After weeks of loss, the caretaker set-up in Sindh notified that the Sindh Board of Film Censors will now be active and announced that Zulfiqar Ramzi will be its honorary chairman. The move comes on the heels of fruitless attempts to push the caretaker government into notifying the censor board at the federal level.

In the absence of a federal censor board, according to Nadeem Mandviwalla, the Sindh censor certificate will apply to all of Pakistan. “This will be a big boost as it will encourage other provinces to follow suit,” Mandviwalla said.

The film distributor pointed out that the Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) has been in troubled waters ever since the 18th Amendment was passed, leading to the dissolution of the culture ministry.

The mandate, according to law, has been passed to the provincial governments but due to various delays it has not been able to establish the provincial censor board. In its absence, the CBFC has continued to function.

Previously, it has been widely debated whether CBFC should be restored and given the charge of censoring foreign films while the provincial censors should be limited to censoring regional films.

“Since there is no notification in writing, foreign films in my opinion should be allowed to be censored by the provincial censor board,” said Mandviwalla

This development would also mean that there will be a delay in getting movies to the cinemas. Distributors say several major films including The Great Gatsby, Iron Man 3, Star Trek 2, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Yeh Jawani Deewani and Fast and the Furious have all been delayed.

“Everybody is suffering. They should call it a careless government instead of a caretaker government… We are being forced to use the same films over and over,” said Zorraiz Lashari of the Film Distributors Association who added that the real cost incurred by the industry could never be compensated.

The delay within the ministry to assign someone responsible to censor the films has meant a backlog of films that will not be released on time.

“Everyone is losing money, everybody is suffering, the worst part is no one willing to hear our claims,” complained Lashari.  The crisis will have its impact with international dealers who are faced with release deadlines.

“This is obviously going to have a negative impact, we are trying but there is now a backlog, which is never good,” added Lashari.

Despite several attempts, Joint Secretary Khwaja Siddique Akbar could not be reached for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2013.

If you lived near the Lahore airport and had to drive to Mall road regularly, you’d be open to buying a car whose fuel cost you less. Amir Riaz has that 50km commute, and he’s quite frank about his decision to keep a hybrid car. “I have a [regular car] too,” he told The Express Tribune. “But I prefer taking my [hybrid]. It is just sensible. It consumes one-fourth of the fuel.”

The hybrid guzzles less gas because it uses a combination of petrol and electric power (in the form of a battery). Pakwheels CEO Raza Saeed says over 90% of the hybrids sold on their website are the Toyota Prius manufactured in Japan. Other choices include the Insight and Reborn by Honda or the Civic hybrid. Some high-end names recently introduced to Pakistan are the Porsche hybrid and the BMW 7-series.

Porsche Panamera S-E Hybrid

While prices may vary depending on the model of the used car, something like the Toyota Prius will set you back 1.4m rupees. If you’ve got the cash to spare you could consider what Porsche, Mercedes and BMW have to offer at a hefty price tag of Rs13.5m. Porsche Pakistan CEO Abuzar Bukhari brought in the first luxury hybrid, the Cayenne, which consumes 13.76 litres of petrol for every 100 kilometres. Interestingly enough, this is an SUV giving you better road mileage than a much smaller non-hybrid 1300cc or 1000cc car. “Pakistanis should not be limited to […] for hybrids,” he argues while naming two companies. “We Pakistanis deserve better, why buy used cars from other countries?”

Imports are the most obvious option, though, especially since no one is making them locally. These hybrids, many from Japan and the UK, are being brought over the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. However, the majority of them are arriving at Port Qasim in Karachi. About two out of 10,000 used cars reaching Karachi shores each month are hybrids.

The hybrid is considered more environmentally friendly and economical when it comes to fuel consumption. And as petrol prices rise in Pakistan, some people are thinking this type of car is a better option. But despite these positives, this technology is struggling to become a viable player in Pakistan’s controlled market.

