machh Jail Superintendent against the Lal Masjid in 2007, offi- Muhammad Ishaq Zehri confirmed cials of the interior ministry and po- that jail authorities have received lice officers told Dawn. an order from the presidency askIn December, the Shohada Foun- ing the postponement of Saulat dation had issued a press release and Mirza’s execution for one month.

“The execution (of Saulat a video message, inviting the head of Daesh to come to Pakistan to avenge Mirza) has been postponed for a month,” Zehri told DawnNews afthe deaths of their brethren.

After the press release and video ter receiving the orders. message went public, a report was Earlier, preparations had been prepared by Superintendent of Police finalized for executing Mirza, a City Rizwan Omar Gondal and sent former Muttahida Qaumi Moveto Inspector General of Police Tahir ment (MQM) worker convicted in Alam Khan for further legal action. a triple murder case, in compliance

DSP Aurangzeb, Shahzeb’s mother Ambreen and sister Maha were recorded, said the report. The judge reported that the statement of Shahzeb’s other sister, Parishay Waqar, was recorded in the United Kingdom through the High Commission of Pakistan at London, which was duly signed by Parishay Waqar and Mazhar Hussain, the consul attaché at the Pakistani High Commission.

In their respective statements under oath, Shahzeb’s family members stated that they were the legal heirs of the deceased and there was no other legal heir, said Baloch. They said that they have forgiven the accused Shahrukh, Siraj, Sajjad and Lashari in the name of Almighty Allah without taking any consideration on account of diyat, stated the report.

The news of the compromise was published in daily newspapers as well but “none appeared to file objections to the compromise till date,” the judge reported. “Accordingly, in view of the statements made by the above mentioned legal heirs of the deceased, Shahzeb, I am of the humble opinion that the compromise between the parties is genuine,” the ATC judge confirmed.

Legal battle: The case has taken several interesting turns. Initially, a government-appointed medical board had declared Shahrukh to be a minor and had sent him to juvenile jail. In its second report, the board had declared him to be somewhere between 19 to 20 years old.

His family’s repeated attempts to prove him juvenile and to have his trial run by a sessions court – based on the defense lawyer’s claims that the case did not fall under the ambit of the anti-terror law – were rejected by the SHC. According to legal experts, Shahrukh could have avoided capital punishment if his juvenility had been established. If the trial had been shifted to the lower courts, it would have allowed the parties to reach a compromise even after the conviction.

Given the compromise signed between the two families, experts said that the death sentence awarded under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code can be compromised, but the sentences under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) cannot.

According to the convicts’ lawyer, Syed Rasheed A Razvi, the Supreme Court had, in 2014, accepted in a case in which capital punishment under the Section 302 (premeditated murder) as well as the Section 7 of the ATA was given to the convicts. In that case, the apex court had commuted the death sentence into life imprisonment.

If the SHC considers the SC ruling applicable to Shahzeb’s case, the convicts may walk out of the jail after serving their life sentence instead of walking to the gallows.

President Postpones Saulat Mirza’s Execution for One Month

www.PakistanLink.com

of fresh black warrants. “Saulat will be hanged on April 1 as per the fresh black warrants,” the officer had said.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi had issued fresh black warrants following the postponement of the death row convict’s execution. Mirza was originally scheduled to be hanged on March 19.

Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had sent a summary to President Mamnoon recommending a one-month extension in Mirza’s execution.

PAKISTAN

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P15

Pakistan Calls on International Community to Resolve Yemen Crisis

Islamabad: Pakistan called upon

the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the international community to play a constructive role in finding a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.

The appeal was made at a highlevel civil-military meeting on Monday, presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to review the situation in Yemen.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Defense Khawaja Asif, Advisor to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and secretary foreign affairs among other senior officials.

An official statement from the PM House said the meeting concluded that Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan.

It was also emphasized in the

meeting that Pakistan is committed to playing a meaningful role in resolving the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.

To achieve that objective and to promote peace and unity in the Muslim Ummah, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be contacting leaders of ‘brotherly countries.’

No decision on joining military campaign in Yemen: As a high-level defense delegation is likely to leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, a security official told Reuters that there would be no decision on joining the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen before the visit.

“There can be no decision (on joining the military campaign) before the delegation’s visit,” one official said.

The team, led by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Affairs and Foreign Security Sartaj Aziz, was due to leave either on Monday or in the next few days, security officials told Reuters.

Pakistan evacuated about 500 of its nationals by plane from Yemen on Sunday during a brief pause in air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition against Shia Muslim Houthi forces, a Saudi military spokesman said.

He said there were already around 750-800 Pakistani servicemen in Saudi Arabia but none were combat troops.

He declined to comment about their duties and it was not immediately clear what kind of military support Saudi Arabia was seeking.

Pakistan is a regional ally of Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni Muslim power in the Gulf, but has yet to commit itself publicly to military support to Riyadh’s campaign in Yemen.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a telephone call with Saudi King Salman on Saturday, offered “all potentials of the Pakistan army”, media quoted the Saudi Press Agency as saying.

Army takes part in joint military exercise: The military said it was holding a joint military exercise with Saudi Arabia. The statement issued by the military’s media wing on Monday said the drill is taking place near the city of Taif, in the mountains near Mecca in the western part of Saudi Arabia.

It had been underway since March 19, with 292 Pakistani troops taking part. The drill is an annual event and was held in Pakistan last year. The exercise, dubbed Samsam-5, comes as a Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Arab countries targets Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies in Yemen in a campaign of airstrikes that began last week.

Bilawal House to Removes Barriers on Main Road Karachi: Clifton residents may fi-

nally be able to drive freely to Sea View from Boat Basin as the barriers outside Bilawal House that had been blocking the main thoroughfare for several years are coming down.

Nearly a week after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) wrote to the Rangers DG to exempt the residence of the party chairman from their drive against barriers and no-go areas in the city, the party surprisingly announced on Tuesday that it will take down the blockades on its own.

They had said that the place holds significance as a president camp office since the time when Asif Ali Zardari was the president of Pakistan.

“Despite security threats, we are removing the barriers in front of Bilawal House on the instructions of former president Asif Ali Zardari,” said PPP vice-president Sherry Rehman, adding that necessary directives have also been issued to Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

The residents are rejoicing on the news. “We are happy that the barriers have been taken down since they were a hindrance in traffic and communication,” said 20-year-old Amna.

Other residents pointed out how the large walls along the main road were a hindrance in daily commute. “Hopefully, open access to the road will ease traffic hurdles for the residents of [Clifton] Block 2,” said a 19-year-old young man, who lives

Altaf Names Three Party Stalwarts as Successors

Karachi: Few political observers were surprised when Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain took back his decision to step down as party chief in a matter of hours, but his decision to name three potential successors for the first time caused widespread wonderment.

In a telephonic speech that was aired live on private news channels in the early hours of Monday, Mr Hussain told a meeting of the elected representatives and officebearers of his party that they could choose Dr Farooq Sattar, Nadeem Nusrat or Mohammad Anwar as his replacement because he did not want to lead the party.

Dr Sattar is the most senior leader of the MQM who is based in Karachi. Mr Nusrat and Mr Anwar live in London and their association with Mr Hussain spans three and two decades respectively.

While Dr Sattar and Mr Anwar are members of the party’s coordination committee, Mr Nusrat is practically MQM chief ’s secondin-command as the senior deputy convener of the committee.

“More rigorous actions will be taken against our community if I continue to lead the party...so it is better to step down and save the nation from oppression,” he said, asking his followers to gather in the evening to choose anyone as their new leader.

Emotional scenes were witnessed when Mr Hussain insisted that his decision to leave the party leadership was final. While the meeting was being held at the auditorium of the Khurshid Begum Memorial Complex, a large number

PTI Leader’s Convoy Attacked in Karachi’s Azizabad, FIR Registered Karachi: Unidentified men wielding

in the apartments opposite Bilawal House.

The party did fail, however, to confirm whether or not the walls built on the main road will be taken down as well. Bilawal House spokesperson Eijaz Durrani only spoke about the barriers placed on both ends of Sharae Saadi. These barriers were erected in consultation with the Sindh government and the law enforcers given the security threats to Bilawal House. It will be the Sindh government’s prerogative to remove them, he said.

These barriers were put up during 2008 and 2013 when the PPP government was in power, said a government official, adding that the barriers may be taken down on Tuesday night.

Following the raid at Muttahida Qaumi Movement headquarters on

March 11, Rangers DG Bilal Akbar had given a three-day deadline to the residents of Karachi to take down barriers in their neighborhood. A few days ago, the DG had conveyed a message to the party leadership — through information minister Sharjeel Memon — to remove the barriers at Bilawal House as it would be difficult for them to take action across the board, claimed party sources.

However, Memon insisted the decision was their own and they have not succumbed to ‘any pressure’. “How can the Rangers pressure us into removing the barriers that they had put up in the past?” he asked. The PPP made this decision for the sake of the ongoing operation in Karachi and the barriers were main hurdles in pursuing terrorists and criminals, he said.

www.PakistanLink.com

of workers reached the Nine Zero headquarters and raised slogans that they would not accept Mr Hussain’s decisions.

Mr Hussain said he was disturbed over allegations leveled against him by Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf Chairman Imran Khan.

He said the PTI chief swore against him for living in London and accused him of supporting former military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf. “Imran Khan, didn’t you support Musharraf in his referendum?” he asked.

He regretted that his party’s workers and office-bearers did not defend him in television programs.

Parliamentarians belonging to the MQM announced that they would resign from assemblies and the Senate if Mr Hussain did not review his decision.

In a matter of a few hours, Mr Hussain took back his decision on the insistence of workers. He warned against attempts to change the result of the by-election in Karachi’s NA-246 constituency.

bats and bricks attacked the convoy of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founding member Imran Ismail near Jinnah Ground in the Azizabad area.

TV footage showed men attacking the convoy and smashing the windows of a white Land Cruiser with cricket bats as it drove off. The windows of another car were also smashed and jeering people were seen kicking the vehicles.

While addressing a press conference, Ismail said “MQM activists manhandled and injured PTI workers, they also smashed the windows of our vehicles. PTI will lodge an FIR against the people responsible for this vandalism.”

Acting on the request of PTI member Uzair Afridi, Azizabad police have registered an FIR against unidentified people for attacking the PTI convoy near Jinnah Ground.

Ismail was in Azizabad — known as the bastion of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement — to announce the party’s intent to hold a rally at Jinnah Ground in Azizabad on April 19.

He said, “It is perceived as Altaf Hussain’s house and there could be some trouble, but we want to say we have absolutely no fear ... We want to have a rally there.”

PTI activists disrespected martyrs monument: Addressing a press conference later MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said, “PTI activists have disrespected the martyrs monument

located adjacent to Jinnah Ground.”

“They abused MQM leadership and its martyrs while standing on the monument which triggered a violent response from the residents of the area,” he added.

Rizvi went on to say that MQM has no threat whatsoever from any other party with respect to the upcoming by-election. He urged the authorities to develop a code of conduct for holding election in NA-246.

The central PTI leader said it was a matter of principle for the party to hold a rally at Jinnah Ground.

He said that a request had already been filed with the Deputy Commissioner for the grant of permission.

Ismail said that the PTI was going to contend for the seat without forming alliances. “We are in talks with other parties but we are not looking to form an alliance.”

“Previously, the Jamaat-e-Islami used to claim that it [Azizabad] was theirs and said ‘no one apart from us can win’. They were defeated by the MQM. No one rules forever. MQM will hopefully be defeated by the PTI.” He appeared to be optimistic about the party’s chances for success, saying “You think that our influence has been defused - I feel our influence has increased. I am fighting elections on this basis. Did you see the result for Kashmir? All the parties on one side, PTI on one side - and we still got a seat. We will show you the same thing today.”

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Pakistan Link/Urdu Link & Safeer-e-Pakistan Team up to Organize Scintillating Pakistan Day

Glimpses of the Pakistan Resolution Day festival at Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California. Pictures by Anwar Khawaja

Anaheim, CA: To commemorate

the Pakistan Resolution Day, a grand festival/mela was organized

by Pakistan Link/Urdu Link and Safeer-e-Pakistan at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California, on March 22, 2015.

The most subscribed nationwide Pakistani-American newspapers, Pakistan Link/Urdu Link and the most widely watched/popular TV show on GEO TV Network,

Safeer-e-Pakistan have partnered many times before to bring mega events to the Pakistani American community, such as Pakistan Resolution Day and Independence Day festivals and parades. Both have also partnered in the past on several occasions with the Pakistan American Chamber of Commerce (PACC).

This special event was held for the entire family and marked

the success of the painstaking and sustained efforts of the organizers. According to many attendees it was the best organized event in the history of Southern California.

Thousands attended the event from late morning till closing in the evening. Big and small Pakistan flags could be seen everywhere. A large Pakistan flag was hoisted in the center of the event ground for the flag-hoisting ceremony. The stage

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was also beautifully decorated with American and Pakistani flags.

