Dabbling with a sketch of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in a gallery in Nishtar Hall, Feica reminisced about Peshawar of the mid 80s, when he used to work for the Frontier Post. “Peshawar used to be dusty those days and it’s remained almost the same after all these years,” the cartoonist quipped. “When I was here back in 1986, there was construction going on and 12 years later, I still see a lot of construction,” added Feica who ventured into the profession of sketching cartoons 32 years ago when he started making caricatures that embody a revolutionary impulse.

Feica was in Peshawar as an art instructor at a workshop on understanding intolerance through artistic activities, jointly arranged by Hunerkada and Directorate of Culture Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). “Honestly speaking, it seemed a bit odd to me to come to Peshawar when artist Jamal Shah asked me to attend this workshop,” he said, citing concerns regarding the recent bomb explosions. However, on Shah’s insistence, Feica had no choice but to pack his bags and come.

During the week, he had been teaching a group of students the intricacies of caricature and cartooning. Praising their talent and abounding enthusiasm, Feica said it was refreshing to teach arts. He was particularly pleased that young girls from Mardan had also come to the workshop to take lessons which, he said, they will disseminate to others in their villages.

When asked how teaching arts to a dozen students will affect those tens of thousands of people who look down upon art and scoff, Feica said that “art could bring change in people. Those who are fighting do not know arts; an artist is not a jahil and does not go on blowing up schools,” he said while citing the surge in attacks on culture and arts. “I fell ill after watching destruction of Buddhas of Bamiyan on television.”

Meanwhile, about the general ignorance and apathy towards art in the country, the veteran cartoonist was of the view that it’s the responsibility of the elders of the country to instill an interest and passion for art to the younger ones. “A society cannot exist without art. A society without art it is like a paratha without ghee.”

However, he sees a silver lining for arts and artists in the country. “Artists have shone in difficult times and have taken inspirations from ordeals and sufferings to create work for peace,” he said, with a hopeful smile.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2012.

One of the participants told The Express Tribune that another caricature of the JUI-F chief was already removed earlier on the insistence of some political figures.

The 10-day programme, titled ‘Face Off,’ aimed at countering growing intolerance and radicalism, concluded on Wednesday.

The work that was removed depicted the JUI-F chief emerging from a lamp. It was removed on the order of a senior bureaucrat. The artists, Nida and Saima from the Department of Fine Arts, University of Peshawar, were disheartened.

“We portrayed him the way we saw him and there was nothing extraordinary about it,” Saima said.

“It was an artistic attempt and everyone should have at least some guts to accept it,” she added.

Syed Saifuddin, another student of the same department, told The Express Tribune that the organisers removed another such caricature that he had drawn a day earlier.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.

Students from all over the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the tribal areas gathered at a week-long artists’ camp titled ‘Face Off’, jointly arranged by Hunerkada and Directorate of Culture K-P. The aim of this fiesta was to enable youth to express their opinions through paintings, films, music, dance, theatre, sculpture and other types of creative activities.

The overall activity was divided into three sections. It kick-started on May 7 with a two-day discourse, during which panellists discussed roots and panacea of intolerance and in its second stage, a training workshop was launched in Nishtar Hall from May 9 to May 15. The third and the final stage is a two-day exhibition of art work produced by students which will be exhibited from May 16 till May 18.

Afra, a student of textile designing at the Iqra University who attended the workshop, said that it was a lively event and a welcome change for the people of K-P. She received training on landscape painting at the camp and did a project on terrorism along with her teammates. “It was really inspiring to brainstorm ideas and channel them through art,” she said. Afra adds that this workshop received such an overwhelming response because there is a dearth of art-promoting platforms in Peshawar and people are hungry for arts and crafts. “I want such classes and sessions to be held as regularly in Peshawar as they are held in Karachi and Lahore,” she adds.

British photographer Edmund Clark was one of the attendees who were overjoyed to see the positive side of Peshawar. He said that international media portrays Peshawar as a city of crisis, but after visiting it personally, Clark realised that there is so much more to the city than just war and bombs. “I found people of this city friendly and life seems to be normal. What I saw here is quite opposite to what the media shows us,” he said.

The time is now

Prominent Pakistani drama artist Jamal Shah, who is also the supervisor of the event, told The Express Tribune that intolerance and radicalism has grown considerably in Pakistan and now is the time to unite and discuss these issues. “The aim of this workshop is to make people question themselves and decide what they have to do in the future,” Shah said. He added that prominent artists, intellectuals and journalists were invited at this event and the first two days were reserved to discuss the issues prevalent in Pakistani society.

Shah said that the response to the event was positive as 40 per cent of the participants were from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), who came to the fore and showed how much they wanted to do for their region. “Initially about 180 students were trained in visual art, film-making, journalism and other parts of arts, but later the number increased to 250,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2012.

PESHAWAR: Highlighting the security mindset prevalent in the province, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assembly was told on Monday that 883 police guards had been assigned for VIP protection during the past four years.