No bang for your buck

The government has put the squeeze on importing used cars. It now says that you can’t get them if they are more than three years old. It used to allow used cars that were up to five years old until the end of 2012.

According to official car import numbers, over 1,140 Toyota Prius were imported from July to October 2012 compared to less than a thousand units before the end of the previous financial year. But then the official policy changed.

Honda Insight Hybrid

“[Newer] used cars mean a higher price,” explains Salman Hameed, a hybrid dealer in Lahore. He was getting up to 70 cars until the government changed the rules. Now it’s just 20 and he thinks demand could sink further. This means that dealers like Hameed who used to be getting the 2007 models are now forced to get the 2010 ones. This means an average price difference of Rs400,000. “But it is also a newer car,” he says.

All of this would change if the government gave local manufacturers incentives. If not, people like Pakwheels CEO Raza Saeed feel that the market for hybrids will remain small because the choices are so limited. If local companies made the car, it would be cheaper and hybrids could possibly become the norm.

Take the example of India where there has been a concerted push by the government. Today, one of India’s leading local manufacturers, Tata, produces the Nano hybrid which is known as the world’s cheapest hybrid at a mere 100,000 Indian rupees.

On the other hand, in Pakistan, the government has deliberately kept a tight fist to protect the existing local car industry. The Federal Board of Revenue, which is the brains behind the import policy on hybrids, openly says it will not be opening the doors on this new technology because local manufacturers will be affected. FBR spokesman Israr Rauf admitted the previous government hadn’t done much to encourage it either. “We have to wait for the next budget first,” he says. “Even then, it is unlikely of the government to take any drastic steps to push local manufacturers to incorporate greener cars.” There is no roadmap on how to factor it into the budget either.

Honda Civic Hybrid

“The real issue today is that mainstream parties we have spoken to have little clarity on the long-term role of hybrid automobiles,” says Syed Umair, the head of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce’s environmental committee. It is certain though, that globally petrol-only cars will go, he adds.

Features and what to look out for

Hybrids are popular because people think they offer better mileage. Honda’s hybrid switches between the battery and fuel at a speed of up to 40km. The Prius operates dually at a speed of up to 120km, says dealer Hameed.

The ordinary hybrid car will likely have automatic windows, steering, a push start button, a remote key and a CD player. Others feature bluetooth, a GPS system, a back-view camera, an auto parking system, a hard-disk drive and a mini-disc player. Some more modified versions have two additional features of cruise control, a keyless entry by touching the car door and a keyless start option.

The deal-breaker is that these used cars don’t come with insurance. For some models the battery needs be changed after 200,000km which is about five years. When you buy one, advises Hameed, make sure you check that the battery is original and the synergy driver has not been tampered with.

Another concern is whether we have enough mechanics versed in this technology to repair them. But as has been proven in the past, when the market grows, eventually the manpower catches up. For now, it seems though that unless the government moves, hybrids will be stuck in the back seat.

Hybrids available in Pakistan

Cars                         Price                     Models

Toyota Prius            Rs1.4m-Rs3.2m          2003-2011

Honda Civic             Rs1.6m-Rs1.8m          2006-2010

Honda Insight         Rs1.7m                         2008-2010

Porsche Cayenne     Rs17m                          2013

All the cars mentioned above are imported

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, May 19^th, 2013.

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Correction: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that the Cayenne gives 13.75 kilometres a litre. The error has been rectified.

“The demand for a Pakistani film in Canada is rock solid,” director Shahzad Rafique tells The Express Tribune from India, where he is currently working. He says that festival organiser Sunny Gill was “very eager to play a quality Pakistani film.”

Adding that the release of Bol is a reflection of this demand, he says, “Bol did better than any Bollywood film which was released around the same time – if we want to make space for our movies in the global market, we need to tackle subjects which have international relevance. Otherwise the vision of our cinema will remain limited [to just Pakistan].”

The film’s cast includes Ahsan Khan, Meera, Shaan and Moroccan actor Wiam Dhamani. Meera and Wiam are currently in Toronto to promote the movie at PIFF – an annual event which aims to bring Punjabi culture into the spotlight.

