Pak News Wire

Dazzling Djokovic

Dazzling Djokovic

Novak Djokovic's dominance at the Australian Open continues. He beat Andy Murray in Sunday's final for a fifth title Down Under.

Japan: ‘We will never, never forgive’ ISIS

Japan: ‘We will never, never forgive’ ISIS

A newly distributed video from ISIS appears to show the beheaded body of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.

Pro-apartheid assassin granted parole

Pro-apartheid assassin granted parole

Eugene de Kock was the most notorious assassin of South Africa's apartheid era, commanding a death squad that kidnapped, tortured and ki...

British mosques hold open day after Paris attacks

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/831135/british-mosques-hold-open-day-after-paris-attacks/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/831135-mosqueFILE-1422789683-530-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			LONDON: Some 20 mosques in Britain were opening their doors to the public Sunday in an unprecedented gesture of reassurance following last month’s attacks in Paris. Visitors will be served tea and cakes by members of the mosque community who will answer questions about Islam, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) umbrella group which is organising the initiative said in a statement. Participating mosques include Finsbury Park in north London, where Abu Hamza — jailed in the US last month for the deadly kidnapping of Western tourists in Yemen plus terrorism offences — was once imam. The Finsbury Park Mosque has since undergone a change of leadership and ethos and now stresses community relations and interfaith dialogue. But in the wake of the Paris attacks which killed 17 people, it has received a string of threatening letters and emails, its secretary-general, Mohammed Kozbar, told Sky News television recently. Prime Minister David Cameron’s government sent a letter to Muslim leaders following the Paris attacks urging them to “explain and demonstrate how faith can be part of British identity” and suggesting there was “more work to do” in fighting extremism. This prompted an angry response from the MCB, which questioned whether the government was aligning itself with the far-right by suggesting that Muslims were “inherently apart from British society”. Around five percent of people in England and Wales are Muslim, according to a 2011 census, and there are around 1,700 mosques across Britain.

British mosques hold open day after Paris attacks

LONDON: Some 20 mosques in Britain were opening their doors to the public Sunday in an unprecedented gesture of reass...

Video: ISIS purportedly beheads Japanese hostage

Video: ISIS purportedly beheads Japanese hostage

Bruce Jenner ‘transitioning into a woman’

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/831141/bruce-jenner-transitioning-into-a-woman/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/831141-_brucejenner-1422790669-506-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			LOS ANGELES: Former athlete and TV personality Bruce Jenner is reportedly “transitioning” into a woman. The 65-year-old has been photographed with long hair, manicured nails and wearing make-up. “Bruce is transitioning to a woman. He is finally happy and his family is accepting of what he’s doing. He’s in such a great space. That’s why it’s the perfect time to do something like this,” people.com quoted a source as saying. Another source claims that Bruce has recorded his own reality show documenting his progress. The source said: “It will air when he is ready to be open about his transition. But he’s acting more and more confident and seems very happy.” While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Jenner’s stepdaughter Kim Kardashian said that the family supports Bruce ’100%.’ “Well we support Bruce no matter what, so we were just at his house hanging out and we wanted to take a picture, that was not like a secret message like, ‘We support Bruce,’” Kim clarified. “Of course we support Bruce 100 percent.”

Bruce Jenner ‘transitioning into a woman’

LOS ANGELES: Former athlete and TV personality Bruce Jenner is reportedly “transitioning” into a woman. The 65-year-o...

Baby for Timberlake, Biel

Baby for Timberlake, Biel

Justin Timberlake and his wife, Jessica Biel, are expecting their first child.

