Pak News Wire

Bachelors’ theses: Inspired by Kandinsky and Keller

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834813/bachelors-theses-inspired-by-kandinsky-and-keller/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834813-image-1423335964-224-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			LAHORE: Communication design major Khadija Liaquat said on Friday that no games were made for the blind in Pakistan.  She was speaking to The Express Tribune at an annual thesis show featuring the work of the Hunerkada School of Visual and Performing Arts’ Bachelor in Fine Arts Programme students. Liaquat designed a game for the deaf and the blind. She said her work was premised on the life of American author Helen Keller.  Liaquat hoped that her work would serve as a prototype for this. Hammad Khan, another communication design major, created an advertisement campaign for a perfume. Sehrish Mazhar, another artist, said she had used wood, plaster cast and fibre to make sculptures being displayed on the occasion. She referred to them as “manimals” saying that her work incorporated attributes of humans and animals. Mazhar said her work was premised on the concept of alterirty. She said she had observed animalistic traits in humans. Mazhar said her sculptures were a visual presentation of this phenomenon. One of her sculptures featured an enthroned human skeleton with the head and wings of a vulture. She said it depicted people in power. Alina Fayyaz, who majored in textile design, created a pattern inspired by gothic architecture. She said she had used symbols found in gothic architecture to create motifs for her design. Fayyaz said she had used broken mirrors, mirrors, steel wire, laces, ribbons, acrylic paints and poster paints among other materials. Junaid Ahmed, another textile design major, used the work of Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky to develop new ideas and compositions for his thesis. Zahra Fatima, a product design major, created decorative terracotta tiles after studying the Harappan civilisation. She said the sofa created by her was reminiscent of the wheel invented in Harappa. The legs of the sofa were wheel-like. Fatima Butt, a miniature major, said her work was premised on correlating learning of alphabets with miniature painting. The show concludes on Sunday (today). Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015.

Bachelors’ theses: Inspired by Kandinsky and Keller

LAHORE: Communication design major Khadija Liaquat said on Friday that no games were made for the blind in Pakistan. ...

The hunt for rare birds

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834590/the-hunt-for-rare-birds/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834590-AnwerMoorajNew-1423327688-837-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			Every year I get infuriated when I learn that somebody in the ministry of foreign affairs has given a free hand to some Gulf sheikh or prince to destroy the wildlife of my province. Now that the Sindh High Court allowed a constitutional petition against the issuance of permits to Gulf dignitaries for hunting endangered wildlife, particularly the <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834336/royal-privileges-balochistan-govt-challenges-hunting-ban-in-top-court/">Houbara Bustard</a>, shouldn’t the man from the ministry be asked to explain why permission was granted to a Saudi prince to unleash his falcons on our birds? When I put this question to an American friend, he said the only hunt he approved of was the scavenger hunt; and he reminded me of the time, over 30 years ago, when the two of us attended such a hunt at the residence of Paul J Rappaport — one-time information officer at the US consulate general in Karachi. Rappaport, who was known for his collection of antiquated gadgetry, his near-Raphaelite looks, rough hewn but gentle voice, swarthy complexion, attributed to his Portuguese ancestry and nobly poetic stare, made him the most lionised information officer of his generation. His sense of humour, infinite collection of jokes and warm hospitality made him extremely popular; and he made more friends than Mani Shankar Ayer, a former Indian consul general, who had become a legend in the metropolis. One fine evening in late autumn Rappaport decided to host a scavenger party and invited 24 couples to the caper. The guests were divided into eight groups, given a list of items which had to be procured and asked to return to Rappaport’s residence in an hour and 20 minutes. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/108.jpg" /> The first item on the list was procuring a Russian newspaper, preferably <a href="https://www.google.com.pk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fenglish.pravda.ru%2F&ei=vm3WVOf-FJbfsAS8nIDACQ&usg=AFQjCNHlvNpmzOs5MNAP9VZ1qfS1wXVR4w&sig2=K3j8FNRiXYi2Djkdh0GdqQ&bvm=bv.85464276,d.cWc">Pravda</a>. I pulled up at the formidable building in Bleak House Road. The Russian duty officer peered suspiciously through a window of the wrought-iron gate. I asked him if he had a copy of Pravda. He looked at my car to see if it had any distinguishing marks like broken headlights or bullet holes in the rear window. During the drive I had rehearsed what to say in case the officer wondered why there was this sudden interest in his language. I said Pravda means truth and my friend’s wife who has taken up Russian was keen to get the Soviet point of view on world affairs. When that didn’t cut any ice, I told him the truth. He burst out laughing and gave me a copy. There was a number of other items — a man, preferably called Intrepid, a $ 500 bill, preferably issued before 1970, a slot machine preferably from Las Vegas, a traffic violation ticket, preferably issued by the Karachi police, a European restaurant menu preferably Italian, an elephant preferably a baby, a sex symbol preferably Japanese, cherries preferably Maraschino, and a cockroach preferably alive. The last named item caused the most mirth when the owner of the Beach<a id="_GPLITA_0"></a><a id="_GPLITA_0"></a><a id="_GPLITA_0"></a>Luxury Hotel<img alt="" /><img alt="" /> produced a match box containing four live cockroaches which he stated he had caught in the lobby of a rival hotel. The ingenuity and resourcefulness displayed by members of all the groups in obtaining the items and the amusement they caused is something I will never forget. Mind you, things were quite different in the 1980s when one could freely move about the city at night without fear of being attacked or robbed at traffic signals. But even then, Paul J Rappaport showed us that it was possible to go on a hunt without breaking any laws, without causing offence to any party and without taking a life. Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/EToped">Opinion & Editorial on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETOpEd">@ETOpEd</a> on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