The film’s director Shahzad Rafique feels the demand for a Pakistani film in Canada is “rock solid”. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Ishq Khuda experiments with the themes of sufism and spirituality. Rafique explains that the project was an attempt to raise the question of “higher love” in comparison to the pursuit of relatively selfish worldly desires. The soundtrack, which has already received rave reviews since its release last month, has been composed by Wajahat Attray and includes the strong vocals of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sanam Marvi. It also features the return of renowned playback singer Shazia Manzoor.

“Film is a powerful medium of communication and representation. It’s very important for Pakistani films to have a global market,” continues Rafique. “We need to show the world who we are as a nation and clear all misunderstandings about us.” He feels local producers haven’t been able to take advantage of the growing international market due to the lack of quality output.

The film’s director Shahzad Rafique feels the demand for a Pakistani film in Canada is “rock solid”. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

The director admits that it was the global value he added to Ishq Khuda which helped promote a softer image of the film. He has also produced films such as Salakhain (2004) and Mohabbataan Sachiyaan (2007) which did well internationally despite non-conducive conditions – they were also released in India and were rated 2.5 and 3.5 out of five, respectively, by the Times of India.

Although Rafique is unsure of how the film will be received by the audience, he remains positive that they will appreciate the final product. “I really can’t say anything about how it will do at the box office but I have said everything I wanted to through this film,” he continues. “I am satisfied with the end result and now it’s really just up to the viewers.”

The film’s director Shahzad Rafique feels the demand for a Pakistani film in Canada is “rock solid”. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

At the end, the director says he is screening the film abroad to inspire young film-makers. “I’m trying to form pathways for them which will open up avenues for the exhibition of their work internationally.”

After its first screening in Toronto, the film is expected to be released in Pakistan on Eidul Fitr.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.                    

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On the eve of May 11, not only were many celebrating the completion of a democratically-elected government’s tenure, but there were also whispers and chants of a “Naya Pakistan”. The two words invaded every facet of our lives, from social media and television to radio and the very streets of major cities. More than a slogan, the phrase became part of popular culture, and was used in a song, internet memes and also in debates between political parties. The Express Tribune talks to the man who helped create the slogan for PTI.

“The Naya Pakistan [campaign] created excitement about taking part in elections amongst a class that detested politics,” says Shavaar Ali Khan, head of Farigh Four, the advertising firm which chalked out the Naya Pakistan campaign for the PTI. “It created awareness about political culture.”

Although the party did not score majority seats in the National Assembly, the party’s well-marketed slogan spoke about change, and encouraged citizens to make it to the ballot box.

“We were approached by the PTI’s brand team, and treated the client as a brand. Other examples similar to the PTI are the Barack Obama campaign and the Indian party BJP’s Shining India campaign,” explains Shavaar.

PTI’s brand team, which includes Salman Amjad, Salman Danish Naseer, Faisal Javed and Asad Umar, had approached Farigh Four to devise a marketing strategy that would represent change. Creating the right mix meant defining what exactly that change is. “Change as a buzzword was associated with Obama, so we had to come up with a slogan that defined change. Naya Pakistan was the answer.”

The Farigh Four team started to work with the PTI to design a campaign that would entice a citizen to vote. The campaign became the firm’s flagship project. “The idea was to get new voters who had never voted before and to create a campaign that is not specifically focused on any party because the target audience, which was meant to be reached, was completely apolitical,” narrates Shavaar. It is important to not here that voter turn-out on May 11, 2013 was the highest in Pakistan’s history, at 60%.

With the aim of permeating all segments of society, Farigh Four’s team with Beenish Mir and Shehzad Ahmed on board, started to work on the slogan. “We had to come up with a concept which was not only pan-Pakistan, but also something that would raise the PTI above regular politics,” explains Shavaar. “The different slogans that we came up with were ‘Banega Naya Pakistan’ and ‘Naya Banega Pakistan’.”