The event was made more special with the attendance of a large number of dignitaries including Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan as Chief Guest, Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee Congressman Ed Royce as guest of honor, Deputy Consul General of Pakistan Qamar Abbas Khokhar, US Con-

gresswoman Judy Chu, California Senator Tony Mendoza, LAPD Chief Michael Downing, FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Bowdich, Artesia Mayor Miguel Canales, Artesia Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj, Representative of the office of Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, LAPD Officer Shawn Alexander, and many high ranking officials of LAPD and Los Angeles Sheriff ’s Department. Many

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Glimpses of the Pakistan Resolution Day festival at Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California. Pictures by Anwar Khawaja

prominent community members and organizations joined in with the organizers to hold the successful event and were duly thanked by the hosts Arif Mansuri, Fatima Khan and Waqar Ali Khan in their speeches.

To exhibit the Pakistani culture, almost a hundred vendor booths were set up that featured clothes, jewelry, CDs/DVDs, artifacts, handicrafts, sports goods, South Asian channels, banking establishments, healthcare products

and services, along with a large list of items and products to appeal to all families. Halal and vegetarian delicacies were also served by famous restaurants.

Arif Zaffar Mansuri and Fatima Khan were the emcees for the event. At the beginning of the program a Scottish marching band played joyous tunes and led the guests from the stage area, which was located under a huge canopy, to the flag-hoisting area in the event ground, where most of the booths

were set up. The program started with a beautiful recitation from the Holy Qur’an and its translation by Mohammed Akbar Khan. Mansuri welcomed the guests and spoke about the significance of the Day. He then invited his co-host Waqar Ali Khan to speak. Congressman Ed Royce, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Artesia Mayor Miguel Canales, Artesia Councilmember Ali Sajjad Taj and CG Hamid Asghar Khan also spoke at the occasion.

Arshad Kazmi presented an illu-

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minated copy of the Bill of Rights to Congressman Ed Royce. After playing of the national anthem of the United States of America, the national anthem of Pakistan was played as Consul General Hamid Asghar Khan raised the Pakistani flag to full-staff. The crowd welcomed the colorful presentation and proudly joined in to sing the national anthems of the United States and Pakistan.

The Scottish marching band then led the guests back to the

stage area under the canopy, where speeches and festivities continued. Fatima Khan invited all the speakers to line up on the stage including FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Bowdich, Aif Zaffar Mansuri, Waqar Ali Khan, President Pakistan American Chamber of Commerce Zubair Ro, Pakistan Link/Urdu Link Editor-in-Chief Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui, Deputy CG Qamar Abbas Khokhar and CG Hamid Asghar Khan. After the speeches Arif Z. Mansuri invited

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Glimpses of the Pakistan Resolution Day festival at Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California. Pictures by Anwar Khawaja

the Pakistan Link/Urdu Link team to the stage which included, Editorin-Chief Akhtar Mahmud Faruqui, Urdu Link Resident Editor Anwar Khawaja and Urdu Link Editor Shabbir Ghori.

After the speeches, a musical concert featuring the versatile and very popular singer from New York Afzal Haider, Nauman Khalid, Shaista Alam, Saima and her brother, Arshad and Shazia Ali, Kamal and Raom Roy enthralled the audience and thoroughly energized

the crowd. Many attendees danced to many of the songs throughout the several-hour long musical entertainment program. Another highlight of the proceedings was a segment featuring performances by kids and ladies who sang several songs which added to the festive mood of the day. A special performance by volunteers at the event generated a great deal of interest and the crowd greatly enjoyed these performances.

There was a lot for the children

to do at the event - rides, jumpers, kid’s area and games were all big hits with the children. A major attraction was the chu chu train that circled the event ground all day and according to some accounts was as popular with the adults as the children!

People of all origins attended the Pakistan Resolution Day celebration and truly enjoyed the culture, heritage and hospitality provided by the Southern-California Pakistani community. The organiz-

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ers proudly stated that the Pakistan Resolution Day celebrations were made possible through the support of Pakistan Consulate, Los Angeles, and generous sponsor: Pakistan American Chamber of Commerce, State Farm Insurance (Shakeel Insurance Agency), Emirates Airlines, MONA, NetSol, SNS Designs, Rex International, Hab Bank, Zubair Rao, Farooq Ghias, Dr. Naseem Malik, Dr Razaq Chaudhry, Ghazala Khan and last but not least, our youth coordinators and volunteers

who joined the past, present and the future of Pakistan on March 22, 2015 at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California.

This year’s Resolution Day manifested our Faith, our Unity, and our Discipline as stated by our Great Leader, Quaid-i-Azam, “Our object should be peace within, and peace without. We want to live peacefully and maintain cordial friendly relations with our immediate neighbors and with the world at large.”

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Glimpses of the Pakistan Resolution Day festival at Phoenix Club in Anaheim, California. Pictures by Anwar Khawaja

Nasir Javed Takes over as COPAA President

ARY FROM P1

tions Arif Zaffar Mansuri and Chief Operating Officer of ARY Digital Network North America Asif Jamal signed the MoU. Mansuri termed the partnership

enhance the strategic partnership between the two Organizations, and to actively leverage this cooperation to boost our interest in California. We have planned to start our various ventures from the said state where we will

The Largest Circulated Pakistani-American Newspapers in North America

COPAA Board members

“The members of the Board of Directors of the Council of Pakistan American Affairs (COPAA) are pleased to welcome Mr Nasir Javed as the new President of COPAA,” says an announcement. It adds: “Mr Adnan Khan has completed his 3 terms as COPAA President and the COPAA board members wish to thank him

Adnan Khan and Nasir Javed

for his leadership, work and service to the community.

“Mr Javed has a long track record of serving Pakistani American community starting as (PSA President, Chairman IEEE & International students) in his early college days to founding charter member of TiE Southern California. He is currently

on a number of boards of both profit and non-profit organizations.

Mr Javed brings a wealth of experience to COPAA leadership. His open and inclusive style of leadership style will be an asset to our community.

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a landmark initiative as an institution of global standing, the ARY Digital Network, and a premier nationwide Pakistani American newspaper publisher, PL Publications, were entering into an agreement to promote cooperation between the two Organizations.

Mr Salman Iqbal, Founder and President of ARY Digital Network said in his special message regarding this partnership, “Signing the MoU came in light of our keenness to support and

work hand in hand with PL Publications for our mutual benefits.”

Present on the occasion, Asif Jamal said, “The presence of ARY Digital Network in America is a true feel of home away from home. ARY not only promotes the culture and values, catering to all groups of people originating from Pakistan in particular but adding to it, ARY will bring the community living in different parts of this country together.”

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Impressive Flag-Hoisting Ceremony in Los Angeles on Pakistan Resolution Day

n By Danya Akbar Los Angeles, CA: On March 23rd, 2015, members and supporters of the Pakistani community congregated at the Beverly Hills residence of Consul General of Pakistan Hamid Asghar Khan to participate in a

flag-hoisting ceremony to celebrate Pakistan Resolution Day. Pakistan Resolution Day, or Pakistan Republic Day, is a national holiday to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the adoption of the first constitution as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. “The

Lahore Resolution was a formal political statement adopted by the AllIndia Muslim League on the occasion of the three-day general session in Lahore on March 22–24, 1940. It called for the creation of ‘independent states’ for Muslims in northwestern and eastern British India,

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and was presented by A. K. Fazlul Huq, the Prime Minister of Bengal.

It was later interpreted as a demand for a separate and single Muslim state called Pakistan.” (“Do we know anything about Lahore Resolution?”.

Alarabiya.net. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2013-06-02)

The statement (in part) declared: “No constitutional plan would be workable or acceptable to the Muslims unless geographical contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted with such territorial readjustments

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as may be necessary.

“That adequate, effective and mandatory safeguards should be specifically provided in the constitution for minorities in these units and in these regions for the protection of their religious, cultural, economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them; and in other parts of India where Mussalmans are in a minority, adequate, effective and mandatory safeguard shall be specially provided in the constitution for them and other minorities for the protection of their religious, cultural,

economic, political, administrative and other rights and interests in consultation with them.

“That geographically contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be constituted, with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary that the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in a majority as in the North Western and Eastern Zones of (British) India should be grouped to constitute ‘independent states’ in which the constituent units should be autonomous and sovereign.”

This statement was the begin-

ning of the movement that would create Pakistan, and its fundamental points should still be implemented today. In addition to the Lahore Resolution, March 23rd is also celebrated in reverence to Republic Day (1956), when Pakistan became the first Islamic Republic in the world.

Event Recap: Zohreen Adamjee, the emcee from the Inaugural of the Consular Hall in February, started the proceedings with introductions and a welcome. The ceremony kicked off with Qamar Abbas Khokhar, Head

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of Chancery, relaying the messages of the Prime Minister and President of Pakistan: “To mark this historic occasion I would like to urge all citizens of Pakistan to renew their resolve to bring their country to the forefront of the comity of nations. We are confronted with formidable threats and challenges. Women and children, civilians and soldiers alike, have been targeted by terrorists and extremists.

Our schools and our places of worship have been attacked. This day brings us together to remind us of the great struggle and commitment

that accomplished the state of Pakistan. Today Pakistan needs the same efforts and commitment from its citizens to unite against evil forces. We must forget our differences and reclaim our country. A country where there is harmony and tolerance, education and prosperity, and people can live in peace and continue to strive towards success.”

Following this address, a number of esteemed guests spoke at the podium, including Dr. Jannah Scott, Deputy Director of DHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Artesia Councilmember

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Ali Sajjad Taj, the Deputy Chiefs of Protocol of Orange County and LA County, and the honored guest for the occasion, Sherriff Lee Baca. Other esteemed guests included the Deputy Consul General of China and Deputy Consul General of Turkey. Plaques were presented to the Consul General by the LA Mayor’s office, the Deputy Chiefs of Protocol of Orange County and LA County, and the City of Artesia. In addition, the Consul General presented a plaque to Sheriff Lee Baca in recognition of his long-standing sup-

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port for the Pakistani community.

After the flag-hoisting ceremony, guests gathered round to cut a large cake of the Pakistani Flag, and then to enjoy a traditional meal, catered by Karachi Tandoori Restaurant. Patriotic music, performed by Arshad Ali and his wife Shazia Ali, set the mood for the celebration.

Pakistan Resolution Day is a reminder to Pakistanis across the globe of the importance of remembering the struggle our ancestors waged in creating our country. Simply remembering

and celebrating is, however, not enough. It is vital that as Pakistani-Americans, we make sustained strivings to unite against the angst currently present in our country. For some, this means going to Pakistan and fighting the battle hands-on. For most of us, however, it starts with simple steps, like educating others about the beauty of Pakistan, and all that it has to offer the world. It begins with us speaking out against the injustices that are taking place in the country against civilians, innocents, and minorities, which

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are in conflict with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It means uniting together as a powerful community and rising above the negative stereotypes and perceptions that have been stacked against us. It means persevering, and succeeding.

This resolve was succinctly spelled out by Zahra Mirza, a 23-year-old graduate student in the screenwriting program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts: “As a person of Pakistani heritage living in a country where my nationality is questioned and scruti-

nized, I take pride in celebrating Pakistan Day. My country and its independence are part of my identity, and I will wear them just like every other American wears their freedom and rights in the United States. To me, Pakistan Day commemorates pride and persistence-- two invaluable qualities. It is imperative for every Pakistani-American to reflect these values and be proud to have Pakistani nationality in such a diverse, politically dynamic world.”

Stay proud. Pakistan Zindabad.

COMMENTARY

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‘The Most Inspired Selection in New Zealand Cricket History’ n By Dylan Cleaver

A

man who can grow a full beard in a matter of minutes might be used to close shaves, but it’s unlikely the wider public has full appreciation of just how close Grant Elliott was to missing out on his World Cup dream.

It’s fair to say that if the South Africanborn national hero wasn’t the 15th man picked in Mike Hesson’s World Cup squad, he was the 14-and-a-halfth.

For months it seemed likely that talented young all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was going to be part of the squad and Elliott wasn’t considered good enough to squeeze in as a specialist batsman. When he missed selection in the three-match ODI series against South Africa in October despite the absence of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor - Neesham, Dean Brownlie and World Cup backup batsman Tom Latham were preferred - the door was effectively closed on Elliott.

He did what good players, veteran players, do. He went back to domestic cricket, in this case the Georgie Pie Super Smash, and loudly reinvented his game. Suddenly Elliott started accessing his boundary areas earlier in his innings. A heady, diligent batsman was, at the relatively advanced age of 35, becoming explosive.

Domestic cricket in this country can, unfortunately, be a wasteland of broken dreams, but in Elliott’s case, the selectors took notice. When it came time to make the toughest cull, they opted for Elliott’s experience, his reputation as a great team man and, most importantly, his greater shot-making confidence over a younger and quite probably more talented compatriot.

Despite many skeptics, including this author, it will now be remembered as one of the most inspired selections in New Zealand cricket history.

But if you expect Elliott to give a twofingered salute to his critics, you’ll be look-

P

ing for a long time. If anybody embodies that hoary old chestnut, there is no ‘I’ in team, it is him.

“We’ve got a team that plays for each other and the four million people in New Zealand. That’s the big picture,” he said.

“When you play for the team it takes away that insular feeling - we have none of that in our team.”

What they do have is grit by the tiptruck load, and a refusal to quit. They might occasionally get outplayed, but they don’t get outfought. That has not always been the case with our cricketers, but it always has with Elliott. He can say without fear of contradiction that he has maximized his talent.