The hunt for rare birds

Every year I get infuriated when I learn that somebody in the ministry of foreign affairs has given a free hand to som...

Death of Rage

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834608/death-of-rage/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834608-FahdHusainNew-1423327990-865-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			Never a dull day here. So much is happening it makes your head spin. Senate elections are round the corner and the prime minister is holed up in Raiwind with his family to decide <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/833790/senate-elections-pml-n-conducts-interviews/">who gets to become a senator</a> and who sulks his way back to his miserable un-senatorial life. Then of course there’s that small decision about appointing a new governor of Punjab. Much head-banging going on for it. Back in Islamabad, the energy crisis annoyingly persists and keeps nagging the premier like a bad habit. He’s busy. Just like Imran Khan who’s burrowing into electoral malpractices in between chopper trips over Hazara to witness the baring of mountaintops and then putting the errant persons to the sword. How dare they kowtow to the <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834369/deforestation-blues-imran-vows-to-crack-down-on-timber-mafia/">timber mafia</a>? Meanwhile, the maulanas are frothing at the mouth for one thing or the other and being their sweet angry selves. And while this hectic activity unfolds in slow motion, the nation is gradually catching the cricket World Cup fever as the greenshirts set up a fighting chance against far superior teams. Seems like all is swell and normal in Pakistan. Except it’s not. Yes it’s not, because we are a nation at war. It may not look like that, or even sound like that, but that’s the harsh reality. It hasn’t even been two months since the horrendous inhuman tragedy that unfolded in the Army Public School, but already a sickening <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834645/never-forget-parents-of-slain-aps-children-rally-for-justice/">forgetfulness seems to be creeping into our psyche</a>. Time, they say, heals all wounds. But this one must not heal. This one should not be allowed to heal. As the true horror of December 16 unfolded, it seemed clear that we would not be able to live this down. No craven politician, no Taliban apologist, and no ambiguity-peddling media parasite would have the temerity to add ifs and buts to this tragedy. If ever there was a call to arms, this was it. A nation shocked into unity — and action. A leadership horrified and shamed into resolve. That was then. And now? Now you see the leadership going through the motions. Meetings are held, handouts issued, figures released and statements made. The National Action Plan has become a procedural liability for a government weighed down by its own incompetence and determined vacillation. Here then is the shameful tragedy that appears to be trumping the actual tragedy: the apologists are back. And so are the ambiguity-peddling media parasites. They are back with a vengeance, having recaptured the toxic narrative with nauseating relish. Look at them grinning that evil grin, mocking the martyred and their memories. Look at them <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834271/defining-jihad-hizbul-mujahideen-commander-dismays-local-jihadi-outfits/">vomiting justifications as they rage on the streets</a>; look at them puncturing the national resolve with noxious rhetoric dipped in deliberate confusion; look at them polluting minds and reshaping opinions with unsacred insinuations and unholy intent. How heartless does a leadership need to be to allow this to happen? Make no mistake, this slide back into darkness is happening because the government doesn’t have the moral and physical courage to make the decisions that need to be made. The National Action Plan includes 20 points, each one of which requires a massive effort by the leadership to get it off the ground. In the immediate aftermath of the plan being agreed upon, dozens of committees were formed to get the plan into action. Sombre-looking men and women then gathered around in plush conference rooms, sat around well-polished tables, and prepared to do a whole lot of pointless things. That they did really well. As a result, <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834300/over-10500-arrests-made-in-countrywide-operations/">suspects got picked up, loudspeakers got sealed</a>, registration documents got shuffled and ministers got trotted out in front of cameras to claim credit for things that mattered just a bit in the larger scheme of things. The provincial governments also got into the game, and spewed forth a litany of facts and figures conjured up by their law-enforcement set-ups. These guys have an answer for every terror-related question now, all painted and polished in brightly coloured, slickly designed PowerPoint presentations. But do you feel safer? Men who promise violence still stalk the streets. Books that teach hate still adorn the shelves. Curriculums that nourish intolerance and bigotry still grace schools. Madrassas that get unaccounted for funds, still get those funds. And they are still unaccounted for. Sectarian militias that kill humans for their beliefs still walk around armed and ready to kill. Target killers in Karachi still kill their targets and find shelter under political wings. The only thing that divides the new normal from the old normal is the brutal martyrdom of 140 of our beautiful children. Do we remember them still? We said we shall never forget. Do you remember saying that from behind those scalding and burning tears on your cheeks as you saw the tiny coffins being lowered into the ground by shattered mothers and fathers? You do remember those scenes, don’t you? We said this horror would change us forever; that it would galvanise us into action and shed all doubts once and for all. Do you remember clenching your fists and shaking with uncontrollable rage at the monsters who slaughtered our children? You do remember aching for vengeance, don’t you? And look at you now. Poor weak and helpless you, led by men who bleed courage and resolve like a hemophilic patient. Look at you all out of anger and rage, and shriveled up like a sorry looking raisin. Look at you reconciling to your destiny as a citizen of a nation that lets monsters eat its children, and does nothing. Nothing. This is what your leaders have reduced you to — a flock of sheep ready to be slaughtered. Again. And all because the leadership is weak. And scared. And incompetent. So go back to your Senate elections, your governor appointments, your electoral frauds and your cricket World Cup. Go back to what you were doing before December 16, 2014. Go back and bury your hand in that bloodied sand and wait your turn. Or find leaders who will never forget, never forgive, and never rest till this land is cleansed of monsters that eat our children. Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/EToped">Opinion & Editorial on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETOpEd">@ETOpEd</a> on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