PTI chairman Imran had started to chant the Naya Pakistan slogan by the end of 2012. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the PTI was laying the foundation for one of the biggest media campaigns in Pakistan’s history.

“The idea was to not let the slogan get lost amidst aggressive election campaigns by other political parties and since youngsters were the primary target, it had to be something which could stay with them. The campaign resulted in the birth of a new political class — people who were inspired by the dream of Naya Pakistan,” asserts Shavaar.

Working with Imran

Shavaar says that cricketer-turned-politician Imran was open to new initiatives. The man behind the campaign says that the openness was due to the “culture of meritocracy within the party.”

“Whether you agree with him politically or not, he [Imran] has charisma and leadership qualities that he tries to inculcate in the youth. He is very encouraging,” expresses Shavaar. “He [Imran] has a set of advisers, but he is the kind of guy who does what he wants. So, a lot of things that we did spontaneously, like creating the buzzwords such as tabdeeli [change] or Naya Pakistan, he kind of inherently started to use them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2013.

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“Don’t jump the gun. We’re more than half way done with our release [of the new single]. Be sure to look out for it in June and then you can talk about it,” says lead vocalist Basim Usmani, admitting that The Kominas is experimenting with its sound this time. The band’s guitarist Hassan Ali Malik aka Sunny Ali accompanied Usmani to Pakistan but drummer Abdullah Saeed aka The Kid, wasn’t able to tag along.

Usmani feels the energy they felt during their performance in Islamabad shows the music scene in Pakistan has evolved. “Apart from the sheesha ban, Islamabad is a cool place — a city filled with marijuana plants,” he says. “The lights went out when we sang the line ‘Ghup andhera vich [in the pitch dark]’ and then they were back on in time for the chorus. The crowd knew the lyrics — it was pretty crazy.”

In the US, the band has a diverse following of listeners and has even considered altering their sound from its original punk style and tapping to reggae for their fans. “We get a pretty mixed crowd in the States and hearing them sing along to songs which aren’t in English, is very interesting to say the least,” continues Usmani. “In Pakistan, it’s always a shock because well, everyone always knows the words,” he adds sarcastically.

The Kominas has been performing at local gigs in the US, and after visiting Pakistan, they were impressed with the diversity present in the music scene. “It seems pretty diverse to me at least. It’s kind of ironic. The country doesn’t have YouTube access but I’ve heard Pashtu rap, metal from Lahore and shoegaze from Karachi,” he says. Usmani was in Lahore for five days where he attended a Punjabi rap show, Indian classical musicians who performed at a private venue along other music shows/concerts.

“There’s Coke Studio as well, if that’s your thing. But the backing vocalists, Lord have mercy [on us],” he laughs, mocking the musicians. But despite everything, he still feels the music scene has evolved. “This [the music scene] is definitely better than what it was when I lived there [in Pakistan] in 2007,” he adds. “The only music [song] which was promoted nationally was the Khuda Ke Liye soundtrack.”

The Kominas is known for their electrifying live performances. Ali, who was also in Pakistan with Usmani, had an exciting time during his stay, too. “We performed two shows in Islamabad, it went pretty well. A couple of hundred people [turned up],” he says, adding that he was impressed with the evolution of the music scene on several levels. “I didn’t really get a chance to attend any other shows. The drummer we were playing with only had one day to rehearse. He was very talented though.”

“Our trick has always been to change things around, but we don’t compromise on the art although that will also change,” he explains about the band’s upcoming album. “The new stuff we are about to record is pretty different.” He feels a song needs to maintain its own sense of creativity and not be a sell-out. His favourite local bands include Orangenoise and Malang Party.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.                    

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“I have been doing production for the last 10 years,” says Farhad Humayun. He mentions that he has produced two of Atif Aslam’s albums, including Jal Pari and Meri Kahani. Apart from that, Farhad has also produced for SYMT and, not to forget his work with Overload, a collaboration that introduced singer Meesha Shafi and folk talent such as Pappu Saeein to the mainstream.

