Husnain Afzal Khan, a young resident of the city well known for his funny videos and a stint hosting a TV show, showcased his first short film, “Ek”, at Kuch Khaas to a cozy gathering of well-wishers and film enthusiasts. With the hall buzzing in anticipation, the film began with a disclaimer stating “based on actual incidents”, perhaps to add a little drama.

The short film is a murder mystery based on a police investigator played by Shahbaz Ali Khan, who is trying to get to the bottom of the disappearance of a young filmmaker named Ali. Unfortunately, the mystery is solved quite easily.

While Ali’s close friends are being interrogated, the movie blatantly points towards two people as prime suspects, killing much of the mystery.

While the 20-minute film was lacking in strong dialogues, script and a few technical glitches such as sound echoes and harsh lighting in certain scenes, it can still be considered an immense effort by the young cast and crew, as Husnain candidly informed the crowd that the jail shown in the film was actually the basement of his home, where he and his friends who have acted in the movie worked all day to create the effect of a jail.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Husnain said, “The shooting took only seven days in October, but I edited it much later as I went abroad for a filmmaking course and edited it after coming back”. When asked why the need to do a murder mystery, he said, “I have always made funny videos. I felt the need to do something different this time around”.

Later, the crowd was treated to live singing by Umar Syed Khan and Maria Unera.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD / GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Two young siblings achieved rare mountaineering glory for themselves on Saturday by becoming the first Pakistani woman and only the third Pakistani man to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal.

Through their feats, 21-year-old Samina Baig and her 29-year-old brother Mirza Ali ensured that their country’s flag fluttered on the world’s highest summit.

An ecstatic Samina informed her family about her successful ascent via satellite phone.

Mirza Ali and Samina can count themselves lucky as they will be remembered as the only Pakistanis to scale Everest on the 60th anniversary of the first conquest by Edmund Hillary on May 19, 1953.

Only two other Pakistani mountaineers, Nazir Sabir and Hassan Sadpara, have ever climbed the highest peak.

“According to initial reports, the two mountaineers and 29 other foreigners reached the summit at 7.30am (local time),” said Pervaizuddin, a resident of Shimshal Valley.

Two twin sisters from India, Tashi and Nugshi, also accompanied Samina and Mirza.

Together, the siblings placed the flags of India and Pakistan side by side on the highest peak on earth – making a statement of peace.

But Samina and Mirza’s effort stood out because the two siblings managed to scale the peak on the 48th day of their expedition, without the use of supplementary oxygen.

Mirza, who has been regularly updating about their expedition on his blog mirzaadventure.blogspot.com, wrote: “We request all our readers and visitors [to] please pray that Samina becomes the first Pakistani woman to reach the summit of Everest. And I hope to be the first young Pakistani without bottled oxygen to unfurl Pakistan’s flag on top of the world together with our Indian friends! Wish us luck! Thank you for sharing and for your support!”

Hailing from Shimshal village in Gojal tehsil of Hunza-Nagar district, Samina has come a long way.

“She is proof that the country has the talent and motivation; unfortunately there is no government support for mountain climbers,” said Colonel Sher Khan, one of the country’s leading mountaineers. “It is a sport without spectators.” Khan counts the people of Shimshal as among the world’s the best climbers.

Samina’s expedition began on April 1. She and her team ascended the mountain via the south face from the Nepalese side.

Mirza and Samina have been mountaineering for leisure for the last 10 years. They have served as mountain guides and expedition leaders for peaks in the Karakoram, the Himalayas and the Hindukush. But Samina has started climbing professionally for the past four years.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.

American artists Chloe Boden and Marian Barber add their unique own dimension and colour to the works of Saad Ahmed, Sakina Akber, Samreen Asif and Sundas Rana. Rana who is also the curator of the show explained the collaboration is about meshing each individual’s fantasies.

“It’s not just about sharing art pieces but also about sharing each other’s dreams, emotions and realities, Rana stated. Each artist creates a personal narrative while plotting around magical and supernatural fantasies simultaneously merging and tracing the realities of their fellow artists,” she added.

The artists managed to collaborate by mailing their work back and forth across continents. Samreen’s preservation of traditional miniature imagery and Sakina’s drawings inspired by her surroundings and her relationship with people compliment and contrast Marian’s work who builds her personal mythologies based on the images she has been observing while she grew up.

Chloe, Sundas and Saad strive to share thoughts on the longing for love, affection and identity. In the spirit of exchanging thoughts and space, these three developed a visual narrative based on their understanding of the prose and poems written by Sundas.