Death of Rage

Never a dull day here. So much is happening it makes your head spin. Senate elections are round the corner and the pri...

Liberation from ‘Kashmir’

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834606/liberation-from-kashmir/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834606-saroopijazNewNew-1423327930-969-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			This February 5, the State-ordained ‘Kashmir Day’ makes one reflect on the time before cable television and 24/7 news channels, when the final broadcast of the day on Pakistan Television (PTV) was the 9pm “Khabarnama”. There was a special segment every evening on the atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir. Every evening, it was inescapable. Now, those look like peaceful days, a bit of State propaganda perhaps, but no real war, at least domestically. Yet, there is nothing peaceful about calling for open war; nobody felt the need to deny the support for the Kashmiri ‘Mujhiahdeen’ in those days. The ‘<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/833717/show-of-support-our-position-on-kashmir-dispute-will-not-change/">liberation’ of Kashmir</a> was what an entire generation (perhaps generations) was brought up on; the TTP’s ‘liberation’ of Pakistan lay well in a bloody future then. The State’s primary foreign policy imperative was uni-dimensional, ubiquitous and unrelenting, in the mosques, on PTV, in schoolchildren’s textbooks and of course on the ground in Kashmir. The world changed and we sluggishly and perhaps unwillingly followed; the level of involvement of the ‘Mujhiadeen’ in Kashmir has very significantly dropped, other ‘Mujhiadeen’ have since entered the building and have us in their thrall. The days of Kashmiri ‘freedom fighter’ being sent across the border were simple; the State had a narrative and had engineered societal convergence on the point. The freedom fighters demanded no implementation of Sharia in the heartland; and the land of the pure was the fortress of Islam. ‘Jihad’ was still bloody but a State-controlled enterprise. How far have we and the State come? The TTP <a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/833513/drawing-new-battle-lines/">attack us on not being ‘Islamic’ enough</a>, for being ‘infidels’; from the Fortress of Islam to being ‘heathens’. This journey has left many, many thousands dead on the way, starting from the sectarian killings of the 1990s to the ongoing tragedy that is the APS Peshawar and Shikarpur. We are told, APS Peshawar changed everything. We see that it hasn’t. This February 5 like most, belonged to Hafiz Saeed, the JuD, the HuM and friends. The defence put up is that these are pro-Pakistan groups; essentially meaning that they do not attack the Pakistani State or citizens. One can admit for the time being they might not. Yet, the National Action Plan (NAP) is about “<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/821881/handling-hate/">zero tolerance for militancy</a>”, is it not? More fundamental is the implicit basic norm of the NAP that violence will not be privatised to militias and the business of governing the state and conducting its foreign policy will not be outsourced to armed, jihadi militias. The key question determining the success or failure of the NAP is: can the business of enforcing ideologies by the use or threat of force be allowed to be conducted or worse delegated to private actors by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? The answer after this past February 5 is yes. Jammu and Kashmir has incredible levels of human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, mass graves and repression by the State of India; that is not under dispute. To refresh, one can recommend watching <a href="http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/24442/is-haider-really-a-threat-to-pakistans-ideology/">Haider</a>, a very powerful adaptation of Hamlet in