LIVE: Djokovic takes on Murray in the Australian Open final

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/831116/live-djokovic-takes-on-murray-in-the-australian-open-final/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/831116-djoko-1422784354-919-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			MELBOURNE / KARACHI: Serbian Novak Djokovic takes on Briton Andy Murray in the final of the 2015 Australia Open final in Melbourne on Sunday. Djokovic comes into this match with a 15-8 lead against Murray. While the Brit is aiming to win his third Grand Slam, Djokovic is looking to add a fifth Australian Open title in his tally. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/LATEST-UPDATE.jpg" /> - Another game for Djokovic. He lead 4-2 in the second set. Seems like he is going for a straight sets victory against the Brit. - Djokovic lead the second set 3-2 against Murray. - Djokovic is on level terms now. It is 2-2 in the second set. - Djokovic lessens the deficit 2-1 in the second set. - Murray gains a 2-0 lead over Djokovic in the second set of the match. He is coming strong at the Serb. - Djokovic downs Murray 7-6 (5-7) after an emphatic encounter in the first set.   Djokovic bids to remain unbeaten in Aussie final Novak Djokovic attempts Sunday to keep his formidable record intact in the Australian Open final, while Andy Murray is bidding to end a tormenting run of three losses in the Melbourne decider. The Serb top seed is four-from-four in Australian finals and into his fifth at Melbourne Park in eight years. He has beaten Murray in two of the Scot’s three Australian losses in 2011 and 2013, although the sixth seed mastered the Serb in his two major triumphs at the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon. Djokovic will remain the world number one on the next ATP rankings when they are released on Monday regardless of what happens, but Murray can climb to three from his current sixth if he wins. The Serb has won six out of his last seven encounters against Murray — including four in a row last year — with the Scot bidding to defeat him for the first time since the 2013 Wimbledon final. History beckons for Murray if does win, becoming the first Briton since Fred Perry in 1934 to lift the Australian trophy. Djokovic said his recent record against the Briton was a big confidence booster going into the match, but he remains wary. “There’s no clear favourite. I think the way he’s been playing, he already knows what it takes to win a Grand Slam title,” he said. “On the other hand, I’m going to try to use also my own experience and of course motivation to eventually get my hands on the title as well.” Murray, under the coaching of two-time French major champion Amelie Mauresmo, looked impressive in turning over Tomas Berdych in Thursday’s semi-final, while Djokovic laboured over five sets to put away defending champion Stan Wawrinka. “I know it’s going to be extremely difficult to win the match. I know if I want to win, it will probably be very tough and challenging physically,” Murray said. “So I need to prepare myself mentally for that. But he has a fantastic record here. He obviously loves the court and the conditions. It would be a big upset if I manage to win tomorrow.” While delighted to have again reached Sunday’s final, Djokovic admitted his “level of performance was not where I wanted it to be” against Wawrinka. For his part, Murray was pleased with the state of his game and proud to be in a fourth Melbourne final in an era dominated by Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Wawrinka had the weapons to leave Djokovic gasping at times running around the court during their semi, which must have encouraged Murray, who while regarded as a great defensive players, is looking to add more variety to his game. Up until Friday’s semi-final, Djokovic had lost just one of his 74 service games in the tournament. Against Wawrinka his serve was broken five times and that will give Murray confidence. Murray showed he is capable of making tactical tweaks during his matches to counter his opponents and is expecting he may have to do the same against Djokovic. “I made some big adjustments in the Berdych match from how things were going at the start,” he said. “I’ll need to do the same thing again on the Sunday against Novak because things that you think will work doesn’t always work out that way.” Like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EtribuneSports">Sports on Facebook</a>, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/ETribuneSports">@ETribuneSports</a> on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

LIVE: Djokovic takes on Murray in the Australian Open final

MELBOURNE / KARACHI: Serbian Novak Djokovic takes on Briton Andy Murray in the final of the 2015 Australia Open final...

‘We will never forgive’ ISIS for apparent beheading

‘We will never forgive’ ISIS for apparent beheading

He ventured to Syria to tell the stories of those whose lives have been torn apart by war.