The poems and illustrations on “Red and White” and “I want, I want, I want” are symbolic of the human tendency to try to fill emotional and psychological gaps with physical objects and desires.

Each artist also contributes individually to the show creating a variety of more than 38 pieces for the viewer to reflect upon. Chloe depicts people’s need to gain acceptance and affection through their possessions and outward image as she uses watercolours to paint materialistic people collecting items and storing them away in makeshift beehives.

Saad with his powerful visuals showcases pixilated semi-nude and nude people “Most of the time we’re very much aware of what is right and what is wrong around us but there are certain acts that we unconsciously observe that tend to be very unusual. These acts we grow comfortable with so they no longer seem unusual to us,” he said.

Sakina with her images exuding childlike innocence as she plays with colours and narrates children’s dreams and its connection with Sufism.

At the inauguration, US Ambassador Richard Olson praised the collaborative work of US and Pakistani artists. “Building cultural ties creates mutual understanding and enhances productive dialogue.  It also enables inspiring collaboration, such as what we see here today in this exhibit,” he said.

The exhibition will continue till June 10.

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

Teachers and government officers posted at polling stations were assigned the tasks of ushering voters, locating names in rosters and taking thumbprints. As the voting process culminated, officers were engaged in separating, sorting and counting ballots.

“How can we vote while we are assisting people here?” questioned Humaira, a staff member at an Islamabad polling station.

Though there is the facility of casting a postal ballot, many polling staff members were unaware of it and had therefore failed to submit the requisite application on April 25. The postal ballot allows prisoners, government officials, members of the armed forces, holders of public offices and their wives and children stationed at a place other than the constituency to dispatch their vote by mail.

But a professor at a Karachi polling station, who has worked at various polling stations in his career, said that officials are usually not able to avail the option of a postal ballot owing to lack of time.

“By the time duties are assigned to the polling staff, it is already too late to file the application to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the postal ballot,” he said. “Duties are assigned just two or three days before elections.”

Polling staff were thus unable to exercise their own right to franchise, with many saying that they hoped a better system could be evolved in time for the next elections.

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

The polling started at 8am in almost all polling stations, but a few saw voting delayed because of the late arrival of polling staff and representatives of different political parties.

Significantly higher turnout was witnessed during this election as compared to 2008. At some polling stations, the turnout was well over 60 per cent, with some reports listing turnout as high as 75%.

A large number of apolitical youth and women were seen participating in the election. Although many of the youth have not being registered in the voters list, they were still enthusiastically taking part in the process, helping voters find their names on the voter list and convincing people to come out of their houses to cast their vote.

Over one million voters will elect nine of their representatives and send them to the National Assemblies — seven from Rawalpindi and two from Islamabad. There were over 50 candidates, including a large number of independents, in the race for nine seats.

Surprisingly, the people of Islamabad are usually not early riser but today there was hustle and bustle around every public school and college.

Senior citizens, some in their 90’s, and disabled people also came to cast their votes. Ejaz Shah, 70, a trader came to cast his vote at polling station No 185, G-9/1. Dr Bahadur Ali, a retired government employee was also very optimistic about the outcome of the polls. He was against change at the barrel of a gun, and said “the ballot is the only way out of the crises our country is facing.”

In NA-48’s Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) G-8/2, a big crowd was seen at 8am with scores of families lining up outside, but the female polling officer arrived 15 minutes late.

Khalida and her family had come from G-8. She was standing in line and still contemplating who to vote for. While she contemplated her vote, The Express Tribune met around 60 women in the long line who admitted to being first time first timers.

Security arrangements

In Rawalpindi, security arrangements at some polling stations that had already been declared ‘most sensitive’ by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were inadequate. No walk-through gates had been installed at some polling station, while the police officials on duty mostly allowed voters to enter the polling stations with minimal checking.

At Govt Shaukat Girls Elementary School in Saddar, Cantt SHO Murad Shah did not allow election observers or members of the media with ECP accreditation cards to enter the polling stations.

No adequate security arrangements were made in polling station 257 in NA-52 Rawalpindi, which was also declared ‘most sensitive’ by the ECP. Motorcycles and other vehicles were parked inside the polling station in clear violation of ECP rules, which said cars and motorcycles should be parked at least 400 metres away from polling areas.

Polling arrangements

At polling station number 220 Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) Sector I-9/1, polling arrangements were inadequate. Only two polling booths had been set up for over1,500 registered male voters. The voting process was very slow, creating long queues. Only 200 votes were cast by 11:21am, and people began protesting against the slow process. The presiding officer said he had contacted the returning officer (RO) for additional booths, but the request was declined.