modern-day Kashmir; the movie minces no words on the repressive policy of the Indian State in Kashmir and it baffles the mind why the Pakistan censor board decided to ban it in the land of the pure. Our right to highlight and condemn the violations in Jammu and Kashmir is also unexceptionable (please, the argument of look at xyz at home first is not persuasive; that would require one to condemn everything before one condemns anything, etc.). However, why are we obsessed with the ‘Kashmir issue’? Note, we are not really obsessed with the plight of the ‘<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/833160/let-kashmiris-decide-their-destiny/">Kashmiri people</a>’. Kashmir is about politics and it is now about domestic policies and politics. Why is the major advocacy for Kashmir domestic, and done through mosque loudspeakers and jihadi megaphones in the streets? Surely, the people of Pakistan are sold on the idea. Shouldn’t the advocacy for the Kashmir cause be done in the UN and other international forums? Why is the Kashmir issue framed only in terms of religion and jihad? The answer is because Kashmir is as much about foreign policy as it is about domestic control. The Taliban went rogue and are ‘bad’, however, ‘ideological’ states not only have ideologues but also have foot soldiers acting on those ideologies. To give up on ‘Kashmir jihad’ is to give up on ‘jihad’; isn’t that what the NAP is about? Kashmir Day and jihad, etc. is not about the Kashmiris; it is about us. It is about ceding space; both physical and of narrative to armed militants with rhetoric of martyrdom and killing. It is about keeping the ideology of jihad and the State conducting it through proxies alive. The prime minister doubling up as the foreign minister is the side show on Kashmir Day; it is Hafiz Saeed who is the show-stopper. In the speeches of recent years, even Kashmir is becoming a marginal issue; it is an opportunity to display muscle; both ideological and physical. We declare a National Holiday on Kashmir Day. How does shutting down the economy and the entire business of the State for a day display solidarity with the Kashmiri people? How does it display intent to India, etc.? It doesn’t and that is not the point of it. The point of it has become giving the platform to the religious right, often armed to talk about Kashmir, xenophobia, but above all, the ideology of violence. What providing of open mic for one entire day does is that the ASWJ holds rallies and shows of strength ostensibly in favour of the ‘Kashmiris’ while actually simply making the Shias of Pakistan feel less secure than they already are. The argument is not that the Pakistani State should give up Kashmir as a ‘foreign’ policy issue and not argue that case in appropriate forums. The Pakistani State has long lost the will to do that. The Kashmir issue is the domain of the government and the audience should be international. Kashmir now is a prop, an opportunity for assorted jihadi outfits to make their presence felt. We do a great disservice to the persecuted people of Kashmir and their genuine suffering by using them as mere gimmicks for domestic narrative power grabs; we do a disservice to ourselves by ceding the few inches of narrative space captured after APS Peshawar. ‘Kashmir jihad’ is the original sin; the convergence of religious militancy with hyper-nationalist patriotism. ‘Kashmir Day’ today makes a mockery of the NAP. We need to be ‘liberated’ from ‘Kashmir’ in our imagination before we talk about us, the NAP and perhaps even Kashmir. Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="http://www.facebook.com/EToped">Opinion & Editorial on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETOpEd">@ETOpEd</a> on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

Liberation from ‘Kashmir’

This February 5, the State-ordained ‘Kashmir Day’ makes one reflect on the time before cable television and 24/7 news ...