“When I emigrated to New Zealand I wanted to become a New Zealander. I’ve made New Zealand my home. It’s great to repay the hospitality that everyone has shown.

I love the country. It’s sad that I left South

“We’ve got a team that plays for each other and the four million people in New Zealand. That’s the big picture,” he said. “When you play for the team it takes away that insular feeling - we have none of that in our team.”

Africa when I did... but New Zealand is my

home and I’m pretty stoked to get [us] to the final.”

He did it under the most enormous pressure, something he admitted to in the wake of his heroics. To recap: needing a boundary off the last two balls of the game to send New Zealand through, he shoveled a good length ball from Dale Steyn, arguably the best fast bowler on the planet, into the heaving, anxious crowd at deep midwicket.

He confessed that he was feeling the pressure, that he worried what it would feel like to be 78 not out and having failed, rather than being 84 not out and a legend. It is why he showed true class when the rest of the stadium just wanted to party. There’s a beautiful image that is circulating the world, an indelible image, of Elliott reaching down and picking up a crestfallen Steyn.

It might even be remembered long after the hoick is forgotten, as new heroes emerge at the 2019 CWC and beyond.

“You have to feel compassion. Humble in victory, humble in defeat. It’s just part of, I guess, who I am. I felt quite sorry for him; I felt quite sorry for a lot of the South African guys,” he said. “It could have been us. It could have been me sitting there. If I had missed the last two balls I would have been pretty gutted as well, along with 40,000 people in the stadium I’m sure.”

Elliott’s place in our sporting story is now secure. The boy who was suspended from school and cricket after his mum let him stay home to watch South Africa play Australia in the 1992 World Cup has fulfilled his dream of being part of the tournament.

“It [1992] left a massive impression on me. That tournament, the colored clothing and everything... it was what I wanted to do.

It’s funny how life works. I’m at Eden Park today hitting the winning runs to take New Zealand [to the final]. It’s been quite an awesome journey.”

A journey that came frighteningly close to ending before it started.

Five Safety Tips for Women Traveling alone

erhaps more than ever, women are willing to ditch their traveling companions and go solo when it comes time to hit the road and see the world.

A survey by Small Luxury Hotels of the World, for example, revealed that between 2011 and 2012 there was a 53 percent increase in the demand for rooms by women traveling alone.

The London Daily Mail also reports that some hotels have taken steps to make their accommodations more appealing to women traveling on their own, with such features as womenonly floors.

Still, despite the trend, many women may worry that such solitary excursions carry too many risks, making them a target for thieves, kidnappers and other criminals.

But one woman who has logged endless miles exploring the world and finding romance says it doesn’t have to be that way.

“There is no reason to let your fears keep you from the adventures you can experience,” says Barbara Foster, a veteran globetrotter and author of the book “The Confessions of a Librarian: A Memoir of Loves.” (www.threelovestory.com) “Sure, there are risky places and bad types out there. But with the right precautions, women can travel solo with confidence, vis-

iting the places and meeting the people they always dreamed of and returning home with wonderful stories and memories.”

Foster speaks from experience. Her travels have taken her across the country and around the world, with stops in Istanbul, Bombay, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem and other locales.

As an adventurer, Foster is something of a contradiction. She describes herself as a librarian who has difficulty reading flight schedules, and suspects a haggling merchant in an Arab bazaar would view her as easy pickings.

He would be mistaken.

While Foster has spent a professional lifetime in academia,

and co-authored books on such

You will miss many of the world’s must-see places, but if the thought of traveling abroad holds too much stress for you, it might be better to stick closer to home. Foster says two of her favorite US cities are New York and New Orleans, both great places to explore esoteric subjects as Tibetan Bud-

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dhism, she also is steeped in reallife experience.

Foster, who says solo trips can be deeply rewarding for women, offers five tips for traveling boldly while staying safe.

• Steer clear of the most dangerous locales. Simply put, some places just aren’t worth the risk, so avoid “no go” neighborhoods, cities and countries.

• Connect with friendly contacts. Make yourself known not only to the US embassy or consul, but also to people in your field, Foster says. During her travels, Foster wrote articles about libraries she visited. Her fellow librarians were a protective group.

• Learn the language or at

least useful phrases. Even if it’s just a few key words, speaking the language can come in handy if you need to seek assistance. Understanding what others are saying also can alert you to potential dangers.

• Dress wisely, pay attention to manners and spend money in moderation. Essentially, don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself. In her book, Foster recounts a visit to Istanbul where she watched horror-struck as two Turkish men slapped a young British woman for wearing a miniskirt on the street. For added protection against thieves, Foster recommends carrying money and identification in a pouch under your shirt.

• Travel in the USA. You will miss many of the world’s mustsee places, but if the thought of traveling abroad holds too much stress for you, it might be better to stick closer to home. Foster says two of her favorite US cities are New York and New Orleans, both great places to explore.

About Barbara Foster: Barbara Foster has worked as a college librarian and as an associate professor specializing in Women’s Studies at the City University of New York. She has published numerous articles on education and travel, as well as more than 200 poems in literary journals under the name Belladonna. Her latest book is “The Confessions of a Librarian: A Memoir of Loves.”

COMMENTARY n By Dr. S.M. Ghazanfar

A

Emeritus Faculty University of Idaho Moscow , Idaho

nd moving to some other cultural connections, there is the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, formed as a secret society in 1870, identified with the Free Masons, known simply as the Shriners.

With their bright red Moroccon-Turkish fezzes (with an inverted crescent, topped by a sword), their elaborate buildings mirror Islamic mosques (now called temples) and Arabic inscriptions that are exact Islamic phrases, the Shriners present the Arab-Islamic world quite distinctly, though in a perverse fashion. From their very beginning, they dressed like medieval Muslim men and pretended to be part of a secret society that they traced to Mecca and their gathering places were called ‘mosques,’ with names such as Mecca, Medina, Al-Koran, Al-Malaikah, etc. They printed documents in Arabic, paraded down streets with camels and mechanical elephants, consumed lots of alcohol – the group began as an orientalist playground for partying and drinking – the mainstay of early Shriner events.

And Shriners would mimick Islamic greetings, “Salam-o-Alaikum” (peace be upon you). Their parades around the country continue till today. At a 1900 parade in front of the White House, President McKinley stood attention, as the Shriners Imperial Potentate addressed him in Arabic and greeted him with “AssalamoAlaikum.” At another parade in 1921, President Harding spoke to the Shriners in Arabic, telling them “Wa-alaikum-assalam” (peace be upon you too). Then in 1923, Harding adorned his head with a bright red fez as he watched the Shriners parade.

Until recently, their parades presented the Arabs as distinct “others,” as sword-swinging desert nomads, dressed in the Bedouin garbs, with marching camels and scantily-clad harem girls, etc.-- all that one is also accustomed to seeing in Hollywood movies. Obviously, Shriners’ parades today are not quite different these days, and the former ‘mosques’ are now called ‘temples.’ Yet considerable nomenclature remains; for example, their governing body is called the “Imperial Divan.”

What started out as a huge party-club, the Shriners later assumed the role of charity and volunteerism and this philanthropic spirit legitimized them in the eyes of many Americans, including our more recent Presidents – Harry Truman and JFK, both of whom delivered speeches from the Shriners’ Syria “mosque” in Pittsburgh.

That mosque looks exactly like a mosque, with Arabic inscription “La ghalib il-Allah’ (‘there is no victor but Allah’) rimming the building top – and it is often mistaken as a genuine mosque by newcomers from the Islamic world. But more famous is the Al-Malaikah “mosque” in Los Angeles, which has hosted numerous Oscars, Emmys, and

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Islam: As American as Apple Pie - 2

Grammys, and from its architecture and other representations (e.g., depictions of Muslim men on camels, next to palm trees, next to mosques with minarets and domes, etc.), this “mosque” seems straight out of the Arabian Nights.

And what comes to me as a huge surprise is this. Shriners’ best-known sports facility is the Medinah Country Club near Chicago. The main gate of this club tells visitors as they leave, “Allah be with you.” And with its Islamic domes, arches, and turbaned statutes, the Club offers a lake named after Prophet Mohammed’s first wife, Khadija.

1847 by P.T. Barnum, the famous circus-man who built a mansion called “Iranistan” in Bridgeport, Conn. Its architectural design and all related paraphernalia, including some Islamic scriptures, were straight out of Islamic Spain. This “Oriental Villa,” as Barnum called it, was destroyed in a fire in 1857, and today the only vestiges of Iranistan are in Bridgeport’s Barnum Museum, located on a street named Iranistan Avenue.

There are, of course, numerous other structures that distinctly reflect Islamic architecture – often even in ordinary dwellings all around us, usually

Perhaps less well-known are places with Islamic heritage in the South. However, one scholar notes, “Nowhere are the [Arab-Islamic] traditions seen more dramatically than in New Orleans and San Antonio, both of which were under Spanish control” before becoming part of the United States. Spanish style houses in New Orleans’ French quarter reflect a fusion of architectural norms (balconies, ironwork with geometric designs, courtyards, patios, etc.) which Spain had adopted from centuries of Islamic influence.

And in San Antonio, there is the Alamo. Aside from its battle-

There are, of course, deep connections between the Islamic world and the Unitarian-Universalist tradition. The “father of transcendentalism,” “America’s first public intellectual,” as the dissident pastor of Boston’s Second Church is sometime called, the eminent 19th century Unitarian minister, Ralph Waldo Emerson “embarked on a spiritual odyssey that would see him embrace the literary and religious traditions of the East, including Islam and including Sufi-Muslim poetry from Persia” – Hafiz, Saadi, Rumi, etc. He often agonized that more Americans were not familiar with those Islamic traditions, and that it was too provincial to ignore them Clearly, the Shriners saw the Arabs/Muslims through an “orientalist” prism – a denigration and “commodification” of a people, as the late Edward Said would call it, and clearly reflecting the “us vs.them” mentality.

Yet, for good or bad, Shriners’ history and their various manifestations at least helped introduce the idea of Arabs/Muslims culture.

And then there are numerous historic and contemporary architectural wonders in America that distinctly reflect Arab-Islamic cultural linkages. The very first such wonder was built in

identified as “Spanish or Moorish design,” really meaning “Islamic.” And a rather famous such structure is California’s thoroughly ‘Moorish’ Hearst Castle. And there is Al-Hambra Palace hotel in Chicago, inspired

by Granada’s Al-Hambra Palace of 13 th century Islamic Spain; and there is the city of Alhambra in southern California, as is the same-name movie house in Evansville, Indiana. And there is the Alhambra Department Store in Seattle. And then there is Donald Trump’s Taj-Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ, inspired by the Mughal Taj Mahal of India.

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ground fame, Alamo was originally built in 1924 as a Catholic seminary in San Antonio. But what is Moorish/Islamic about Alamo? There is beautifully carved Moorish doorway, with intricate, geometric floral pattern, and its formal style architecture and design includes an Islamic element. “The archways, featuring alternating red and white bands, are exact copies of the archways from the Aljama Mosque” in Cordoba built in 784

by Spain’s Islamic rulers. During 300 years of Spanish presence in the Americas, Spanish architects adopted numerous “Moor-

ish ideas into scores of churches, including sites in what are today Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico” (p.10, Coriel). And here is a surprise: Columbus was an admirer of Islamic buildings and during his first voyage to America, he saw a hill on the Cuban coast and he exclaimed, there is “a beautiful mosque.”

As one scholar notes, the Islamic connections to various structures of New Orleans and San Antonio do not mean that we should give them Islamic names, but at a basic level, “the Islamic past of the French Quarter and of San Antonio’s historic churches demands a reimagining of these cherished American icons” and their links to Arab-Islamic culture must be recognized.

And finally, there are, of course, deep connections between the Islamic world and the Unitarian-Universalist tradition.

The “father of transcendentalism,” “America’s first public intellectual,” as the dissident pastor of Boston’s Second Church is sometime called, the eminent 19 th century Unitarian minister, Ralph Waldo Emerson “embarked on a spiritual odyssey that would see him embrace the literary and religious traditions of the East, including Islam and including Sufi-Muslim poetry from Persia” – Hafiz, Saadi, Rumi, etc. He often agonized that more Americans were not familiar with those Islamic traditions, and that it was too provincial to ignore them.

He wasn’t alone; there were others –Walt Whitman, David Thoreau, etc. Further, a ‘google’ search revealed scores of such cultural linkages. I found a 2003 sermon by Rev. Roger Bertschausen, Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Wisconsin, in which he says, “Another similarity to Unitarian-Universalism is Islam’s view that religion is far more about practice and deeds than about theology and creeds.

Islam is a religion primarily of action and works – just like UU. How we live in the world is the crux of both UU and Muslim spirituality. .... So take the Trinity and divinity of Jesus out of Christianity, get rid of belief in original sin and the resurrection of Jesus, focus on practice and deeds, and you have not just Islam, but Unitarian Universalism.

Ours are truly kindred faiths.”