The Pepsi Smash series can be seen as his vision of how music should really be. The series will have 12 sessions and eight artists, who will be working towards bringing something new to the music scene that seems to be monotonous, otherwise.

The show has been shot at Humayun’s very own Riot Studio; a state of the art studio that has been functioning since 2006. This is also the same space where he launched an online music series by the name Live at the Apartment, in which Humayun and his friends would record and experiment with music. The success of this online series seems to be a precursor for the upcoming show Pepsi Smash that faced several delays before it finally launched its first show on May 1.

When asked about the kind of music that will be showcased on the series, Humayun said, “We have decided that there will be no sufiana kalams and no covers. Rather, all songs will be original; made specifically for the show. We felt that contemporary Pakistan and individual artists should have a chance to play whatever music they feel like.”

Last week Pepsi Smash released Jaag by Jarrar Malik, an electronic club anthem. Humayun says he ensured that the music was an original team effort if nothing else. The compositions that were produced by Sheraz Siddiq and DJ Faisal Baig were a unique blend of fresh beats and contemporary soul that seems to be missing from Pakistani music these days.

Supporting the need to encourage contemporary artists, Humayun stressed, “We are lacking vision and contemporary voices within Pakistan. If we only focus on releasing sufi albums or traditional music, we are in a way restricting young talent from expressing themselves.”

The new venture will include tracks from SYMT, Noori, Strings, Siege, Sajid and Zeeshan, Jarar Malik and Ali Asad, to name a few. Humayun says that they were lucky to receive some quality songs from artists. He emphasized that the point was to give a free platform to artists for singing their heart out while keeping the audio production and quality intact. The songs were played live in a studio environment and were not lip-synced.

Humayun is working collectively with Faisal Baig, an old friend who was also associated with Overload,  to introduce the electronic genre to the Pakistani music industry and has managed to produce great results, in process.

“I think the introduction of that electronic/rock mix genre in Pakistan is very new and hence, the artists have been very welcoming but the overwhelming response is also because we asked them to compose original songs for a certain purpose,” said Humayun.

While an initiative to promote fresh talent, Pepsi Smash is yet another show that has followed the overall trend of major brands getting involved in the music industry. However, Humayun is skeptical about whether it entails any benefits for music itself. The brand, he says, cannot say what is good or bad for music, it can only fund it.

“The brand is not interested in marketing music, it’s not even interested in selling music, it is only concerned about its own product,” says Humayun. He adds that Pepsi Smash is an ambitious project because it is not created for the masses unlike the brand supporting it.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2013.                    

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PTI’s liaison cell head Asad Umar said over 800 complaints had been registered with the election commission, the majority of which were about rigging by rival parties.

Sheikh Muhammed Imran, a volunteer at the liaison cell, said, there had been “massive rigging”. The majority of the complaints came from Karachi but there were also complaints from the Punjab, later in the day.

“The ECP assured us that they would take immediate action against this, but we are still waiting,” said Imran, “I expect the number of complaints will exceed 2,000 by the end of the day.”

Yasir Sheikh, head of the PTI analytics and data analysis team, has launched a website where voters can report incidents of rigging or code violations during the electoral process. The website, Jaag Pakistan, relies on crowd-sourcing and citizen journalism. People can report incidents via text messages, email and twitter.

“We’re expecting the election results to be neck to neck. Our goal is to use the platform to close the gaps in the system so no vote falls through,” Sheikh said. The team included 23 people who collected evidence of rigging and code violations, he said. Each report was then categorised according to verified and unverified categories, said Sheikh. “The ECP has the regulations and authority to enforce the code of conduct, but lacks the capacity to oversee the implementation of the rules in many areas,” he added. The reports are sent to the ECP as complaints, which, he said, will be helpful in controlling local shenanigans.

Samad Khurram, campaign manager for Ahsan Iqbal in Narowal, said his party was forwarding all rigging complaints to the election commission. He said the party had received the most reports from Sindh.