What a shot! 35 amazing sports photos

What a shot! 35 amazing sports photos

How to Super Bowl #LikeAGirl

How to Super Bowl #LikeAGirl

Backstage at a traveling circus

Backstage at a traveling circus

Movie review: Selma – the King of all films

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/829015/movie-review-selma-the-king-of-all-films/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/829015-selma-1422774969-499-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			It was perhaps inevitable that Selma, the film that highlights a tumultuous three months in civil rights activist Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr’s life, would be sidetracked by controversy and politics. Writer Maureen Dowd called director Ava DuVernay’s portrayal of Lyndon Johson, the American president at the time, “a shame” and its snub at the Oscars (just two nominations which mystifyingly exclude the best actor and director categories) has cast a racial cloud over the film’s reception, which, in little consolation, was personally screened at The White House by President Obama. This is supplemented by America’s fractious political climate in the wake of events in Ferguson and Staten Island where unarmed black men were killed by police officers. But the real shame is that amid all the controversy, people haven’t been talking about what a cinematic triumph Selma actually is. The title comes from Selma, Alabama, a small town in southern United States from where MLK began a march for equal voting rights. One of the scenes in which a senior African American lady (played by Oprah Winfrey, who also produced the film) unsuccessfully tries to register to vote highlights perfectly well what is at stake in this rally. She is asked to name all 67 county judges for no reason other than to keep her away from the booths. And the lack of voting rights has consequences, MLK explains to the president (played fantastically by Tom Wilkinson): only those registered to vote can serve juries, run for office or become public servants. Therefore, unless the blacks are given the right to vote, all-white juries with white judges will fail to convict white suspects of crimes against black people (plenty of which were shown in this movie, including a horrifying attack on a black church that killed four girls). Selma was a town with a black majority, but only two per cent were registered to vote. While MLK is at the centre of it all, Selma features an ensemble cast: a group of activists who cut across generations and include an 84-year-old man who voted for the first time, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference whose members were active in the march, John Lewis, a congressman still serving today, a white pastor from Boston who was killed in a reprisal attack, thousands of men and women who marched along with MLK across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where they were savagely beaten up by policemen determined to halt the march and the powers that be, the President and Alabama governor George Wallace (played by a delightful Tim Roth). DuVernay shows the protests on the ground, where one can hear the sickening sound of club on skulls, and then switches to the corridors of power and conversations between MLK and Johnson and Johnson and Wallace (many of which, the movie chillingly shows, were tapped by the Federal Bureau of Investigation). So how does DuVernay move from Oslo to Washington, Selma to Montgomery, with a cast this big, and a subject as fraught as American racial politics? With the grace and sophistication of a director who deserves far more plaudits than this film is likely to get. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/star2.jpg" /> Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 1st, 2015.

Movie review: Selma – the King of all films

It was perhaps inevitable that Selma, the film that highlights a tumultuous three months in civil rights activist Mar...

Schools for Peshawar victims: Building for peace

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/829014/schools-for-peshawar-vitcims-building-for-peace/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/829014-Zakicopy-1422454469-431-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			On December 16, 2014, Peshawar was struck by a heinous act of terrorism. One hundred and thirty-two children were massacred in cold blood, along with several others. The attack ignited a wave of outrage amongst civil society members who vowed to unite against the Taliban and those sympathetic towards them. Amidst this wave of emotion, Zaki Patel, an average Pakistani, decided to take a more concrete step and pledged to open up a school for each life lost and to bring education to areas that might not have access to it otherwise. It was after Patel came across a tweet about how the best revenge would be to build 141 schools — one in the name of each survivor — that he decided to turn this noble thought into a reality. “There were a lot of people lashing out on social media, but no one was doing something [substantial about it],” says Patel. Without wasting any time, he created a webpage and requested people to come forward and transform their anger into something positive and constructive. “I had no idea there would be such a quick and overwhelming response to the idea. At most, I expected 200 people to sign up, but within three days we had 15,000 responses,” he adds. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/coat.jpg" /> It was at this moment Patel realised that people were actually willing to contribute and support his cause. He approached The Citizens Foundation (TCF) and pitched the idea to them and asked for their assistance with the project. With TCF’s already established presence in the education sector and pre-existing infrastructure, they obliged instantly and agreed to collaborate. The initiative has since turned into an active, citizen-led web movement. “People are coming forward, contacting us and pledging resources,” shares Patel. “Glass and paint factory owners are willing to help build the schools. There is a theatre group willing to pledge proceedings from a certain number of their shows. Organisations [outside Pakistan] are contacting us to say that they would like to help train teachers. People are willing to help in any way they can,” he adds. The website has its own donations tab that directly transfers proceedings to TCF and there is also an option to contribute via cheques. After funds are collected, TCF will use their expertise to organise and execute the project, Zaki explains. The ‘141 schools for peace’ project is steadily gaining momentum and has entered the execution phase. TCF spokesperson Ayesha Khatib says that for each school to be fully functional it would take nearly a year or a year-and-a-half. The completion of the project depends on how fast the pledges for donations come through, after which the land has to be sought from land owners to get the construction work under way. It will take approximately six months to erect each building, she says. So far, TCF has received commitments for two schools and their construction process has already begun. Furthermore, TCF is encouraging support groups to come forward and join in spreading the word globally to help the project secure more funds. “This is a defining moment in Pakistan’s history,” says the CEO of TCF, Syed Asaad Ayub Ahmad. “With the formidable challenges facing the nation, we passionately believe that only education has the power to enlighten minds, instill citizenship and unleash the potential of every Pakistani,” he adds. Hurmat Majid is a subeditor at the Express Tribune. She tweets @bhandprogramme Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 1st, 2015.