And finally I will conclude with this plea and wish – that, despite extremists of all varieties, someday Muslims and Arabs will be fully accepted as a vital, integral part of the American culture. From its very beginning, America intersected with the Islamic world, borrowing from it, admonishing it, fearing it, and co-existing with it. And indeed there are myriad contemporary manifestations of this intermingling.

For our co-existence and survival, we need people of various faiths whose vistas are broad and hearts capacious. So many of our boundaries are of our making. If we can’t undo them, we can at least enlarge their scope.

By alienating those who are different, we end up alienating ourselves and diminishing our own humanity. Indeed, we do need generous heretics.

COMMENTARY

P26 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015 n By Siraj Khan Boston, MA

T

he year 1980 swept into the Indian film industry a Pakistani girl. She came to India via England to rock the world of music with her own trail-blazing style of get-up-and-dance flavour.

Then, it would have been difficult to conceive that a young girl, barely in her mid-teens, would perhaps unknowingly set an example of aman ki asha on a scale that even established politicians and diplomats would not be able to achieve.

Feroz Khan’s Qurbani would have still been a success at the boxoffice even without Baat Ban Jaye, but just this song sung by Nazia Hassan and picturized on vivacious Zeenat Aman had something in it, the magic which nobody had visualised in their wildest imagination.

Biddu, a UK-based Indian music producer, who already had several hits under his belt producing hit songs for Tina Charles, Carl Douglas and others, composed Nazia’s first mega hit. Biddu is known for danceable faves like “Ring My Bell” and “Kung Fu Fighting.” Both the song and singer became overnight sensations. Nazia won a Filmfare Award in 1981 for the Best Female Singer -the first Pakistani artiste to achieve this honour. She remains the youngest recipient ever to win this award -an added distinction unlikely to be surpassed for a long time to come.

Nazia Hassan had set the music scene alight in India with her joyous, hyper-desi disco trend.

The effect of her popularity across the length and breadth of the subcontinent was nothing

n By Osman Samiuddin

A

sk yourself how Fazal Mahmood could not be the start of something beautiful?

Long ago we Pakistanis twigged that fast bowling was not really about bowling fast. It was far bigger, cleverer and hipper than that and it was Fazal who first let us in on it.

Fazal was not quick. He used to tell Imran Khan and others later in life that he used to bowl in the midto-late 80s (mph) - and higher if he was in the mood - but it’s just not true. One contemporary laughs at the idea that Fazal might ever have even touched 80mph but the most revealing measurement comes from Richie Benaud, who used his own leg-spin as comparison: during Fazal’s 13-wicket Test against Australia in Karachi in October 1956, Benaud thought Fazal was bowling “at a pace twice as fast as I bowled, and he was cutting the ball more than I could spin it.”

So no, he wasn’t fast. But he was a fast bowler, and not just because on radio, where his aura was built, he could be as fast or slow as the mind wanted. He was a fast bowler because he really didn’t like his captain. He was a fast bowler because he believed he deserved to lead. He was a fast bowler because if he’d had the DRS at his disposal, he would’ve demanded a review unilaterally for every one of his appeals.

He was a fast bowler because Ava Gardner wanted to dance with him, Noor Jehan allegedly sang a song about his hair and the Queen did a double-take at his blue eyes and asked him where he was really from. He was a fast bowler because he chainsmoked. He was a fast bowler because he had great hair and made sure Bryl-

A Voice That Lives on short of magical. Political boundaries seemed to disappear. Seamless movement of people started across the borders. Even cricket between the countries started to resurface.

The youth on both sides of the border looked up to Nazia as the subcontinent’s first true pop diva, with stunning looks to go with the voice. India Today magazine voted Nazia Hassan -- a Pakistani -- as one of the 50 people who helped change the face of India. The most visible and tangible change in India’s music space was the personal album trend which began taking off with Lucky Ali, Alisha Chinoy, Shewata Shetty and many others.

Nazia Hassan’s phenomenal success was no flash in the pan. She teamed up with her brother Zoheb and produced hit after hit. Coming at the heels of Baat Bun Jaye in 1981, was Disco Deewane which broke all sales records not only in India and Pakistan but also topped the charts in Brazil, the West Indies and Europe. Successful albums like Star/ Boom Boom (1982), Young Tarang (1984), Hotline (1987) followed and later Camera Camera (1982) rolled out, along with TV shows with BBC, ITV, Channel 4. In 1989, Nazia and Zoheb hosted the groundbreaking all-Pakistan television pop show called Music’89, produced by Shoaib Mansoor.

Culture and art play a key role in building bridges between boundaries. In fact, culture and art belong to the whole world. Before them vanish the barriers of religions and nationalities. Those who believe

in this have seen it for themselves.

Some of us discovered this rather late in our lives. Nazia Hassan was a great believer in the power of music, something that she identified very early in her life.

Perhaps the seeds for such a thinking and conviction were sown

Hi Hum, which were also directed

by Sohail Rana in his inimitable style and methodology. Nazia started to bloom and really began singing not only in her voice, but also from the heart. She has on many occasions acknowledged the contribution of her mentor Sohail Rana in polishing

Nazia Hassan’s phenomenal success was no flash in the pan.

She teamed up with her brother Zoheb and produced hit after hit. Coming at the heels of Baat Bun Jaye in 1981, was Disco Deewane which broke all sales records not only in India and Pakistan but also topped the charts in Brazil, the West Indies and Europe very early in her tender years. Nazia was a child participant / student of Music Maestro Sohail Rana in the PTV program Kaliyon ki Maala . I recall Dosti Aisa Naata Jo Sonay Sey Bhi Mehanga. Kaliyon Ki Mala took the shape of Sung Sung Chalte Rehna, Saat Suroon Ki Duniya and Hum

her hidden talent and also building her confidence and self-discipline.

Yet another student of Sohail Rana, Adnan Sami during his recent interview with ARY the Pakistani TV channel, acknowledged his tutelage

by Sohail Rana in 1979/80 in the TV program Rung barangi duniya from

Fazal: Fast... at Heart creem knew it. He was a fast bowler because, on board the SS Batory to England for the 1954 tour, he worked out during the day and was a big hunk of life and love on the dance floors at night. He was a fast bowler because he got film offers from both sides of the border. He was a fast bowler because he drove around Lahore in a nifty little white MG. He was a fast bowler because neither was he retiring and nor did he retire gracefully. He was a fast bowler because no Test was knowingly beyond his grasp.

Above all he was a fast bowler because without being at all fast, he strutted around like Jeff Thomson was Mark Ealham in front of him. One of the greatest effects of Imran’s leadership and bowling was that it turned bowlers thereafter into a super-confident, aggressive and attacking wicket-takers. In body they might not be quick, but in spirit, even your average neighborhood medium-pacer is bowling every ball at 100mph.

Fazal pre-dated this, a straight up iconoclast. He bowled first to take wickets, always straight, always at the pads and stumps. Two-thirds of his 139 Test wickets were either bowled, leg-before or caught behind; nearly 45 per cent were bowled or leg-before.

His signature ball, the one that made his name was the leg-cutter and in an even smaller, closed world than cricket is now, it became a bit of a thing. If you hadn’t been bowled or dismissed

by Fazal’s leg-cutter, you hadn’t really earned your colors. In essence the ball was a fizzing, nippy leg-break, on its best days a dream delivery drifting and dipping towards the batsmen’s shins before breaking away late and sharp. It generally came from a wider

grip of the seam than normal and a lower, rounder arm action.

The ball was a gift to the devotion of his father, Professor Ghulam Hussein, a principal at Lahore’s Islamia College with a deep love for the game. The professor had raised the first cricket team at the famous college and was an early figure in the great rivalries with Government College. “My father took me to these finals as a ‘good luck mascot’, exhorting me to become a bowler and one day beat Government College,” Fazal wrote in his autobiography. “He would place a tumbler on a small table at about stump height and ask me to hit the glass with the ball. He taught me to bowl the leg-cutter.”

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Until the end of March 1959, Pakistan’s first golden age, Fazal was a giant; 114 wickets in just 24 Tests, close to 40 per cent of all wickets taken by Pakistani bowlers. To that add the 36 wickets he took in seven unofficial Tests played in the run-up to Pakistan’s first official Test. Few of those were freebies: 93 of his wickets were specialist batsmen. The men he dismissed most often? The cream of the age: Conrad Hunte, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar, Gary Sobers, Neil Harvey, Denis Compton thrice in four Tests, Sir Len Hutton twice in two Tests. All this leaves as little doubt to his greatness as he carried within himself, and it led Pakistan to wins in India, England, West Indies, against Australia and New Zealand in their first eight years; at least one against every country they played. No full member has had as promising a start and no one did more than Fazal, with 65 wickets in the seven wins he played in.

His feats are often downplayed by pointing to his reliance on matting wickets, under which it wasn’t unusual for the odd, strategically placed pebble to find its way. In a way this is as much a natural counter to his own unbearable bluster about his abilities (and bluster is a polite replacement for arrogance). And it is true he often found ways of missing turf-wicket matches and that at the Lahore Gymkhana a rare turf wicket venue in the early years - he could be far less threatening.

But this is churlish, because matting was a valid surface. And in the West Indies and England, he won Tests on turf.

It also takes away from his lessercelebrated prowess as a stock bowler, capable of plugging up an end

PTV Islamabad Center.

Nazia’s passion for building bridges was not confined to music.

Armed with a law degree, she ended up working for the UN from 199294, when she got married and moved to Dubai in 1995.

Alas, history is full of great people who achieved in a few years, what others do in a lifetime. Like so many wonderful artistes of the subcontinent before her -- Geeta Dutt, Geeta Bali, Madhubala, Meena Kumari and others -- Nazia Hassan succumbed prematurely to disease and illness. It was on August 13, 2000, when she left for the heavenly abode, just in her mid-thirties.

Yes, it’s been almost fourteen years. Nazia, you will be remembered not only for the musical treasures of joy and peace that you have left for us, but also because you showed us that what is played is the music, not the instrument. More importantly, we admire you for taking music beyond borders. Shayed baat bun hee jaye!

A few gems from Nazia Hassan’s treasure box, which she has left for us.

Dum dum dee dee http : / / w w w. youtu b e. c om / watch?v=xssv5Je-6xk Boom Boom http://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=1sHTPrlQPBA&feature=relat ed Ye DIl Tere liye http://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=iYXn38P8qdM&feature=relat ed Ajnabi http://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=xaQQTwDnB8M&feature=rel ated when the going wasn’t so bright. His stamina was as robust as that of a long-distance runner, the result of a regime as strict as it was simple: from his school days, every day, he would skip rope and go for a ten-mile jog from 430 am, no matter the weather.

Imran and his charges would later also learn the same, straightforward truth of running that Fazal had done. They bore extraordinary results. Through England in 1954, he bowled a staggering 677 overs. In Jamaica in 1958, as Sobers made his 365, Fazal took on the load of two men. Mahmood Hussain pulled up with an injury in his very first over so Fazal wheeled down 85.2 overs; only four bowlers have ever bowled more in an innings and all of them were spinners. In his last two Tests in England in 1962, broadened mid-riff now accompanying him, he bowled 63, 60 and 49 overs in three innings. He bowled 45 overs on one day - one day - of the Fourth Test, bowling for all but half an hour of England’s seven-and-a-half hour innings.

And so to end, let’s rephrase that opening question and ask ourselves how Fazal could not have been the start of something to which the natural end could only be Shoaib Akhtar?

In one way, Shoaib was the absolute distillation of the idea of the quintessential Pakistani fast bower, the end point of a line with an upward gradient which began with Fazal: faster, more nakhras, more drama, more aggression, more destructive on and off the field than every fast bowler who had gone before. But in another way, if you account for the times they operated in, it’s almost as if, with Shoaib, Pakistani fast bowling did not evolve so much as found its way back - full circle back - to Fazal, where it all began.

COMMENTARY n By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan

O

Garden Grove, CA

ur Christian brothers observe Good Friday to mark what they believe to be the day on which one of the great prophet of Allah, Jesus, peace be upon him, was crucified. Good Friday is the Friday before the Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is celebrated to commemorate what our Christian brothers believe was the day when Jesus, (pbuh), rose from death after the supposed crucifixion. He is supposed to have appeared to his disciples before he ascended to heavens.

Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal Equinox which falls around March 21 and heralds the spring season. Devout Christians celebrate Easter after 40 days of fasting which starts with Ash Wednesday. While they remember Jesus (PBUH) in these ceremonies, those that relish the memories of Roman Civilization enjoy the revelries of March Madness in this period. Muslims of Central Asia celebrate Jashn e Nauroz during this time.

It is worthwhile to share with our Christian brothers the Islamic perspective on the Virgin birth of Jesus to Mary (peace be upon both of them), his ascension to heaven and his second coming on this occasion. Qur’an has spoken extensively about this great prophet and his ancestors and has devoted a considerable portion of the Chapter of Al- Imran, Al Maida, Al Nisa and Mariam to elucidate this.

Allah chose Children of Israel from amongst all people based upon His knowledge says Qur’an (Ch 44 V 32), and blessed them with what he had not given to anyone (Ch 2 V 47).

The adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely was equally applicable to the Children of Israel. The result was that children of Israel had to face the humiliation of Serfdom in the land of Egypt where once their ancestor Joseph (PBUH), son of Jacob was the confidant and Treasury Secretary of the Pharaoh.