Video shows boys in class, men at prayer

Video shows boys in class, men at prayer

ISIS releases a video that appears to send the message that life is normal in its strongholds.

Egypt’s grand mufti: A battle for the soul of Islam

Egypt’s grand mufti: A battle for the soul of Islam

The actions of the Islamic State are anything but Islamic, and Muslims must battle extremism to maintain the religion's message of mercy...

Measles cases at Chicago-area day care center rise to 5

Measles cases at Chicago-area day care center rise to 5

Biden to Putin: Get out of Ukraine

Biden to Putin: Get out of Ukraine

Following a week of escalation in eastern Ukraine, Vice President Biden had some strong words for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturd...

This or that? Lily Aldridge or Candice Swanepoel

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834529/this-or-that-lily-aldridge-or-candice-swanepoel/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834529-image-1423322117-687-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			Despite being super busy these past few months with staging their first runway show in London, The Victoria’s Secret Angels didn’t forget to celebrate Valentine’s Day with New York. Angels Lily Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel were spotted looking heavenly dawning fuchsia frocks at the Victoria’s Secret Herald Square store to remind us that there is only one shade we want to wear right now and it isn’t grey! Lily Aldridge <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/88.jpg" /> Hair and make-up Her streaked brown hair styled in loose waves and her dark eyes punched up with dramatic black and lengthening mascara ensured a simple and feminine look. Pairing a bold red lipstick with matte bronzed cheeks, Lily was a sight for sore eyes Outfit Lily showed off her supermodel figure in a classic Roland Mouret wool-crepe dress. The hourglass-enhancing design featured folding detailing around the neckline and the curve-clinging fit of the dress created a sultry hot-pink silhouette. Accessories To make the appearance all the more tempting, the 30-year-old model opted for brown and white T-bar heels. Wearing minimal accessories, she let her rose-pink ensemble do the talking. Candice Swanepoel <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/96.jpg" /> Hair and make-up This angel kept up with the season of love and went for a flirty appeal. With her blonde mane relaxed, hanging straight to her sides, the blonde-bombshell kept her look simple and girlish. With minimal make-up, the model had her heavily mascaraed bright blue eyes do the talking. Outfit The ravisher opted for a full skirted hot-pink taffeta dress by Antonio Berardi which fit her like a glove. The tulip-shaped design stopped just below Candice’s knee to show off her super toned legs and the fit-and-flare ensemble highlighted her svelte waistline. According to redcarpet-fashionawards.com, the same dress was worn by actor Jessica Alba in pink and white during Spring 2015 New York Fashion Week. Accessories Leaving behind all accessories, Candice stood tall in a striking pair of pink and orange Alexandre Birman suede ‘Clarita’ sandals, which blended flawlessly with her rosy Berardi number. Compiled By Maria Ahmed Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ETLifeandStyle">Life & Style on Facebook, </a>follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETLifeandStyle">@ETLifeandStyle</a> on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

This or that? Lily Aldridge or Candice Swanepoel

Despite being super busy these past few months with staging their first runway show in London, The Victoria’s Secret A...