He said there had been several incidents of firing the night Hanif Abbasi was attacked in Rawalpindi and they had also received reports of some polling stations being attacked by rival parties in Narowal.

PML-N spokesman Senator Pervez Rasheed said the party was planning on compiling a list of complaints that have been filed with the election commission. He said the PML-N’s policy was to refer each issue to the election commission for review.

“I think there were enough cameras and devices to ensure that rigging was curbed,” said Rasheed.

Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) CEO Mudassir Rizvi said, “Rigging can be classified as that which remains within the existing framework, working through loopholes, and that which takes place outside the electoral framework.”

In the past, various tactics had been deployed to disrupt elections. The balance of power in an area also determines whether such activities will be carried out, he said. “We have been sending reports, and recommended corrective measures, but there is a tendency to kill the messenger,” said Rizvi.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2013.

KARACHI: Any other year, this time of the year we would have been witnessing hype for mother’s day. This year though with election fever on, we see hype for not our biological mothers but our motherland.

Sophiya Anjum or RJ Sophie of FM 91 also decided that a tribute should be made to the motherland instead.

Radio FM 91’s concert to Save the Motherland which was held at the Ali Auditorium last night represents an attitude in the urban spaces that one must participate and vote.

“I thought this year we have to make sure that we vote and vote for the right person,” Sophie said after helping organize a concert on the last night for election campaign.

To be exact the line-up included Topi drama, SYMT, Quadram, AK the Punjabi Rapper, Jimmy Khan, Faiza Mujahid, Farhad Humayun, Mustafa Zahid, Aag the Band, Hasil Qureshi, Seige and others. Josh the band, which is in Canada, also sent a video message regarding the elections.

The concert basically addressed the young people, asking them to exercise their vote.

Sophie explained that there was something different about the elctions this time around. The change was probably due to the mushrooming of the media but the major factor, she thought, was the people at general who feel that there is something to be excited about.

“Music has to be looked at medium for peace, and the fact that a lot of musicians are coming out for this is really amazing,” Sophie said. “Celebrities have a lot of power in connecting with people.”

Singer Faiza Mujahid, who is rooting for Imran Khan, said she was surprised that for the first time people were taking an interest in voting.

“ It was interesting because there was not one person in the building that was not voting, I think people are sick of things, and our generation does not want to wait thirty years to wake-up,” Mujahid expressed.

Atif Saeed of Quadrum, who has been involved in similar mission for quite some time, said that unlike the dirty 90s, in which stop-gap democratic initiatives would always be dismissed, musicians or people can now express themselves freely.

“You have to give credit to Musharaf, for creating the freedom of press, he gave that platform that allows us to speak,” Saeed said.

Music has always been something that brought people together and there always is a social element, he further said.

Saeed’s band has been participating in Bareeze’s Made of Pakistan campaign in an attempt to improve Pakistan’s image.

“Pakistan has had a bad reputation but my point is that people don’t realise that underneath, a real Pakistan exists and is still there,” says Saeed.

Band at first had been reluctant to do much related to election awareness, expressed Arafat Mahzar of the band Topi Drama.

Seeing the enthusiasm that was generated he said that the band had a change of heart, and decided to be more active and create awareness regarding voting.

“ I really believe that this election is going to be a turning point in our history and will help our middle class to emerge [from the depth of the problems it faces],” remarked Mahzar.

“Darlin’ Blues is based on the situation of the country,” says band member Casim Mahmoud. “Whether it is missing persons or suicide attacks, there is this feeling that people are leaving us too soon.”

The Lahore-based band comprises veteran underground rocker Mahmoud and corporate lawyer-vocalist Tariq Yousuf Gujjar (TG King). The band has become a driving force in the new explorative genre of folk blues music. Keen on the expression, the band has experimented with various folk sounds in the past. However, what makes this song different is that TG King gives haunting vocals in English with a hard-core Punjabi accent.