Allah showed His mercy and liberated the Children of Israel through Moses (PBUH) and brought them back to The Holy Land which was promised to their patriarch Abraham (PBUH).

When they did not correct their course Allah punished them twice.

Once through Nebuchadnezzar and again through Titus and dispersed the Children of Israel all over the world (Ch 17 V 3-7). It was toward the end of their first trial when Nebuchadnezzar took them captive after pillaging the Holy Land, and before the beginning of the second trial when Titus sent them into exile out of Jerusalem, that Jesus (PBUH) came to mend the lost of sheep of Israel.

The ordeal of Israelites is attributed to the moral decay and excessive involvement in worldly good in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Psalms and Gospels. Qur’an also mentions in great detail about it in several places (Ch 2 V 51-103).

Qur’an mentions the misfortune of Israelites to warn Muslims about the pitfalls and the consequences of drift.

Unfortunately Muslims consider this as a mere denunciation of Jewish people by God and thereby lose the golden opportunity of self-correction in light of the lessons of their predecessors. This is in spite of the warning by Nabi SA that Muslims will go astray exactly like them (Tirmizi 2180).

Israelites who had bequeathed the memory of the glorious time of

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27

Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him): An Islamic Perspective their ancestors through scriptures and through folk lore prayed vehemently for a savior to rescue their faith and their community from the abyss into which they had fallen. But such people were few and most people denied any moral dimension to their suffering and were happy with their life under Roman domination and Roman lifestyle. Many a prophet had even predicted the coming of Messiah.

Two Jewish families from amongst the inhabit- ants of Jerusalem were especially w o r r i e d about the condition of their brethren and prayed vehemently that God grant them children whom they could dedicate to His service. One was the family of Imran (Ch3 V35-36) and the other was the family of Zachariah (Ch19 V2-15), the cousin of Imran. While the family of Imran was young, that of Zacharia was very old.

When Imran’s family was granted a girl, Mary (peace be upon her), they complained as to what good is a girl to discharge the lofty burden of service to God and His people. Allah said in reply that a boy would not be like this girl because this girl and her progeny are kept safe from insinuation of Satan (Ch 3 V 36). This was the girl who later gave birth to Jesus without being touched by a man (Ch 3. V 42-48).

Virgin Birth: The fact of the virgin birth of Jesus (PBUH) was indeed a miracle in that era when there was a great emphasis on miracles to draw attention and push the message. Beyond this it points to the fact that in the decadent society at that time there was not a single virtuous man in Jerusalem that could give Mary (PBUH) a child that was safe from insinuation of Satan to lead the Israelites out of the mess they were in. A few years before the birth of Jesus (PBUH), the old Zechariahs were also granted a son, Yahiya (John the Baptist, PBUH), so that he could be the herald and support to Jesus (PBUH) in his prophetic mission. The agony of Mary in giving birth to Jesus without any man touching her is chronicled in Qur’an (Ch 19 V 16-34).

The suffering of Jesus and John the Baptist are chronicled in Gospels.

Qur’an asserts that Jesus attested the legitimacy of his virgin birth and said as an infant in the cradle that he is a servant of God and His prophet (Ch 19 V 230-34). But the skeptics refuse to believe in virgin birth of Jesus (PBUH). They attribute his birth to marriage of Mary with carpenter Joseph based upon some record of Roman census. This must have been done to restore the honor of Mary in the traditional society, but they diminished the creative genius of God which we see in every creation.

When God can create Adam without a father or mother; when He can create Eve without a mother, why can’t He make Mary (PBUH) give birth to Jesus without a biological father? Surprisingly, this skepticism is more pronounced in the educated community which knows that in the primitive hermaphrodite animals God has kept that phenomenon where animal reproduces without mating with a partner. We are more enamored with our concept of X and Y chromosome than the creative genius of God. We debunk this possibility of virgin birth of male Jesus because we think that it is impossible for Mary to conceive and give birth to a man with the absence of the Y chromosome in her genome.

Allah snubs these skeptics by

saying: Creation of Jesus is like creating Adam whom He created from Clay and brought it into life by blowing His spirit and by His command “Be” and he became (Ch 3 V 59).

Qur’an further says: Messiah (Jesus) the son of Mary, the Messenger was the word which was blown into Mary

by Allah, and from His spirit (Ch 4 V 171). This verse makes it clear that Jesus (PBUH) came into existence in a miraculous way, and he was the messenger of God and not His son, or the one of three. Qur’an also speaks about the miracles given to Jesus (Ch 3 V 45-63). Thus Qur’an restored the dignity and chastity of Mary, majesty of Jesus, and the power of Allah SWT to create anything the way He wants.

It is interesting to know that the word Kun (Be), which is the command of Allah, to bring anything into existence is also a platonic concept, Logos. According to this concept at the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the Word was God (History of Western Philosophy

by Bertrand Russell P 351). This platonic concept that God is word, and Jesus (PBUH) was created from word led to the belief that Jesus (PBUH) is the son of God. When Allah intends to create something He says Be and it happens (Ch 36 V 82). This does not mean that everything that is created is the son of God. Faithful made him the son of God because of the use of the word father by Jesus (PBUH) allegorically for want of a better word to impress upon his followers the kindness and generosity of God. Crucifixion or Ascension: The suffering of Jesus (PBUH) by the Pharisees and the rulers of Jerusalem leading to his supposed crucifixion is well known. But Qur’an says emphatically: They say that they killed the messenger of God, Messiah son of Mary. They did not kill him or crucified him, but it only appeared to them so. They are indeed confused without any knowledge and believe in their imagination, for sure they did not kill him, but Allah lifted him unto Himself (Ch 4 V 157-58).

Allah further says: Allah said to Jesus, I will recall you and raise you up to me (Ch 3 V 55). The word Muthawaffeeka which is used in this verse and is translated as recall is derived from word Tuwaffa which means to take back one’s share in full.

Some scholars assert that this word applies to lifting of both the soul and the body. As for the lifting of soul in ordinary cases of death the word used is Mautha. For Allah to use the word Mutawaffeeka instead of Mautha indicates that this lifting of Jesus was not an ordinary event but something different than the ordinary and that is why Allah has used the special term Mutawaffeeka (Tafheem ul Qur’an).

But some scholars like Muhammad Assad opine that it was an ordinary lifting of soul with exaltation as it is mentioned in Qur’an with regard to Idris (Enoch AS Ch 19 V57).

In the Gospel of John Jesus (PBUH) says: I go to my father and you see me no more (Ch16 V 9). Further he says: A little while, and you shall not see me, and again, a little while, and you shall see me because I go to the father (Ch 16 V 16 & 17).

The above verses from Gospel are interpreted to indicate the resurrection of Jesus (PBUH) after his supposed crucifixion on the Easter Sunday before he was lifted.

But there are other verses in the gospels which point to disappearance

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and lifting of Jesus (PBUH) in the unusual way as described in Qur’an without undergoing that torture and crucifixion. Maulana Hameed ud Deen Farrahi refers to one such verse in the Gospel of John which is not seen in any other gospel. These things spoke Jesus and disappeared and did hide himself from them (John, Ch 12 V 36). Commenting about this verse in his exegesis of Surah e Theen (Fig), Maulana Farrahi says: This verse from Gospel of John describes the last moments of Jesus life correctly, and that is, he disappeared and he was not arrested by the army. The subsequent events described in the various Gospels, he says, only cause confusion and do not have the flavor of prophetic words.

It is difficult to believe that the Merciful and loving God would allow His prophets to be subjected to that extreme torture by His enemies.

Therefore it is appropriate of His Power and Glory to rescue His messenger.

Allah says in Qur’an that He rescues His messengers and their follower and this is the right of the believer over Him (Ch.10 V 103). When the army came to arrest Jesus (PBUH), the few faithful followers of Jesus were made to escape to keep his mission alive, while Jesus (PBUH) was lifted in a mysterious way. The army took hold of someone resembling Jesus from the crowd and crucified him. This is the reality which is emphatically described in the Qur’an in the following verse: They boast that they have slain Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God. They did not slay him or crucified him, but it only appeared so to them. They are indeed confused without any knowledge and believe in their imagination, for sure they did not kill him, but Allah lifted him unto Himself. Allah is Powerful and Wise (Ch 4 V 157-158).

Second Coming: The Israeli prophets had foretold the coming of Messiah, and the Jews were expecting their savior. Jesus (PBUH) came and he was not recognized by them and in fact he was tormented and rejected by them. Therefore Allah swt lifted Jesus (PBUH) to Himself. Jesus (PBUH) had predicted the death he would seek and the reason for it. He says: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me (John Ch 12 V 32). The wish of prophets is seldom ignored by the One who has sent them. Therefore Jesus (PBUH) will come back once again and will take all men with him.

The assertion in Qur’an that all people of the book will believe in Jesus before the hour (Ch 4 V 159), points to this possibility. People go to heaven not the mysterious way but through their faith.

There are plenty of narrations attributed to Muhammad SA about the second coming of Jesus (PBUH) close to the hour. Nabi SA in one of the Hadith says: By the One in Whose Hand is my soul; son of Mary shall soon descend among you and will judge justly (Tirmizi 2233). But Qur’an only has some oblique references to the second coming of Jesus.

For instanc, it says: He spoke to men while he was in cradle and he (Jesus) will speak when he is old (Ch 4 V 46).

As Jesus was lifted up in early age and did not reach the old age, it is implied that he is going to come again and live his old age and speak. Another verse in the Qur’an says: Everyone from amongst the people of book shall be-

lieve in him (Jesus) before their death and he (Jesus) will be a witness (Ch 4 V 159). Shabbeer Ahmed Usmani RA in his commentary on the above verse writes: Isa AS (Jesus PBUH) is alive in heaven and he will come at the end of time, will kill Dajjal (Anti Christ) and will be a witness to the fact that Jews denied him and the Christians made him a Son of God. A question that is raised by the skeptics is that why Allah is not explicit in His utterances. Allah is explicit but we confound his statements by our explanations to suit our desires.

This apart like The Real Sovereign Allah swt does not give out the details of his future plan and keeps all options to Himself so that people do their best both in the stress of fear and comfort of hope, and that He has every option to adopt depending on the exigency of the situation. It is His world and His Word, He can treat His world as He wants, and change His word as He wants.

Describing the purpose of the revelation of Qur’an, Qur’an says: Allah wants to clear things for you and guide you to the correct way of the people before you and bring you towards Him, He is knowledgeable and Wise. Allah is indeed eager that you return to Him, but those who want to push you farthest from the truth direct you to follow your vain desire.

Allah wants to make things easy for you, for you are created weak (Ch 4 V 26-28). We are given the freedom to either accept what is told to us by The Knowledgeable and Wise Allah on FOE FROM P12

“Their invited guests such as retired Gen Hamid Gul, his son Abdullah Gul, and numerous cohorts confidently pronounced that suicide bombers were uncircumcised non-Muslims agents of foreign powers”. Were they an eye-witness to this nonsense?

Does nature always side with the hidden flaws? “When two things go wrong somewhere, they go wrong everywhere? If everything is going well, you have overlooked something.” These echoes of the Murphy’s laws are fully embedded in the mentality of the people of Pakistan.

They have been fed, rather over-fed, on sad and dismal news in such a bloated manner and for so long that now they appear to have learned to live with them well. It is the absence of bad news that begins to itch them.

Even Bangladeshis appear to have beaten Pakistani here as well as in Britain. They have overtaken Pakistanis in most of the fields in Britain. Pakistanis have become so uncreative, and are so much locked in their own taboos that they do not think of doing anything better than driving taxis. Mian Nawaz Sharif in all the three stints of his premiership, turned a good portion of Pakistanis into taxi drivers. Who picked this idea of taxi driving as a main profession both in Pakistan as well as in Britain, Mian Sahib or the overseas Pakistan is a matter of guess, but it did become an easy way of earning cash money in both the places for Pakistanis.

Bengalis went into the hotel business; lived in government apartments, and in London. They did not make dumb choices of buying cheap houses in cities that had become non-industrial. Better interaction with people of vision; better access to better schools; better choices of business, and better ways of assimilation; all have put FOE, P28

COMMENTARY

P28 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015

For Tea Lovers n By Saghir Aslam Rawalpindi, Pakistan (The following information is provided solely to educate the Muslim community about investing and financial planning. It is hoped that the Ummah will benefit from this effort through greater financial empowerment, enabling the community to live in security and dignity and fulfill their religious and moral obligations towards charitable activities) The price base should span no less than seven weeks from a stock’s last intraday high before its correction through the end of the handle. Shorter bases tend to fail.

Most cup-with-handle bases run 10 to 12 weeks, a trait that seems to correspond with the 13-week quarterly reporting period. Many of the biggest advances tend to spring from bases in the 20- to 30-week range.

And some price bases can take a year or more to complete. Such long bases usually coincide with bear markets or severe corrections within market sectors.

A normal stock declines 20% to 30% from the pre-correction intraday high to the absolute low of the cup.

Steeper declines suggest weakness.

During full-blown bears markets, you might accept a 40% or 50% decline if the stock made a huge prior advance.