Banned Iranian filmmaker’s ‘Taxi’ hailed at Berlinale

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834496/banned-iranian-filmmakers-taxi-hailed-at-berlinale/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834496-image-1423321464-249-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			BERLIN: Banned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who has defied the authorities before by smuggling a film out of Iran, did it again at the Berlin International Film Festival on Friday with his film Taxi. The superficially whimsical but ultimately profound look at life and filmmaking in Iran, shot from the interior of a taxi with the director at the wheel, was shown despite a 20-year state ban imposed on Panahi. He is not under arrest but can be jailed by the judiciary at any time. Two years ago, he smuggled a movie to the Berlin festival on a USB drive, eliciting a protest to the festival from the Islamic Republic. At Friday’s premiere, festival director Dieter Kosslick didn’t say how Panahi’s film made it to the German capital, but he applauded his decision to continue making movies. “Panahi never accepted his 20-year ban and tried to make his work because he cannot live without making films and, by accident, we got this film here, maybe with a taxi?” Kosslick quipped. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/47.jpg" /> In the film, Panahi chauffeurs an odd assortment of people around Tehran, including two women who think they will die if they do not get two goldfish to the Ali Springs before noon. A male passenger, who admits he is a “freelance mugger,” argues in favour of the death penalty for criminals, with a woman teacher in the backseat, who thinks capital punishment is too severe for someone who steals to feed his family. She adds that only China executes more people than Iran. A girl playing Panahi’s niece tells her uncle after he picks her up from school that her teacher has told her the rules for making a “distributable film” in Iran. It cannot show anything sordid, which is what Panahi has been filming from his taxi, and the characters must be named after Islamic saints. Kosslick said Panahi’s wife and the actor playing the niece attended the premiere, while an empty chair was left for the director as he had not been expected to be allowed to travel to Berlin for the occasion. He said he did not think Panahi’s relations with the Islamic authorities were as dire as they were two years ago, when Tehran complained to the festival for giving Panahi an award for an allegorical movie made in defiance of the state ban. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/38.jpg" /> “Jafar is in a much better mood as a person because he is the cab driver in the film, and he is a funny cabdriver and has a lot of humour, which is good, because he was depressed three years ago,” said Kosslick. He said he had discussed the film with the Iranian Embassy and, while officials there “did not accept” it, he added, “I have not got the feeling that they (will) put more pressure on him — 20 years is already enough.” Panahi’s film is one of 19 vying for the Berlin festival’s annual Golden Bear prize. Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ETLifeandStyle">Life & Style on Facebook, </a>follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETLifeandStyle">@ETLifeandStyle</a> on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

Banned Iranian filmmaker’s ‘Taxi’ hailed at Berlinale

BERLIN: Banned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who has defied the authorities before by smuggling a film out of Iran,...

I would like to be remembered with fondness: Atiqa Odho

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834502/i-would-like-to-be-remembered-with-fondness-atiqa-odho/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834502-AtiqaOdho-1423321311-817-160x120.JPG" width="160" /> 			</a> 			<div>KARACHI:  In the 1990s, she was an attractive young woman who made us curious about who and when she would get married to on STN’s Sitara aur Mehrunnisa. Later, in the PTV classic Nijaat, she made us feel the agony of failing to change her husband’s chauvinistic mindset. And then came Humsafar, in which her schemes as a strict mother-in-law became a cathartic experience for bahus on the other side of the idiot box. Despite many crests and troughs, Atiqa Odho has managed to keep a stable frequency in the media industry. As she steps into her 30th year in entertainment, we look back at how her journey began back in 1985. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/119.jpg" /> </div> “When I was approached by Anwer Maqsood sahab to act in Sitara Aur Mehrunissa, it felt like I had been waiting for that phone call for many years. It was more like a call of life, to perform and bring different characters on the screen,” Odho tells The Express Tribune. Her 30 years in media industry have been exciting, to say the least. There have been times when she had to work hard on her roles but along the way, she made lifelong friends — people she wouldn’t give up for anything. “I realised very early in my career as an actor that we connect so deeply with our pubic that it becomes our social responsibility to convey the right message. The world has been my stage and I have loved every minute of it,” she states. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/29.jpg" /> But how different is the industry now? “The entertainment industry has evolved in many directions. Technically, it has become stronger and easier. Unfortunately, scriptwriting has become limited as the channels are in a rat-race for ratings and this has been very damaging for the end product.” She believes that the volume of content being produced currently should churn out more Humsafars, but this is not happening due to weak scripts and poor production management in general. “It seems like we have had a boom that we were not prepared for.” <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/210.jpg" /> Odho opines that, when serious money is pushed into any field, the stakes are higher. The entertainment industry in Pakistan is still in its embryonic stage. It is everyone’s responsibility to help it grow in the right direction. The current generation of actors, writers, producers and channel owners should play a parental role for the product. It must be protected and nurtured to become a well-rounded global product. “This doesn’t seem to be happening, as there is very little understanding on the governmental level regarding the global value of Urdu drama. We are the only country in the world that is producing this product and it has the ability to earn massive revenue for Pakistan from across the world, while reflecting our social and national values to a foreign audience.” To commemorate her 30 years in showbiz, Odho will put her professional archives on display at an art gallery. She will also host an exclusive event on February 14 at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS), where people who have been a part of her journey will also be invited. “I thought this would be the best way to share my work with anyone interested in what my career-graph has been like. A person’s achievements are never acquired alone, as there are many others involved in the process. I have been blessed with a lot of love and support from many.” <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/120.jpg" /> In the hope to give back to the society, she made a Facebook Page called ‘Power to Empower’, through which she has been promoting breast cancer awareness campaign for the past eight years. Odho urges youngsters to avoid shortcuts in life and do whatever they wish to with commitment and focus. “Years don’t come back and time is the most valuable asset we have. What you decide to do with your time is how you will be remembered in history. People die and leave us, but their deeds are left behind for all to remember. I would like to be remembered with fondness and respect when I am gone.” Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2015. Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ETLifeandStyle">Life & Style on Facebook, </a>follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETLifeandStyle">@ETLifeandStyle</a> on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