Schools for Peshawar victims: Building for peace

On December 16, 2014, Peshawar was struck by a heinous act of terrorism. One hundred and thirty-two children were mass...

Karachi railway station: On the right track

<a href="http://tribune.com.pk/story/829035/karachi-railway-station-on-the-right-track/"> 				<img alt="" height="120" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/829035-Karachi_cantt_station_full_facade-1422456255-674-160x120.jpg" width="160" /> 			</a> 			If one is a 29-year-old architect and they’ve lost their sense of direction, it seems entirely fitting that their dream job would land them in Karachi’s Cantonment Railway Station. “I had left my job at the Heritage Foundation. I had no jobs lined up and I didn’t even know how I would pay my bills,” recalls Marvi Mazhar. “Then I got a call from architect Aqeel Bilgrami and he asked me to come see the station, as a group of artists and architects was hoping to revitalise this beautiful 19th century building.” The rest, as they say, is history. Looking beneath the surface Mazhar was drafted by Pursukoon Karachi, a non-profit organisation comprising nine artists, sculptors and architects, to restore the 150-year-old building, stripping it of false ceilings, poor paint jobs, shoddily constructed additions and several coats of crimson paan stains. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Marvi-Mazhar.jpg" /> Initially, the Pursukoon group planned to have the station cleaned and painted. “Once I saw the building’s original yellow stone, however, I said we needed to remove all the layers of paint and concrete in order to restore the original structure.” For four months, Mazhar worked for free on a few parts of the station, in what became a litmus test for her ability to work with the building and the many challenges it presented. “I might have worked for free, but for me, the barter made sense. If I was successful, I had the job. And who else would let me touch a 19th century building at this age?” she shares. In the absence of substantial archival photographs, blueprints or notes, the project required a fair amount of detective work. Mazhar stumbled upon photographs and log notes from the time of the railway’s construction in 1865 in London’s British Library. One morning, she spotted a slightly raised curve under layers of paint and concrete and guessed that an arch must be hidden underneath. The first glimpse of the original slate, grey stone floors came from a small patch inside the security officials’ offices. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ASA_3314-copy.jpg" /> <blockquote> The ticket office after it was restored. PHOTO COURTESY: MARVI MAZHAR & ASSOCIATES </blockquote> Many times, the material would confound Mazhar’s expectations or local architects and engineers would question her approach. “When we started chipping off the layers of marble and concrete, they were coming off in sheets and I was very nervous about what I’d find underneath,” she says. “One engineer warned me that the building was weak and wouldn’t withstand the process. But I remembered what Yasmeen Lari would always say when it came to heritage buildings: ‘You’ve got to remove all the concrete and you’ve got to let the building breathe.’” Thus, much of the work was informed by a previous conservation project undertaken by the Heritage Project on Karachi’s Denso Hall in 2010. Mentors such as Bilgrami and Kamil Khan Mumtaz also helped soothe the nerves. “There was one area of the station where the original yellow stone was turning black,” Mazhar recalls. A hastily-organised visit to the station by Khan confirmed that the stone was simply ‘breathing’ after decades of being blanketed by concrete and fungus was growing on the wall. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_1607-copy.jpg" /> <blockquote> Irum, a police official, keeps an eye on a bank of CCTV feeds inside the offices for security staff. PHOTO CREDIT: ARIF SOOMRO </blockquote> The station’s booking office was the first hurdle for the team. Ticket officers sat on plastic chairs atop a three-foot-high concrete slab to be able to reach the ticket counter. A small square skylight had been punched into the false ceiling and a ticket box from colonial times was propped up next to a barred window. Additionally, rusting aluminum cabinets lined the wall, stuffed with paperwork. The air conditioner never cooled enough and the false ceiling was warped by humidity. Today, there is no need for an air conditioner there. “This building was