FOE FROM P27

“Their invited guests such as retired Gen Hamid Gul, his son Abdullah Gul, and numerous cohorts confidently pronounced that suicide bombers were uncircumcised non-Muslims agents of foreign powers”. Were they an eye-witness to this nonsense?

Does nature always side with the hidden flaws? “When two things go wrong somewhere, they go wrong everywhere? If everything is going well, you have overlooked something.” These echoes of the Murphy’s laws are fully embedded in the mentality of the people of Pakistan.

They have been fed, rather over-fed, on sad and dismal news in such a bloated manner and for so long that now they appear to have learned to live with them well. It is the absence of bad news that begins to itch them.

Even Bangladeshis appear to have beaten Pakistani here as well as in Britain. They have overtaken Pakistanis in most of the fields in Britain. Pakistanis have become so uncreative, and are so much locked in their own taboos that they do not think of doing anything better than driving taxis. Mian Nawaz Sharif in PLACE FROM P9

in the UK and Germany, Muslims in politics and presenters on TV will invariably be of Pakistani and Turkish origin respectively.

The US and Europe are similar in regard to Muslim converts. In both places, members of the majority population, and in other cases minority populations such as Latinos in the US, are converting to Islam. In terms of gender, it is again the same in the US and Europe: Most of the converts are women.

Social class and population concentration In the US, Muslim immigrants tended to be part of the professional class, with many doctors, lawyers and engineers. Women were active in

The downward phase, or left side, of the cup should take at least a couple weeks. You want the correction to really scare out weak shareholders.

Trading volume should drop off during the lows of the cup. That’s a sign that selling has dried up. The correction has chased out most everyone who is going to sell. A spike in volume with stock refusing to budge much lower is also a good sign. It indicates buyers are stepping in to support the stock.

Volume should pick up as the stock rebounds, then dry up as it forms the handle, again signaling that selling has abated.

A stock should trade in a fairly tight price range during the handle.

The handle should angle downward.

The handle should not drift upward or move straight sideways, as marked by the daily price lows. Such upwardwedging handles are failure prone.

The handle should form in the upper half of the cup. You can calculate the

their communities and adjusted fairly quickly. Had it not been for 9/11, they would have adjusted even better. The community is dispersed in terms of location and has generally followed mainstream American trends in moving to suburban areas and seeking the comforts of the American lifestyle.

There are glimpses of European-style working class monoethnic enclaves, such as Dearborn with Michigan’s Lebanese community, but only a glimpse as there are so many other groups also in Dearborn.

In Europe, Muslims are predominately working class. They originally came mainly from Muslim agricultural societies. Upon coming to Europe, they formed enclaves in urban areas, often with others from the same region and even village “back home.” In Bradford, UK, for example, there are large populations not only from Pakistan, but also from a specific part of Azad Kashmir. They speak their local provincial language rather than Urdu, the national language of Pakistan.

They eat the same food, they dress alike, and they marry with partners within their own ethnic community.

Upon arriving from the outside in communities like Bradford, one feels like a foreigner. On the plus side, with so many people from one ethnic group, there is a high degree of group solidarity that is reflected in local politics. In Bradford, the Lord Mayor is of Pakistani descent, as have been the last few of his predecessors.

The Impact of 9/11 and Islamophobia While there are many differences in the US and European Muslim communities, they were similarly affected by 9/11 and the subsequent development of Islamophobia. The 9/11 attacks in the US, major European terrorist strikes such as the 7/7 London bombings and the Madrid train bombings, combined with the continuing bloodshed in the Mus-

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lim world have convinced many in America and Europe that Islam is a religion of terror and violence. Many polls reflect this public perception of Islam. In the US, for example, a recent poll found that just 27% of Americans view Muslim citizens favorably, while a poll three years ago found that almost half of Americans believed that American and Islamic values were not compatible. A poll last year in Germany found that around half the population felt Islam was a “threat.”

To counter these perceptions, Muslims in the US and Europe have been active in interfaith dialogue. But this has not been very effective. With every new act of violence — such as the murder of the soldier Lee Rigby in London and the subsequent speech by his blood-drenched killer clutching a meat cleaver, which was given blanket media coverage — revulsion grows. The recent beheadings by ISIS of American and British hostages crossed a red line for people in the West. These hostages were people who had gone to the Muslim world to help Muslims — some were journalists and others were aid workers. They were not soldiers and they were not spies.

Alan Henning, for example, had been working with Muslims in Britain to distribute food and medical supplies.

The entire Muslim community in Britain appealed to ISIS, but it made no difference. There were prayers for Henning including one at the central mosque in Manchester. Yet the shock, horror and condemnation in the Muslim community of these actions is not seen by mainstream society, leading to the perpetuation of anti-Islamic sentiment.

Proponents of Islamophobia in the US and Europe have played a very destructive role in relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and indeed are linked to each other across the ocean. Robert Spencer, an Ameri PLACE, P31

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RELIGION

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P29

Al-Fatihah: The Prayer and the Message n By Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Gems from the Holy Qur’an

(Khutbah at ISOC – Dhul Qi’dah 1, 1421/ January 26, 2001)

I

n the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise belong to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. 2. Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 3. Master of the Day of Judgment. 4. It is You we worship, and it is You we ask for help, 5. Guide us to the straight path, 6. The path of those you have blessed.

7.Those who incurred no anger, and who have not gone astray. (al-Fatihah 1:1-7) Surah al-Fatihah is the first Surah of the Qur’an. According to most of the authorities this was the first Surah that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him - when he was in Makkah. Before this he received some verses of Surah al-‘Alaq, Surah al-Muzammil and Surah al-Muddathir, but as a complete Surah, al-Fatihah was the first one.

The word al-Fatihah means “opener”. So this Surah is the opener of the Qur’an. It has seven verses that are repeated by every Muslim many times during the course of his/her daily prayers. Thus the Surah is also called the “al-Sab’ al-Mathani” (al-Hijr 15:87) that is “the Seven Oft-repeated.” This Surah has many other names: Umm al-Qur’an (the Essence of the Qur’an), Al-Asas (the Foundation), Al-Shafiyah (the Healer), Al-Kafiyah (the Sufficient) etc.

In Al-Bukhari it is mentioned that the Prophet – peace be upon him - said that this was “the greatest Surah in the Qur’an.” (al-Bukhari 4114) It is also reported: Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported that the Prophet – peace be upon him - said, “Allah did not reveal in the Torah, nor Injil like Umm alQur’an and this is the Seven Oftrepeated and it is (the one about which Allah said) ‘it is divided between Me and My servant and for My servant is whatever he asks.’ (al-Tirmidhi 3050) Surah al-Fatihah is both a prayer and a full introduction to

From the translation by Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss)

the message of the Qur’an.

As a prayer it contains the praise and glorification of Allah and the human request for Allah’s guidance, direction and blessings. According to a Hadith: Abu Hurairah says, “I heard the Messenger of Allah says, ‘Allah says, I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant in two halves and for My servant is whatever He asks for. When the Servant says, ‘Praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has thanked Me.’ When he says,’ the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate’ Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ And He says, “My servant has submitted to Me.’ When he says, ‘You we worship and You we ask for help.’ Allah says, ‘This is between Me and My servant and for My servant is whatever he asks.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path…’ Allah says, ‘This is for My servant and for My servant is whatever he asks.’

(Muslim 598)

As an introduction to the Qur’an it contains all the basic

After this introduction comes the whole Qur’an. Al-Fatihah is the prayer and the Qur’an is the answer to our prayers. AlFatihah is the introduction to the Qur’an and then we have the whole Qur’an principles that are given in detail in the Qur’an.

It tells us that we are surrounded by Allah’s grace and favors.

He is the Source of all love and mercy.

We should be thankful to Him. Our life is not permanent.

We shall die one day and He will judge us. He alone is the Master of that Day. We must worship Him and Him alone.

We

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must seek His help and He has all the power to give us whatever we need. It reminds that Allah is the only one who can really guide to the straight path. It calls for righteous actions in this life.

It speaks about life after death and of the consequences of human action and behavior. It tells that the true guidance comes through God’s Prophets and Messengers. They were the people who were truly guided and they received Allah’s grace and mercy. Those who turned away from that path were those who went astray and they incurred the wrath of God and His punishment.

The Surah tells us: 1. The essence of religion is thankfulness to Allah.

2. Allah is the Lord and Sustainer of the whole universe.

3. Allah is very kind, loving and merciful.

4. Allah is also the Judge and He does not tolerate injustice, evil and sin.

5. The Day of Judgment will come.

6. Worship should be only to Allah and all prayerful requests should be directed to Him alone.

7. One should continuously seek Allah’s guidance and remain on the path of truth and righteousness.

8. True righteousness comes when we follow the example of those who were righteous and who were under Allah’s grace: the Prophets, Messengers, and pious and devoted people of Allah.

9. One should always be careful not to make the most Merciful angry with him.

10. One should never ignore the path of guidance and should always be careful not to go astray.

After this introduction comes the whole Qur’an. AlFatihah is the prayer and the Qur’an is the answer to our prayers. Al-Fatihah is the introduction to the Qur’an and then we have the whole Qur’an.

(Recently, a media talk show host, well known for his anti-Muslim bias, saw it fit to make scornful remarks against the Qur’an on TV. In these columns, selections from this Holy Book will be published, so that unacquainted readers of the Pakistan Link may be able to judge for themselves.)

About the translator: Muhammad Asad, Leopold Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900, and at the age of 22 made his first visit to the Middle East. He later became an outstanding foreign correspondent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and after his conversion to Islam travelled and worked throughout the Muslim world, from North Africa to as far East as Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. After years of devoted study he became one of the leading Muslim scholars of our age. His translation of the Holy Qur’an is one of the most lucid and well-referenced works in this category.

Chapter 25, Verses 72 – 77 And [know that true servants of God are only] those who never bear witness to what is false, and [who], whenever they pass by [people engaged in] frivolity, pass on with dignity; and who, whenever they are reminded of their Sustainer’s messages, do not throw themselves upon them [as if] deaf and blind; [ 1 ] and who pray, “O Our Sustainer! Grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes, and cause us to be foremost among those who are conscious of Thee!”

[Such as] these will be rewarded for all their patient endurance [in life] with a high station [in paradise], and will be met therein with a greeting of welcome and peace, therein to abide; [and] how goodly an abode and [how high] a station!

Say [unto those who believe]: “No weight or value would my Sustainer attach to you were it not for your faith [in Him]!

[And say unto those who deny the truth]: “You have indeed given the lie [to God’s message], and in time this [sin] will cleave unto you!”

Chapter 26, Verses 4 – 6 Had We so willed, We could have sent down unto them a message from the skies, so that their necks would [be forced to] bow down before it in humility.

[But We have not willed it:] and so, whenever there comes unto them any fresh reminder from the Most Gracious, they [who are blind of heart] always turn their backs upon it: thus, indeed, have they given the lie [to this message as well]. But [in time] they will come to understand what it was that they were wont to deride! ___________ Translator’s Notes [ 1 ] Explaining this verse, Zamakhshari remarks that whereas GEMS, P31

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PAKISTAN GEMS FROM P29

the average run of people approach the divine writ with a mere outward show of eagerness, “throwing themselves upon it” for the sake of appearances but , in reality, not making the least attempt to understand the message as such and, hence, remaining deaf and blind to its contents – the truly God-conscious are deeply desirous of understanding it, and therefore “listen to it with wideawake ears and look into it with seeing eyes”. ____________________ PLACE FROM P28

can who has made a career of attacking Muslims, for example, was cited 64 times in the manifesto of Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway who he believed were responsible for Muslim immigration.

Ideas of hatred induce hatred in people, which results in violence. It is the same with something like ISIS. There is a real danger that extreme hatred emanating from marginal groups, if not checked, will infect mainstream society including mainstream media.

There is great frustration in the Muslim community in the US and Europe about media coverage and depictions of Muslims and Islam.

Muslims point out that every time a Muslim commits a violent act, the media will search for explanations in Islam and the Qur’an. However, when non-Muslims commit violent actions, such as in the United States where students and others kill innocent people, commentators instead search for psychological factors.

Muslims ask why, for similar incidents of horrific violence, the explanations are so different. Muslims, they say, are being judged only on the basis of faith.

Historical background While there is a history of Islam in the US with the African-American community, generally the US has been more or less a blank slate when it comes to dealing with Islam and Muslims. This means that things could go either well or badly. The jury is currently out. Europe, however, has over 1,000 years of dealing with Islam and Muslims, and while there may be Islamophobia on the continent, it is rarer to hear senior European officials, who generally have more awareness about Islam, declare that Islam is a religion of idol worshippers, as officials have in the US. Much of this European interaction came through the colonial experience, with intermarriage between the communities and numerous books and studies written on Islam and Muslim societies over the years.

These studies are not necessarily favorable, but over the years, they have established a relationship between the civilizations. There are also relationships formed through interactions on the battlefield in Europe, for example, between German-speaking central Europe and the Turks. The Ottoman Empire tried and failed to take Vienna twice and held vast tracts of Europe as battles raged over the centuries and terrain was lost, gained and lost again. But it was not entirely a clash of civilizations. From battlefield adversaries, Turks and Germans developed good relations.