Darlin’ Blues is a follow up of its first two singles, Daru di Botal and Mela, but unlike their videos, this song is a concept video, in which the band does not appear at all. It’s been shot by film-maker Ammar Rasool over a three-day period in several working class areas of Lahore. The film combined with the music tends to touch upon the emotional aspect of day-to-day stressful situations. Mahmoud is certain that in the current music environment of Pakistan, music videos have to be visually strong. They should ensure that the video provides an aesthetic and complementing interpretation of the music.

“We have made sure that the song goes back to the root of blues, which is an emotion,” says Mahmoud. “We did not use anybody in the video, but in the vocals you feel someone searching for someone.” Mahmoud also says that the song is in “Punjabi-style English” and the lyrics are simple, not complicated nor challenging.

TG King explains that blues represents internal feelings like sadness and struggle. He said unlike the previous songs by the band, Darlin’ Blues is a pure blues track which pays tribute to the people who have lost someone.

“It was not a big deal to sing it because when I started out I would sing English country songs,” says King. “Blues is seen as the voice of internal sadness. When passion gets snubbed, this emotion arises, and this sadness is present here [in Pakistan] today. We must dedicate it to those who have lost someone in the current political circumstances.”

Mahmoud says they have not compromised on the quality of the music. They have maintained their identity, and stayed fresh in this track adapting a predominantly English track for the local audience. The video is recorded in one take, and the band claims their inspiration was an old American folk artist Robert Johnson.

Three singles in and countless of radio plays, but surprisingly, the band still has not performed live. But, they are certain that their music is being followed by its online presence. They say through Facebook, they are connecting with a “committed base of listeners”.

“We are ready to perform,” says Mahmoud. “A corporation approached us for a performance but was expecting us to change our sound or make it louder.” He explains why they are yet to perform privately on stage. “Corporations and some of the structures have made it difficult to find local performances, because we are unwilling to compromise on our creativity or style,” adds Mahmoud.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.                      

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Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated the name of the music video director as Adnan Rasool. The error is regretted.

Shah Ji – as he was fondly known in journalistic circles – was diagnosed with lung cancer and was sent to England for treatment last year. Since January, Athar had been in and out of the hospital after he developed pneumonia, according to his older brother Fazal Hussain Shah who was at his side when he passed away.

Athar joined Daily Express as group editor in June 2006. Despite his illness, he remained committed to his work till the very end. He had been conferred with Hilal-i-Shujaat in 2011 in recognition of his services to journalism.

He was known for his poetic flair and play with words that resulted in the kind of headlines that got noticed. When Pakistan National Alliance joined hands with General Ziaul Haq, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal’s Asghar Khan left the alliance and Athar who was then in Daily Awaz gave the headline: Shaheen ka jahan aur, Kargis ka jahan aur.

But he is best remembered for a headline he gave as the news editor of Daily Azad: “Idhar Hum, Udhar Tum ” – a line that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is said to have said to Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman during their last meeting in Dhaka. This is now remembered as one of Pakistani journalism’s most powerful headlines.

Family

Athar leaves behind a wife and five children.  He was a man of humble beginnings, whose father was a government servant who shifted to Lahore from Sargodha. The family took up residence in Tajpura, where Abbas was born on May 5, 1940 and lived till his death.

After completing Grade 7, he appeared in the matriculation exam as a private candidate. Fazal Shah, his brother, told The Express Tribune that Athar was 16 when he graduated from Government College, Jhang. He got married at the age of 17 and soon after moved to Karachi. He started his career from Daily Anjam as a sub-editor.

Journalistic career

When he returned to Lahore from Karachi in the 1960s, he joined Imroze, then run by the National Press Trust. From there he moved to Daily Azad.  By 1971, he had joined the Daily Musawaat, the Pakistan Peoples Party newspaper. He was news editor of the paper till the end of Bhutto era. As Musawaat’s news editor he succeeded where his great predecessor Shafqat Tanvir Mirza –scholarly, rational and circumspect – had struggled. The hawkers loved his headlines which resonated with a new ‘readership’. By the late 1970s, he was back at Daily Azad, brought back to life by Tehreek-i-Istiqlal’s Asghar Khan.