Details submitted to the assembly, in response to a question by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarian Noor Sehar, showed that 171 police guards have been assigned at the chief minister House in Mardan, while 21 police guards have been assigned to Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan.

Interestingly, many unknown individuals who are neither lawmakers nor government functionaries have been provided official security according to the list. Lawangeen Khan, a nephew of Asfandyar Wali has been provided 26 guards, Emil Wali Khan, his son, holds seven guards.

Sulaiman Khan of Rajar, brother in law of the chief minister has been provided with 18 guards. Bashir Sherpao, president of the Pakthun Student Federation (PSF) has also been provided with a police guard.

This list also shows that some privileged former lawmakers and bureaucrats are still availing official escorts including former chief secretaries Raiz Noor and Major Naeem, with two guards each. Former lawmakers Anwar Kamal Khan Marwat and Amir Muqam have two and four guards each. Fazal Elahi, a former judge and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Pervez Khattak have two police guards each.

Legislator Noor Sehar said the public exchequer was being “wasted” by the provision of guards to former government functionaries.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2012.

His beloved Pakistan, the land Ajmal Khattak wished to see prosper and bloom, is in the midst of bloody and brutal turmoil, where sectarianism, intolerance and militancy has reached unprecedented levels.

Awami National Party (ANP), which he was whole-heartedly associated with throughout his life, is on the hit-list of Taliban militants.

Khattak, who was a former president of the ANP, is buried in a simple, non-descript graveyard, close to the GT Road in Akora Khattak of Nowshera district. One has to walk just a stone’s throw away to approach the white marble octagonal structure, located in the middle of the graveyard.

The scene inside reveals a shocking picture: concrete walls are pockmarked with shrapnel, debris litter the interior and mangled iron that once supported its dome precariously dangles on the sides. The grave itself suffered heavy damage, and labourers piled up earth over it.

The black marble tombstone lies broken in two pieces. One half carries Khattak’s name and the other has the day he died and a couplet-“O Pakhtuns don’t forget this austere Khattak, you may need such a rebel in the future again.”

Sacrilege and anger

Akora Khattak is a small town on the banks of River Indus on the GT Road, close to Attock crossing. Its name is traced back to Malik Akor Khan, grandfather of Pakhtun warrior and legendary poet Khushal Khan Khattak, who led an uprising of Pakthun tribesmen against Mughal Emperor Aurganzeb.

Of late, however, the town has received widespread attention for the wrong reasons in the international media as the birthplace of the Taliban movement.

This comes after many prominent militant figures studied at the local Jamia Haqqania. The seminary is situated across the road from Khattak’s mausoleum.

Commenting on the heinous attack, an office bearer of the local ANP chapter Tahir Mohmand told The Express Tribune that “to me it is like Baba died twice today.” Tahir was lost for words on the grisly incident. “Baba was not like any other politician, rather, a dervish in its true sense,” he stated.

Locals are also mulling a unique response, as on Saturday a Khushal Literary Jirga, an organisation formed by the late poet was deliberating to hold a poetry recital in protest against the attack. The jirga’s General Secretary Khan Mohammad Tanha told The Express Tribune that they can resist militants, but the poet’s message of peace and tolerance does not allow them to do that. “How can these people lack respect for hujra, mosque and grave?” he questioned.

Alternative discourse

Prominent analyst Khadim Hussain contextualises this attack as an attempt to eliminate cultural symbols. “It is meant to change the basic discourse with an alternative one, he stated. Hussain claimed that the onslaught was aimed at eliminating cultural diversity, destruction of symbols and the emotional bond that Khattak had with his homeland and everything attached to it.

Although the residents of Akora Khattak recoil in revulsion over the attack, they think that all is not lost. They express hope by garnering belief from one of the poet’s verses: “When layers of earth were burying a seed, I heard it saying tomorrow will be my turn to blossom.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2012.

The lawyers informed that for the first time a court was approached questioning the role of government of Pakistan in these attacks.

Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Foundation for Fundamental Rights (FFR) Legal Director Shahzad Akbar announced that two petitions have been filed to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the federation of Pakistan, ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of defence. One of the petitions is filed by FFR on behalf of a large number of victims of the drone attack on a jirga in North Waziristan on March 17, 2012, while the second petition is filed by Noor Khan, the surviving son of Malik Daud Khan, the head of North Waziristan Loya Jirga who was killed along with about 50 other tribal elders in the same attack.

The Reprieve UK Founder and Director Clive Stafford Smith, Malik Zada Khan and Malik Jalal Khan and Akbar claimed that most of the people killed in drone attacks were innocent and that they were gathering details of the victims.

Akbar said that it was the first case of its kind from victims of drone attacks. He said that they have questioned what steps the government took for stopping of drone attacks, besides passing resolutions.

“We have asked the court to order the government to approach the United Nations Security Council and human rights bodies for relief from drone attacks,” Akbar said, adding that they also wanted an independent judicial commission to investigate who was falling prey to these attacks.

He said that they have asked the court to clarify what was the Pakistani government’s role in these attacks. “About 3,000 people were killed on mere suspicions,” he said.