When I was in Berlin this year visiting the Turkish embassy, the Turkish ambassador showed me a spectacular view of Berlin from his office. I asked him how Turkey obtained such a prime piece of land with such a view.

He said the Germans gave it to Ot-

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P31 toman Turks in the 19 th century; in World War I, Germany and Turkey fought together as close allies.

Religious leadership In the US and Europe, Muslim religious leaders — known variously as imams, sheiks and mullahs — tend to lead communities dominated by their ethnic groups. For example, an African American will usually lead African-American mosques in the US and the same with communities dominated by Arabs or South Asians. The problem for the US and Europe is with immigrant imams arriving from overseas, from Egypt or Bangladesh, for example, who will seldom understand the local culture.

When a young person goes to the imam to ask about social issues that American and European youth commonly face, such as sex or alcohol, or economic or political concerns, he may be unable to speak to the foreign imam, whose cultural background is so different. It will be similarly difficult to speak with his parents since in traditional Muslim cultures, such subjects are rarely discussed. The young are then left on their own, a dangerous place to be.

The homegrown terrorist Young Muslims’ inability to find guidance and leadership is partly to blame for the phenomena of the “homegrown terrorist” that is of such concern in the US and Europe.

About 100 Americans have joined ISIS, along with around 4,000 Europeans. These are not such high numbers in comparison with the total population, but it only takes four or five people to commit an act of violence that will have a profound impact on society. On 9/11, 19 hijackers changed the world. This is the nature of the age in which we are living.

We must ask: Why are these young Muslims joining ISIS, given that ISIS has beheaded Americans and Europeans? Why have Muslims suspended their own lives to fight in this manner? It is important for social scientists and scholars to ask these questions and link cause and effect while avoiding simplistic or superficial conclusions.

I believe that a central cause of this discontent among young Muslims has to do with the metaphorical sense of being suspended between cultures — that of their parents and the one within which they have grown up. Young Muslims often find they are seen as different by nonMuslims simply because they belong to a different faith. A young man who is Muslim may be harassed and called a terrorist. A girl in hijab may be attacked. It may not happen too often, but it traumatizes that individual and spreads fear in the community. They feel as if they do not belong, they are being rejected by their own society.

If they face social problems like lack of education and economic opportunity, the sense of frustration will be even more acute. Facing uncertainty, ignorance, fear, the young find that there are too few mentors to guide them.

WE FROM P10

the country. Fiction or reality, Pakistan and India need to stop pointing fingers at each other and their intelligence services need to stop fighting across borders through means of, what is rumored to be, funding violence in the others’ country. And both, as neighbors, must turn this sour decades-old relationship into a friendly neighborly one. America can, as it has been doing recently, push this important relationship closer. Pakistanis and Indians have so

much in common and have so much to gain from a friendlier relationship and so much to lose from hostile relations. For peace to develop in the region, both countries must put aside their bitter past and look to a brighter future side by side with mutual respect.

Along with other Pakistanis, I was impressed to hear the response of President Barack Obama in India to a question on Pakistan’s link to terrorism (both countries point to the other, especially in media, when there is an act of terrorism in either country).

He replied that both countries would benefit far more from not labeling each other and developing a friendlier relationship of helping each other and building bridges of peace, not conflict.

What Can Be Done President Obama hosted a global summit on Countering Violent Extremism (now called “CVE”) with the aim of dealing globally with the growing threat extremism poses to all societies and states. Currently, as pointed out by United States Institute of Peace’s Moeed Yusuf the number one, two and three strategies of states (such as the USA) dealing with violent extremism is by the use of force, and mostly on Muslim societies and countries. This will not work and can lead to the creation of more, not less, terrorism in on setting cycles of revenge amongst tribal peoples who use a distorted understanding of religion to exploit impoverished and disadvantaged people whose own states fail to protect them. Non-violent policy options, for Western states, unfortunately are only at the stage of talk and not action.

I agree with Moeed that CVE can only be rooted out by changing mindsets through communication -- dialogue, mediation, persuasion, deeper understanding, and above all, peace-building education that introduces potent counter-narratives. In Muslim countries, one way is to educate students in counter-narratives by discussing and holding up heroes as role models who challenge the frame of extremists -- those role models who within an Islamic frame walk a middle path and represent moderate religious voices, like the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Salahuddin, Dara Shikoh, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Akbar Ahmed, etc. The dialogue of civilizations -- not clash -- is what states like the US need to promote. The world needs to be better informed about Islam and the array of Muslims, and Muslims themselves need to read up much more on the Islamic culture of tolerance and their own rich history of co-existence.

This knowledge will help end the cycle of extreme hate against “the Other.”

At Forman Christian College in Pakistan, one of the oldest universities in South Asia with a large body of American faculty, there is a very peaceful and intellectually vibrant and agreeable atmosphere of Muslim-Christian collaboration. Sadly, two churches close to FCC were recently blown up, a testament to why making peace is such an impor-

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tant focus. It is at FCC that my team and I at the Center for Dialogue and Action piloted peace-building classes -- the first of their kind in Pakistan.

The idea is to tackle tendencies towards violent extremism through counter-narratives of presenting and reminding students, in a Muslim context, of middle path Muslim heroes like Dara Shikoh, Muhammad Ali Jinnah as well as the examples of interreligious coexistence such as Andalusia in Muslim Spain. Here we teach the basic building blocks of peace and tolerance: learning to understand what others believe and value, and letting them express this in their own terms; preventing disagreement from leading to conflict; and avoiding violent action and language.

These tools are important building blocks of knowledge that can empower students and turn extremist and exclusivist views into moderate inclusive ones. For instance, one of my students told me in class that all non-Muslims were, according to his uncle, liable to be killed as a religious obligation. I patiently worked on him through the course and after we had been through all the classes, he turned around and said he was “a changed man.” He would go back to the village and educate his uncle and others of such thought in order to win them over to his own side of thought -- dialogue and peace-building. Such peace-building courses and textbooks at CD&A are the building blocks that governments and states must put their resources in because they will lead to bridges of understanding across nations, media and policy makers -- and eventually can make this world a safer place for all of us.

Furthermore, before we can take the first step towards creating a peaceful world, we have to stop building barriers of “us” versus “them.” There is much more to the story than simply “good guys” and “bad guys” or “good countries” and “bad countries.” Reality is far more complex, and there is both good and bad in every story and history of nations. Understanding history and reading about the perceived “Other” helps. In Pakistan, in particular, as everyday life goes on -- a country of some 200 million people, where mothers drive their children to school, teachers begin the effort of teaching little reluctant four-year-old children how to read and write and female friends dressed up in beautiful soft cotton clothes made in Pakistan meet up at homes over coffee worrying about the safety of their beloved children -- this is key. Teachers, students and staff are concerned about the way

demonization of “the Other” and the growth of violent extremism in their lives is shaping their world’s events.

Principals worry about terrorism and the continuous cycle of revenge. One principal said she could not function for 10 days after the Peshawar incident, despite a pile of papers demanding attention on her desk.

Mrs Pracha, a seasoned and dynamic Pakistani principal said, “I am reminded of what Abraham Lincoln wrote to his son’s teacher: ‘Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend.’”

She continued, “We in Pakistan need to remember this in the current atmosphere of distrust and fear. People in Pakistan are not all black and white -- fundamentalists and liberals -- we did not become Muslims in 1979, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan... nor will we stop being Muslims as the world turns in revulsion from the ISIS atrocities. The state of being Muslim is not dependent on the depiction of a fringe splinter group. Its essence is more diverse and inclusive -- welcoming of all sects, races, colors and creeds. Take the Moors in Spain: a pluralistic, highly civilized and creative society. We must build bridges of economic hope and educational outreach.” She ended by saying, “Our hope lies in the extraordinary courage shown by those children who survived the Peshawar school attack, even as we bemoaned the inability of the authorities to provide alternative school premises for the traumatized children. They, along with the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and his wife, reentered the building, saluted the flag and went back to work.”

This is an example of human courage when the threat is greatest and humanity seems to be at its lowest ebb. From the perspective of a young Pakistani student, your nation seems to be most misunderstood by the world around you, your fellow students killed for attending school, and yet you continue to struggle to learn and participate in the idea of schooling, knowledge and peaceful education. There are many good ordinary citizens and scholars from the array of faiths in Pakistan (Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and others) working hard in society to change the world around them for the better.

Our own Center’s course is making small, but significant, positive changes amongst young people to better our shared world through peace-building education. Despite its common image, Pakistan is fighting hard for peace.

(The author is Executive Director, Center for Dialogue and Action, Forman Christian College, Pakistan)

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SPORTS

APRIL 3, 2015 - PAKISTAN LINK

COMMENTARY SPORTS

P34 – PAKISTAN LINK – APRIL 3, 2015

AZHAR ALI APPOINTED PAKISTAN'S NEW ONE-DAY CAPTAIN

Start of An Era: Azhar Says He Wants Improved Team Spirit in First Press Conference As Captain

LAHORE: Newly appointed captain of the ODI squad Azhar Ali has said his first target is to encourage players to play as a unit instead of concentrating on individual performances.

Addressing a press conference recently as the captain, Azhar, 30, said, "Unity is the most important aspect for any team to win. We all have to play as a unit, even if we make progress slowly. It is also of vital importance that players show consistency."

Azhar, who has played 39 Tests and 14 One-day Internationals and maintained

healthy averages of 41.31 and 41.09 respectively, said he was not part of the ODI team for quite some time but he had overcome his batting flaws in domestic cricket and he would be an improved batsman this time.

He also negated the impression that his strike-rate was not exemplary and added that he had improved that while playing domestic cricket.

Asked how he would tackle some Pakistan players who create trouble, Azhar said he had played with almost all of them and they were his friends and good guys.

"Hopefully, they will back me.

I will also be supporting them because we have a common cause of lifting Pakistan cricket," he maintained.

To a question, Azhar said he was familiar with the tradition of criticism whenever Pakistan lose.

"But with the passage of time, we get mature and the media also realises it. We played good cricket at the World Cup as we staged a strong comeback and played the quarter-final. At the end of the day, the best team won," he said.

Asked he was going to replace Misbah-ul-Haq, who had faced lots of criticism despite being the best captain for Pakistan, Azhar was all praise for the outgoing skipper and said the way he had handled pressure during his fiveyear captaincy was fantastic.

"It will not be easy for me to fill the vacuum which will be created after Misbah's retirement. I will try to achieve the target with the help of youngsters," he said.

He added that nobody could ignore the services of Misbah, who had rendered tremendous services for Pakistan.

The outgoing skipper always supported him and he would be inspiring source for him.

When asked if he was comfortable with the PCB's decision of not giving him the right to vote in the matters of selection, Azhar said as he had the right to give opinion, he had no problem with it. J

ICC Rankings: Starc Number One, Ajmal Still in Top Three SYDNEY: Australia's Mitchell Starc has surged to the top of the ICC Player Rankings for ODI Bowlers for the first time in his career following stellar performance in the 2015 World Cup that also fetched him the player of the tournament award.

The 25-year-old left-arm fast bowler finished ICC's pinnacle 50over tournament as joint-leading wicket-taker with New Zealand's Trent Boult with 22 wickets, including two for 20 in eight overs in the final against New Zealand.

This performance has helped Starc to rise two places and claim the number-one position for the first time.

Starc had entered the 2015 World Cup in seventh positon and during the course of the tournament, he gained 147 ratings points.

He currently sits on 783 rating points, which is also his career-best rating and was achieved during the final played in front of over 93,000 spectators.

Boult has also made gains in the latest rankings following his excellent run in the tournament. The leftarm fast bowler has vaulted nine places to jump to career-high sixth position - a place he shares with

Australia's Mitchell Johnson, who has also moved up by two places.

South Africa's wrist spinner Imran Tahir has also finished the series in a career-best second position. Tahir had started in 11th position and has leapfrogged nine places, thanks to his 15 wickets in eight matches.

Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal, despite playing his last ODI in August 2014, ranked number three in the list, an indication of how good he was going before a suspension brought a temporary halt to his career.

Australia's James Faulkner, who was adjudged the player of the final, has also made an upward movement along with India's Umesh Yadav.

Yadav has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career following his 15 wickets in the series, including four for 72 in the semi-final against Australia. Yadav has rocketed 16 places to join England's James Tredwell in 18th position.

Faulkner's 10 wickets in the series has put him climb 12 positions to a career-high 23rd position with a career-high 585 ratings points, which he gained in the final against New Zealand. J

Sachika, Sadia in Int'l Women Squash Qualifying Final RAWALPINDI: Defending champion Sachika Ingale, Zoya Khalid, Sadia Gul, Muqaddas Ashraf, Riffat Khan and Egyptian Amina Yousry moved to the qualifying round final of the $10,000 2nd Bahria Town International Women Squash Championship 2015 here at the Safari Club Bahria Town squash courts recently.

Major upset was witnessed as Sammer Anjum retired in the first game due to injury and had to concede the match against Riffat Khan, while Muqaddas Ashraf survived a

very close scare before staging a remarkable comeback against Madina Zafar, as she was 2-0 down in the match but recovered well to progress 3-2 in the next round.