A similar situation was witnessed at female polling booths. Out of 1,300 registered female voters, only around 200 votes could be polled by 11:55am.

In NA-48 Islamabad-I, at 6:05am, a dozen of voters and Islamabad police personnel were at a male polling station set up at Government Model Primary School G-7/2.

At Dhoke Mangtal in Rawalpindi’s NA-55, severe mismanagement and lack of adequate security resulted in mayhem at the gate of the degree college, where seven polling stations were housed. Voters outside the college said they had been waiting in line for hours to cast their votes.

In NA-49 Margalla Town, polling had not started at Government Primary School till 8.30am. The polling staff turned out to be highly unorganised and was struggling to arrange serial numbers.

Code violations

Political parties workers were found violating code of conduct. Some polling staff members were even not aware of the new code of conduct framed by the ECP. Most of the political parties had set up camps less than 400 metres from most polling stations, aq violation of the ECP code.

Political parties’ agents were found taking ID cards from women voters at the gate of the polling station 260 Margalla Town. Police officials and some of the polling personnel at the polling station were not aware of new code of conduct. They failed to check people taking parchis/receipts from political parties’ offices.

Political parties were observed issuing chits with candidate’s pictures or party symbols on them. At polling stations 262 and 264 Rawal Town, the Jamaat-i-Islami election office was issuing chits with its candidate’s picture, while the PPP was issuing ones with its election symbol printed on them.

Neither the police officials checking people at the entrance, nor the polling personnel inside were able to check the use of chits, in fact, in F-7/4, some voters at a polling station were told by security staff to go back out and get chits if they wanted to vote.

One presiding officer admitted he was not aware of the new code and its chit ban.

In polling booth number 262, only PML-N polling agents were present and openly giving out party slips.

In NA-56 political parties have set up their election camps less than 100m away from polling stations numbers 95, and 99 at Govt Girls Degree College Rawalpindi and polling stations 102, and 104 Govt Johar Memorial High School in Dhoke Ilahi Bukhsh, a congested neighborhood of Rawalpindi. Sub Inspector Amjad Ali of Punjab Police said. “We cannot move the camps away because there is no space to put the camps anywhere else.”

Name throwing

There were reports of a lot of queue-cutting with little control, mostly by women. Reports were received of groups pretending to be chaperoning women on wheelchairs or the elderly, for whom there was a separate line.

On several occasions, the names and ranks of husbands and fathers were also heard being thrown around as a means to cut lines without security staff intervening. This left lines to move at snail’s pace and saw many women getting agitated. Surprisingly, things were far more organised at the far busier male polling stations.

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

Na 48 - 10:30am

Major rush at 8am with scores of families lining up outside but the lady polling officer arrived 15 minutes late.

The process up till now has remained peaceful however there is no proper checking or security walk through.

A PTI stall can be seen about 10 yards away from the school as they hand out chits to people stating their voting numbers.

Majority of the women are carrying these chits.

Khalida a pathan lady from g8 who has come with her family is standing in line still contemplating who she should vote for.

But roughly the majority seems to be rooting for PTI.

Nageen Hyat, the producer and director of the documentary, said the concept took over three decades to evolve. “I have been a rights activist for 30 years. This documentary encompasses experiences of those including myself, who have struggled to create awareness with a progressive and liberal approach,” she said.

The questions posed to women’s rights activists and civil society, have drawn candid feedback, she added. Prominent faces at the event included poet and activist Kishwar Naheed and Women Action Forum (WAF) members including Nasreen Azhar and Khalida Babri.

The opening scene features a poignant painting of a girls’ school in Waziristan by Azhar Hafeez. The film then moves on to diverse personalities expressing their opinions on the role of women in elections and the challenges expected in the process of voting.

“Security for women is a key issue since this year the provision of transport has been banned, many women in far- flung and rural areas are going to face immense problems,” said Azhar.

Others shared personal experiences of working in rural areas. “In Balochistan, women have become bold and even though security risks persist, they are more willing to step out of their homes,” Babri said.

On the other hand, another activist Samina Imtiaz was quick to point an understated dilemma. “In the Pashtun culture, you have to go door-to-door to encourage women. With the parties under attack in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, this was impossible hence women have almost zero motivation to vote,” she said.

Naheed took a more blunt approach as she criticised a lack of political will for women’s rights. “What have they (the government) done? Nothing, only made women’s commission and that too without proper regulations and rules which is just hanging in the air.”

However, Aurat Foundation CEO Naeem Mirza pointed out the reforms passed by the government. “Six laws were passed for women, the most important being the offence of rape was taken out of the Zina Ordinance and included in the Pakistan Penal Code,” he said.