constructed keeping the weather of Pakistan in mind,” explains Mazhar. Once the team got rid of the false ceiling and restored the windows to their natural height and removed the concrete slabs and bars from the windows, the humidity was taken care of. Light now streams into the high-ceilinged room while the ticket officers perch on high wooden chairs rescued and restored from the station’s warehouse. Mazhar’s team stripped the office’s original doors of seven layers of oil paint and fixed the original lock. The old English ticketing boxes have been polished to a high gleam. “The officers wanted new ticket boxes, but we didn’t see the point in doing that when the colonial ones had survived so beautifully,” she explains. “Building bohot fit hai abhi (The building is in great condition no),” comments one of the ticket officers as he punches out a business class ticket from one of the ticket box’s narrow metal slots. “Dil khush hota hai yahaan beth kar (one feels happy sitting here),” he adds. He then leans back in his chair and says something you would never expect from a government servant: “I find this office very relaxing to be in now.” Money matters For the last six months, however, work has ground to a halt at the station as funds have dried up. While the Pursukoon team grew accustomed to receiving financial support from the provincial government and private donors in small bursts, this has been the longest period where there have been no donations. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_1653-copy.jpg" /> <blockquote> Signs put up at the station by the restoration team. PHOTO CREDIT: ARIF SOOMRO </blockquote> The Pursukoon team initially received Rs5,000,000 from the provincial government, part of which was utilised for a three-day festival in Karachi in 2013. The remainder and an additional Rs2,500,000, given by Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, was poured into the restoration project. Government officials and political leaders, including Sherry Rehman, Nafisa Shah and the special assistant to the chief minister on culture, Sharmila Farooqi, have even visited the station to learn more about the project and have all praised the initiative. Why the lack of funding then one may ask. Farooqi shares that the Pursukoon team approached her a week before the provincial budget was to be announced. “If they had approached the government earlier, we could have kept money aside for such a project, but at the moment, we cannot siphon money from other projects to keep this one going,” she adds. At times when there was no funding, the team would just sit around and make sketches documenting the building and its transformation. They worked piecemeal throughout the station, restoring small portions with whatever funds were available at the time. As a result, the building seems to be a bizarre amalgamation of styles, both modern and colonial. Interventions: where old meets new While the two styles don’t make for the best of appearances, it’s the perfect reminder of why the restoration project is so vital. For instance, on one side of the same wall one can see caramel-coloured stone, almost the colour and texture of warm unleavened bread, and when one turns slightly to the right they’ll see whitewashed concrete and perhaps the faint raised curve of an arch that has been bricked over and cemented. The station’s two faces also raise the question on why  some interventions, such as ‘no guns allowed’ signs and spikes atop pillars to ward off pigeons, are deemed ‘good’, whereas other additions, such as a staircase that bisects the ticket office, built to save officials the hassle of walking to either end of the station to go to the upper floors, are considered ‘bad’. Before installing anything, however, the team looks at what masters have done in other parts of the world. “While a staircase ruins the purity of the building, anything we have added on does not impact the structure and can be removed whenever we want. For instance, none of the signs are nailed on.” <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Kamil-Khan-Mumtaz-copy.jpg" /> <blockquote> Kamil Khan Mumtaz examines a patch of fungus on the original stone wall. PHOTO COURTESY: MARVI MAZHAR </blockquote> Some interventions, however, do not seem to be particularly successful. Outside the station, a small water body has been built where previously trees and benches offered travellers respite from the sun. The tiled pool is currently dry and people have thrown wrappers and bottles inside