Sachika Ingale (India) beat Farha Manzoor (Pak) 11-1, 11-4, 11-2, Zoya Khalid beat Saima Shoukat 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 5-11, 119, Anam Mustafa Aziz beat Aiman Shahbaz 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, Sadia Gul beat Rushna Mehboob 9-11, 9-3, the match was awarded to Sadia due to Rushna got injury. Muqaddas Ashraf beat Madina Zafar 3-11, 9-

11, 13-11, 11-4, 12-10, Amna Latif beat Zahab Khan 11-5, 11-4, 11-9, Amina Yousry of Egypt beat Neha Khan 11-2, 11-0, 11-0, and Riffat Khan beat Sammer Anjum 6-4 retired hurt.

Sachika Ingale (India) will take on Zoya Khalid (Pak) at 11am, Anam Mustafa Aziz (Pak) faces Sadia Gul (Pak) at 11:45am, Muqaddas Ashraf (Pak) vies against Amna Latif (Pak) at 12:30pm and Amina Yousry (Egypt) plays against Riffat Khan (Pak) 1:15pm in the qualifying round final. J

Australia Beat New Zealand, Lift World Cup Title for Fifth Time SYDNEY: A 50-over contest is rarely decided by the fifth ball of the game. The day's first dismissal doesn't often get referred to as the turning point of the contest. Seldom has the sight of shattered stumps broken so many hearts. All that happened in the first over of the World Cup final at the MCG. That early Aussie blow put New Zealand on the ropes for the rest of the day, and reduced a potential epic battle between old rivals to a no-contest witnessed by a record 93,013 cricket fans For Kiwi supporters, the story of the final was simple. Brendon McCullum couldn't bring his bat down in time to a Mitchell Starc 148 kmph yorker-length ball. That minor error, that micro-second delay, meant New Zealand's time hadn't come yet. After jumping across the fence and challenging the neighbourhood bully, the little brother

scrambled back home defeated and deflated. Once again, the nice guys finished second.

The Aussies too couldn't stop talking about McCullum b Starc 0.

Even though, late into the night, they were also recalling James Faulkner's 9-1-36-3, the nation's new leader Steve Smith's beaten 56, outgoing leader Michael Clarke's 74 in his dream ODI farewell, and their 7wicket win. Australia has now won five World Cups, four of which were one-sided finals.

At the Federation Square on Sunday morning, the city centre where fans gathered to march to the MCG, even the most optimistic weren't talking of a cakewalk. There were anxious faces at breakfast tables, not sure they would be clinking champagne flutes in the evening.

"50-50 mate," was the common answer from both sets of fans. J

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CLASSIFIED & MATRIMONIAL

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Classified Section CAREGIVER NEEDED Care-givers needed for an elderly Pakistani lady. Live in required several days out of a week. Language spoken is English and preferably Urdu too. We live in Pasadena area. If interested, please call 1-213-712-8888 or email willarao@hotmail.com

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WOMENS WORLD WOMEN

By: Samina Shaheen

B

ack are the summery days with the scorching sun and the humid air. Looking good in such weather seems impossible but luckily we have lawn to save the day! The light

APRIL PAKISTAN LINK APRIL3,3, 2015 2015 –- PAKISTAN LINK – P37

and thin lawn material is not only soft and comfy but also keeps one cool throughout the day.

Apart from that, it also gives women the freedom to experiment with different colours and the cuts of clothes.

True that lawn is overpriced nowadays

but then lawn has also become a style statement and a must have for your trendy wardrobe. With a huge variety of designer lawn available in the market, it is not easy to choose and pick. Need help in which designer lawn to choose from? Read on to find out about some of the trendy brands in town.

Going glam Amongst the best lawn brands to be launched recently is Kamal lawn.

This brand stands out because the design elements used in the prints are different from the other lawn brands.

Designed by Ayesha F Hashwani, a fashion designer who possesses incredible education in fabrics, draping, cuts, and embroidery, the brand has managed to break from the clutter by bringing glamour into the lawn. The designer entered the world of fashion in 2005 when she founded her label AFH and since then there has been no turning back for her.

The prints feature a mix of stylish cuts with intricate detailing, drapery and flimsy fabrics. Moreover, these are all meshed effortlessly with femininity and strength. The design philosophy of the brand as well as the designer includes excessive usage of chiffons, silks and charmeuse with a tinge of bead and crystals work. What we love the most about her prints however, is the delicate fusion of colours that make the prints look summery and bright, while keeping them classy at the same time. The lawn this time around has brighter colours and contrasts that attract the eye and there is a beautiful blend of Indian and Turkish design.

The lawn was launched in an event organized by Catalyst and was attended by many known names from the fashion industry including Shamsha Hashwani, Sanam Chaudhry, Wardha Saleem and Adnan Pardesi. The event also included a fashion presentation by models Faiza Ansari, Sana Sarfaraz, Fauzia Amaan and Maham.

The oriental touch This brand has been creating quite a rage in town and might just be the new Sana Safinaz for the ladies. The brand we are speaking of here is Elan

by Khadija Shah. And of course all the creativity for the artistic prints goes to the designer who has a distinct and unconventional design approach.

The talented woman has been launching her lawn collection since 2012 and has gained a huge fan following from fashion conscious women.

And rightly so as meticulous detailing, artistic impression and diversity of

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thought process are some of the hallmarks of her designing.

The vision to stand out from the rest becomes evident in the colours and patterns that she has incorporated in the lawn collection this year.

The shirts are embossed with intricate embroidery in the front with signature Sub Continental and Moroccan patterns. Along with this the prints are inspired from Oriental and Ottoman patterns, to European ethos based on the Sicilian design heritage. The collection hunts for inspirations from continent to continent and has lot to offer to women of numerous ages this spring.

There is also a lot of detailing in the prints and a unique interplay of patterns and colours. Go for Elan if you want a fusion of east and west. And these prints are definitely the ones to opt for when going to lunches and casual gatherings. The lawn was launched in Karachi and Lahore in an event organized by Lotus. Present at the occasion were many names from the entertainment and fashion industry, while several top models were a part of mini fashion show that took place at premises.

Fresh look Want to look chic yet young and fresh? Well then, Zainab Chottani lawn is the way to go.

The designer started with bridal dresses back in 2009 and has successfully diversified into prĂ?t and luxury pret segments. Chottani has also worked with Indian company Omtex and launched her signature prints, for the Indian market. She has also displayed her creations at exhibitions in Dubai the US and the UK. Yes Zainab Chottani has left her mark of creativity internationally. However, in the current season she is creating a stir with her lawn prints for Spring Summer 2015.

The billboards of this lawn are not easy to forget as the campaign features popular Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez.

The prints cater to every fashionsavvy and trend-setting Pakistani woman, offering stylish, seasonal and on-trend options for every occasion and lifestyle. The 12 designs cater to a diverse clientele ranging from elegant motifs for a more mature customer; to fresh youthful patterns and darker hues and tones for formal evening wear. All he prints are imbued with intricate embroidery and available with chiffon and silk dupattas. What makes these prints worth a buy is the fusion of colours that blend well with the intricate patterns of the prints.

The lawn was launched with at event managed by Tehmina Khaled of Take-II. The launch also featured a fashion presentation where models strutted down the ramp adorning selected pieces from the lawn collection.

Timeless collection HSY is another brand which is a must have this spring. Wondering why?

Well, it's because HSY has earned a name for himself in the industry and he is one guy whose fashion collection we look forward to in fashion weeks.

Hence, some creativity is expected from him in his lawn prints too. Hassan Sheheryar Yasin is one of the founding members of the Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) and is the recipient of multiple 'Designer of the Year' awards.

He has also been launching his lawn collection since the past few years and has managed to sustain great demand from the fashionistas even in the heavy lawn war.

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ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

APRIL 3, 2015 - PAKISTAN LINK

ENTERTAINMENT

O

APRIL 3, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P39

h God! It's morning again! I can tell that without opening my eyes; without seeing the morning rays which have yet to make way to my room. I can tell it's morning because of Javeria Saud's cackling and guttural laughter that's drilling my ears… and it's yet another morning with the mundane morning show Satrangi! I quickly grab the remote and change the channel and heave a sigh of relief. Will someone please tell our dear host to tone down her irritating laughter, just a tad, so that mornings can be more bearable? Too much of a good thing is bad… even if its laughter!

And while at it, it would be wise to get rid of all those ridiculously opulent outfits we keep on seeing day in and day out and think on the lines of "less is more"!

It would surely be a good idea for these shows to enlist the help of stylists to work out a proper wardrobe for

cousin. Faisal is a man riding two boats simultaneously. While Saima is mother to his teenage children; Neelam is his second wife and together they have a little daughter. Neelam is adamant that he announces to the world their marriage so she can move in with him. She wants her right as his wife and also for their daughter to be accepted as Faisal's legitimate offspring. Faisal however is reluctant and informs Neelam that if he was to announce to Saima the truth about their relationship, his family would cut him out of his inheritance. The house, shop and everything else is in his first wife's name so he has to tread carefully.

He drives a loud, ridiculously decorated scooter and the initial episode of Rang Laaga is spent in making lame excuses to his wife for his time spent unaccounted for.

Rang Laaga has been directed by Anjum Shehzad while the cast

the hosts to avoid the sight of mithai ka dabbas on the telly early in the morning. Oh, and good content writers would help too ensuring we are spared the mindless rants that forces the viewers to stay away from these channels for two straight hours in the morning.

Unfortunately morning shows will be morning shows and there are no two ways about it. Till the time a new, intelligent trend is introduced we are stuck with these mindless, mundane presentations.

Let's talk about the much-hyped Rang Laaga. The main protagonist of this serial is Aashiq Hussain (Faisal Qureshi). Faisal's role is that of a dandy shop-keeper who is a two timing philanderer. He is married to (Shanaz) Saima Noor who is also his

includes names like Faisal Qureshi, Saima Noor, Neelam Munir, Zahlay Sarhadi, Salahudden Tunio, Afsha Qureshi, Saboor Ali, Momal Khalid, Amir Qureshi and Raed Alam to name some.

Moving on, we have the multitalented director/actor Wajahat Rauf who has never known a dull moment.

If it's not a serial or a sitcom that he's working on then you can bet it's a film!

Wajahat started a production house called Showcase back in 2003 but then switched over to a channel as the Head of Entertainment. However, it was three years back that he re-activated his production company that has now ventured into a feature film.

Currently he is the force behind the successful serial titled Nikkah

which is enjoying rave reviews.

Nikkah is the story of a man who is in love with two women simultaneously and while wedded to one, he ends up tying the knot with the other one also.

It's a gripping tale of love and deceit, and who he chooses as his final love is something the next few episodes of Nikkah will reveal which we will discuss in one of our next columns.

The next serial coming out from Wajahat's hat is one starring Faisal Qureshi and Arjumand Rahim.

Wajahat is these days busy with his upcoming flick Karachi se Lahore which is a road trip movie where this group of five is going from Karachi to Lahore by road for a specific purpose. It's a romantic comedy boasting

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of a star cast comprising actors from the small screen namely Ayesha Omer, Javed Sheikh, Shehzad Sheikh, Yasir Hussain (from Angan Tairra fame), Ahmed Ali (Grease fame), Aashir Wajahat (Soteli fame), Rashid Naz (Khuda ke liyay fame) Eshita Syed, Mantaha Tareen Maqsood and some guest appearances.

On how different is the big screen from television, as a director, Wajahat shares, "It's a giant leap in terms of work-flow. We spent two years on the script. In television we do 14 to 15 scenes in a day. On the film set, we do 1 or 2 on average. So it's a different ball game altogether. Cinema should be visually driven so we take a lot of

nels to vilify the players. They were rejected as good-for-nothing cricketers and the criticism became even more intense when Pakistan crashed to a humiliating defeat against West Indies in Christchurch.

But all of that changed within a span of one week. Like a cornered tiger, Pakistan bounced back with a vengeance and scored three wins on the trot to once again come into contention for a place in the quarterfinals. While victories against Zimbabwe and UAE were expected, Pakistan's stunning triumph against formidable South Africa in Auckland has really forced all our cricketers to eat their words. Now our commentators and analysts are heaping praise

time in designing the sets, propping locations, lighting, wardrobe etc.

Then post production of a film is completely different from that of TV." He is all geared for a busy 2015 with television ventures and plans of starting work on his next film. Here's wishing Wajahat Rauf and his team the best!

John F. Kennedy once famously said that "success has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan." He was right! Just take for example the case of Pakistan cricket team's ongoing World Cup campaign. Our TV channels kept pouring scorn on the national cricketers after they lost, yet again, to old foes India in a World Cup encounter. That defeat in Adelaide almost a month ago became a catalyst for almost all the TV chan-

on the national cricket team. But that's the way things are in Pakistani society. We are a trigger-happy people and are willing to jump the gun all the time. And our TV channels amply reflect this national psyche in their various programmes and talk shows. Personally, I believe that we should be more cautious in predicting success or defeat especially in a sport like cricket where sometimes everything is possible till the last delivery is bowled.

By the time these words come into print, there is a chance that Pakistan's World Cup fate would have been decided. They might have advanced in the 14-nation tournament or might have returned home. But regardless of what happens, one must try to support our national team. After all, we are talking about Pakistan!

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