Political analyst Imtiaz Gul criticised each party’s stance on women’s rights. “Every party wants to portray itself as enlightened but I’m not too hopeful. The security of women is state responsibility which has failed time and again,” he said. The documentary ended with a haunting prose recitation by Kishwar Naheed as the credits rolled.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2013.

The artist has experimented with diverse themes along feminism. She has glorified the female figurine and reinvented it on canvas. A total of 36 paintings on display are intense, communicating both loud and unuttered sentiments.

Zuberi considers painting an integral part of her being. “I paint because I am incomplete without doing so. Transferring an image from my mind’s eye onto the canvas is a tense yet exhilarating process. Painting is the anchor in my life that allows me to steer towards contentment and joy,” she said. Her palette comprises bold hues of red, blue, rust, gold and orange. Invariably the textured effect is arrived at through a manipulation of paint. The paintings leave a haunting impression.

“The women in this series seem to be reflecting on what could have been and not what is at hand. There is a sense of timelessness about them and their beauty is not of a superficial kind,” the gallery curator Noshi Qadir said. Each woman exudes the aura of Mona Lisa with an ambivalence coupled with a sense of enigmatic.

She further remarked that the artist has carved a niche for herself in that her work does not beautify or deify women, yet their presence is all pervasive.

Furthermore, her paintings are a part of a personal journey for the artist who keeps wishing to define and redefine herself through her work. It is as if she is celebrating the invincibility of the female spirit. The exhibition continues till May 17.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2013.

“Can you even imagine a classical performance without a tabla? Of course not and yet it is us who suffer neglect and disrespect,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune.  

He reminisced the days when classical music was a shared art and instrument players and vocalists lived and worked together in gharanas with set shares in income.

But as the vocalists progressed into individual brand names, the tabla players were left far behind.

“I’ve told my sons to find other jobs instead,” he said, adding “We are no better off than day labourers.”

Back in the 70’s and the early 80’s, the tabla players earned Rs5 per minute at each recording session of the state-run PTV.

One would expect the rate to have adjusted for inflation rate but nowadays, tabla players are paid a meager Rs3,000 per song, that too only the those falling under the “outstanding” category.

Meanwhile, Pakistan National Council of the Arts started out by paying Rs300 per show, and currently pays Rs1,500 to the tabla players. “Now people wonder why there are no more Mehdi Hassans. I’ve been teaching for the last 40 years and have yet to find anyone as dedicated,” said Ajmal.

While money is an essential factor for survival, it is a lack of recognition that troubles the tabla players.

Belonging to prestigious gharanas, where the art is passed down from one generation to the next, they feel the same respect is not reciprocated.

“At a function, a singer would insist that we perform with them, knowing well that the show would not be possible without a tabla player.

But once the event concludes, we are handed a few small notes and told to walk home while special cars are offered to the singers,” said an upset Ajmal.

Meanwhile, Ustad Sarfraz, a Christian who has been playing the Punjabi style tabla for two decades, has struggled to carve a niche for himself since he does not belong to any gharana.

He remarked that though mastering the tabla required years of practice, it has now been reduced to a weak instrument, a mere filler for background sound. “I have only seen one exclusive tabla show in the capital city, that too by Ustad Shaukat Khan.”

The maestros feel that a lack of institutions will soon result in the extinction of professional tabla playing.

“We have young students asking how much time it will take for them to learn the tabla. We just laugh in resignation. How are we to explain that it is a lifelong learning process? In today’s fast-paced world, the young generation has no time to learn,” said Sarfraz.

Moreover, with vocalists charging over Rs100,000  per show, the handing over of small sums of Rs2,000 to Rs10,000 into the hands of tabla players, remains a stark reality.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.

She said that Shah Hussain, a Sufi poet and musician had composed his work in such a way that it could never be altered, his work remains as it is through the years.

She underlined Farid’s sufi poetry from the 12th century known as “shalok”, composition of two lines that talks about tolerance.

“Sufism is not time-bound or just about love or abandoning one’s self, it is about a special message which was written years ago and lessons from that can be learnt even today,” she said. She added that Hussain taught us not to waste time and make the most of life. “We must value our lives. A person’s life is like a leaf on a tree and the trunk is like the world, once the leaf falls from the tree, it doesn’t grow back, but the trunk remains there.”

Mohiyuddin said Hussain taught us values, time management and how to live our lives to the fullest. Linking Sufism to compositions in Punjabi that came in much later, Mohiyuddin took her audience to an era and back in one session.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2013.