Between 1977 and 1979, Athar – who also used to own a press – published a book ‘If I am Assassinated’ written by ZA Bhutto. After he continued to speak against martial law, he was arrested. Recalls Jang-columnist Mohammad Saeed Azhar, who was with him when he was arrested, “We were in a small room behind the Old Anarkali mosque from where an intelligence officer took him to the Lahore Fort.” He was later shifted to Camp Jail.

When he was released, Abbas Athar left the country. First he went to Dubai and then moved to America “where he worked at different places – from chai khanas (tea house) to bars – to make a living”, says Azhar. Athar returned to the country in the late 1980s.

In 1988, he started a paper, Sadaqat, with Munnu Bhai as editor. Munnu Bhai said that the paper brought together “several like-minded journalists to address progressive issues”. Journalists like IA Rehman and Hussain Naqi were contributors. “He considered himself a center-leftist and always looked to use that in his analyses,” recalled Munnu Bhai. By 1990, Athar left Sadaqat after a falling out with the owner, Munnu Bhai told The Express Tribune.

Afterwards, he worked at the Khabrain Group and Nawai Waqt before joining Daily Pakistan. After a few years at Daily Pakistan, he once again joined Nawai Waqt before joining Daily Express.

His decision to work at Nawai Waqt – a paper known for its anti-socialist stance – was a surprise for many but more astounding perhaps was his success at the newspaper. Majid Nizami, the paper’s editor-in-chief, says of Athar, “He made a place for himself through his professional skills. Whatever his personal beliefs, he followed Nawai Waqt’s policy while working here… [During his two stints] he never tried to impose his ideology on [the paper]. He admitted himself that it was Nawai Waqt which established him as a columnist.”

“In my opinion there have been just two great Urdu newspaper columnists Abbas Athar and Nazir Naji,” says Saeed Azhar, “The rest are just popular columnists.”

“His journalism was of a different class. [Even after he had established himself as a columnist] he did not want to be limited to writing columns. He remained associated with the newsroom,” says Latif Chaudhry, the opinions editor at Daily Express.

For journalist Nusrat Javeed, Athar’s biggest success was how he changed the newspaper industry. During a time when newspapers had failed commercially, he was able to drive the business.

“He changed this industry by bringing creativity into news-making,” he said.

Publisher-editor Mujeebur Rehman Shami said of him, “He was also a poet you could see that in the headlines he gave. He brought in a new style of journalism that accentuated the language and improved the craft.”

“In a country where a lot of people go hungry,” he would say of himself, “my genius is political relevance.”

The poet

A less known aspect of his life was his poetry. Athar did not publish a lot of his work. ‘Din Sharhay, Darya Charhay’ was the only collection he lot of his work. ‘Din Chargay, Darya Charhay’  was the only collection he published. He used to say that journalism had gotten in the way of his ‘real’ vocation: poetry.

Among his most memorable poems were written on the death of ZA Bhutto. He also wrote Bhutto ki beti aye thi, one of the PPP’s 2013 campaign songs.

Poet Zafar Iqbal recently wrote, “Jin logon ki shairee sahafat nay nigal lee, un main Abbas Athar ka naam faramosh nahi kia ja sakta” (Among those people whose poetry was usurped by journalism, Abbas Athar’s name can never be forgotten).

Socially active

This year, again, the group having his backing won the Lahore Press Club elections.

Azhar also remembers him as “a loyal friend”. “He would go out of his way to help friends,” he said. And he took care of his workers. Azhar remembers that once when Asghar Khan was discussing Aazd’s affairs with Athar he complimented an associate editor for his editorials and then added, “But I have heard that he sometimes drinks.” Athar’s reply was, “The editorials are good, right?” to which Khan said yes. “That’s all that matters,” Athar is said to have told Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.