I would like to be remembered with fondness: Atiqa Odho

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Pakistan not big threat to India in World Cup: Mohammad Azharuddin

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/834472/pakistan-not-big-threat-to-india-in-world-cup-mohammad-azharuddin/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/834472-mohammad_azharuddinafp__x-1423307623-934-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that the Indian cricket team face no serious threat from their arch-rivals Pakistan in the much-hyped upcoming encounter between the two next week in the World Cup, reported <a href="http://sports.ndtv.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/news/237114-mohammad-azharuddin-doesm-t-see-pakistan-as-big-threat-to-india-in-world-cup-opener" target="_blank">NDTV</a>. “India-Pakistan is always a big game. We have not lost to Pakistan in the World Cup and that will play on everyone’s minds while going into the match. I believe that India have a good side and if they play well, I don’t think that Pakistan will pose such a big threat,” Azharuddin told PTI in an interview. “It’s not very easy to make their way into the final-four. They will have to play well consistently. I think they need to win more matches so that the confidence levels are high. If they start losing matches, it becomes very difficult to make a comeback,” the Hyderabadi stylist said “They have the side, they have the talent but eventually it boils down to how fit the team is and how well they adapt to different situations during the ODI games,” Azhar added. Having lost the Test series against the hosts and not being able to reach the tri-series final, the Indian cricket fortunes resemble the 1992 Australian summer when Azhar and company failed to make the semi-finals after a dismal performance Down Under. But Azhar opines that once the board agrees to a tour, there should be no excuses. “Look the board has accepted the itinerary and the calendar, so we should not complain. We were prepared and knew that we would play Test matches and then the tri-series before heading into the World Cup. The board agreed to it and the players knew exactly what they were doing and accordingly they should have managed their fitness. “The fear of injury is always there because it’s a tough game but at the same time we have to take care of it, because we knew the itinerary. So you can’t make these excuses,” he said. Azhar, like many cricket pioneers feels that fitness issues of many players is also one area which the team management should have addressed much earlier. “But we need to have a fit team, I think players, who are carrying injuries have been carried around and it’s not a nice thing. It keeps the other players who are going to replace them on the edge as well and it is not good for the team management because they are not certain of the fitness of these players. They cannot really plan if they have unfit players. “Ishant Sharma has been carried for more than a month, I don’t know what is he doing. You don’t know what Rohit’s injury is. Everybody thinks that he has got a hamstring injury, so nobody knows what’s happening. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also carrying injury, so we really need to find out a fit bunch of players,” he said. Having served Indian cricket for 16-long years, Azhar was a pillar to the middle-order and still feels that batting remains the team’s main strength. “Bowling according to the conditions is the key and that has not been happening with our bowlers. Batting I believe is still not bad,” said the cricketer-turned-politician. Azhar, 51, who donned the dark blue jersey in the first coloured World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 1992, feels that even though cricket has come a long way it is always special to play Down Under. “Cricket has changed in the last so many years. Attitude in cricket has changed a lot because the game has become part of your growing society. In another 5 or 10 years down the line, things will again change in cricket. “But it is a good thing to be playing in Australia, very good atmosphere, good pitches and good conditions. If you are a batsman and doing very well then you should carry on the good work. If you are a bowler then you have got all the time to get used to the conditions,” he said.

Pakistan not big threat to India in World Cup: Mohammad Azharuddin

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels that the Indian cricket team face no serious ...