it. Sometimes, they even dip their feet in the water, leaving dirt and leaves behind. “We’re always debating the additions we have made,” Mazhar says. The Pursukoon team agreed to allot a small archway to the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the stories of generations of Pakistanis. Here, CAP’s oral histories and photographs are displayed for any traveller or coolie to pore over. But Mazhar assures that the CAP space or the water body can be assessed in three months to see how people have reacted to it. “If it hasn’t worked for them, we’ll give the space back to the railway department,” she says. Building a future by consensus Curator, artist and one of the founding members of Pursukoon Karachi Noorjehan Bilgrami estimates that the project requires at least another Rs30,000,000. Farooqi has promised to speak with the chief minister to see if the money can be allocated for the project within or outside of the budget. However, she adds, the Pursukoon team would have to meet with the culture department’s director works to discuss where the money will be funnelled. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/At-three-points.jpg" /> Bilgrami insists that a working relationship can be forged and is greatly appreciative of the federal government’s support. But it is impossible to ignore the fact that the restoration team works primarily to remove traces of successive governments’ decisions within the station. On Mazhar’s first day at the station, she battled with officials as she tried to remove political posters and banners plastered onto the walls. While many workers said they were too scared to pull down the posters, others simply refused to do so until a rival political party’s posters were also removed. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/The-Pursukoon.jpg" /> At three points in the station, the Pursukoon team has left ‘layers of memory’ — reminders of the damage done to the building — within clear acrylic boxes. On one pillar in the main hall, one can see 22 layers of oil paint that were slapped onto the original structure. “I am guessing that a new coat of paint was added on every time a government official would visit the station,” Mazhar says. In another box, one can see how marble was layered on concrete and stone in order to sheath the original stone walls. “Before a funding period would lapse, officials would add on another layer onto the walls rather than fix what was already there, all in the name of ‘maintaining’ the building,” she explains. “We keep these layers of memory so we are able to show them to all government officials who visit the station.” <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/At-three-points.jpg" /> “Of course, that was not the right thing to do,” concedes Farooqi. “But until someone doesn’t catch the people who do this, you have no idea that this is what is happening.” There have been tussles, both internal and with the government, about plans for the station. Some have proposed the addition of cafes or shops to boost the station’s income, while others, such as architect Habib Fida Ali, have instantly shot down such suggestions. Meanwhile, Mazhar suggests that each archway on the station’s upper floor, with a beautiful view of swaying banyan trees, be fitted with tables and chairs and WiFi so it can be ‘rented’ out for hours at a time to writers, journalists, artists or anyone looking for a quiet spot. <img alt="" src="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Sharmila-Farooqi.jpg" /> Bilgrami points out that while there may be a difference of aesthetics between government teams and the Pursukoon artists and architects, many of these differences have been smoothed over through dialogue. For example, while railway officials wished to construct a rockery outside the station, the Pursukoon team convinced them that travellers would be better served by benches and trees in the spot. “Look, at the end of the day, if something has to be done correctly, we have to explain it to those in charge and hope that they understand,” Bilgrami says. Compromise is also required from Pursukoon, simply because, as she puts it, “at the end of the day, it all boils down to the money.” Sanam Maher is a senior subeditor at The Express Tribune national desk. She tweets @SanamMKhi Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 1st, 2015.

Karachi railway station: On the right track

If one is a 29-year-old architect and they’ve lost their sense of direction, it seems entirely fitting that their drea...