Being a US citizen himself, Smith apologised to the tribesmen for deaths resulting from drones.

Smith said that the people campaigning against drones were not too powerful, but they were progressing in their struggle.

“If my child was killed by a predator in the English countryside, I would expect very serious and immediate consequences. A Pakistani child should enjoy the same protection,” Smith said.

He claimed that the western people wanted to help Pakistan and urged the people to come forward with evidence to pile pressure on concerned authorities.

“A vast majority of people in the US believe that the war in Afghanistan has been lost and the US cannot win it by killing people in Waziristan,” Smith said, adding that tribesmen can bring peace to their area themselves.

Malik Zada Khan, a tribal elder said that some of his relatives were killed in a drone attack. He said that drone attacks have caused widespread mental illness amongst the local population. “The fear of attacks has made tribesmen mentally sick,” he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2012. 

With students from universities all over the country participating, the three-day event concluded with a play by the students of Rawalpindi Medical College. Their performance, titled “Ugly Truth”, depicted the harsh realities that women face as mothers, sisters, daughters and wives, in our relentlessly chauvinistic society.

The play revolved around a family in which the father’s attitude towards his daughter and son is contrasting: he is sympathetic towards his son and apathetic towards his daughter.  The story takes a turn after a detested landlord of their village proposes to marry his daughter, an offer that the father is inclined to accept but his wife opposes given the landlord’s tarnished reputation. The wife’s ‘audacity’ to question his husband’s decision leads the story to unravel, and in the ensuing tensions, the husband ends up murdering his wife.

But not all plays were serious in GIKI’s 14th All Pakistan Performing Arts Festival. In the preceding days, students from different universities from across the country staged dance and drama performances, of which some were quite colourful and even humorous.

“Our goal is to keep students engaged in creative endeavours, and this event was one healthy outlet,” said, Dr Junaid Mughal, the head of student affairs department at GIKI.

Bahauddin Zakriya University (BZU) Multan’s play director, Zain Baloch, said it was quite refreshing to see so many students from across the country performing at one platform. He said the event helped students identify issues being faced in their part of the country.

Teams that performed the best in the lot were awarded prizes, which were distributed by the judges, TV actor Adil Hashmi and actress Shahnaz Sheikh.

Award for the best play was given to students of Institute of Space Technology, in addition to the best director and best technical play award. Award for the best script was given to students of BZU Multan for Global Village, while students of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture clinched best actor and best actress awards. The National University of Science and Technology’s Business School received award for the best dance; Indus Valley School Karachi for best humorous play; Preston University for best costumes; Beaconhouse National University for best timing in their play “Ajab Khel”; while Islamic International University received the award for best special effects.

“Art is an important part of life, however, it has been relegated to a lower status in Pakistan,” said Hashmi, who was also the chief guest at the event. Actress Sheikh praised the students but advised them to be clear in their expressions on stage and to “see their own performances from the audiences’ eye”.

The event was organised by GIKI’s Cultural, Dramatics and Entertainment Society.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2012.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted the Local Government Bill 2012 that will replace Local Government Ordinance 2001.

The bill was moved by the K-P for Local Government and Rural Development Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour before the house. Bilour told the house, while tabling this bill that they wanted to conduct local body elections.

Citing the shortcomings of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s introduced system, Bilour said that it entrusted all the administrative responsibility of the district to a single person. “How can a single person oversee so many departments?” he asked.

Bilour also criticised executive powers of elected officials and said that elected representatives should not have executive authority.

Structure of the new system

The new bill is at best a mix of two previous local government systems introduced by Gen Ziaul Haq and Musharraf. The new bill has reverted the old nomenclature under Zia’s local councils and will be referred to as district councils and municipal corporations; wards in urban areas and union councils in rural areas.

However, it has left the 2001 local government rule of representation for women, labour, peasants and minorities.

The new system also replaced district government and city district government with district council and municipal corporations. There will be one municipal corporation in Peshawar and the rest of the districts will have district councils. Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) will be replaced by respective municipal committees. Similarly, there will be municipal committees for each city, other than Peshawar.

PESHAWAR: The PML-Likeminded has called for uniting all factions of the Pakistan Muslim League.

Salim Saifullah Khan, a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded, said that the Leagues should merge. He added that the unification of the PML factions was bound to benefit PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.

At a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, Saifullah said his faction was in consultation with the PML-N for the past eight months, but so far no breakthrough had been made.

“Mian saab should look at the bigger picture and ignore petty issues,” he said, adding that senior leaders must show flexibility over the matter. “As Nawaz’s faction is the largest, he will inevitably head the new party if the factions are unified.”

He admitted that merging all factions would be difficult, but added that he was hopeful about reaching a consensus.

He, however, already disagrees with Nawaz’s political moves. “Nawaz Sharif should get all parties on board instead of going for a head-on collision with the government.”  The former senator said a long march or major confrontation will adversely affect the country.

Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, which declared Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in contempt of court, the PML-N has been demanding the prime minister’s resignation. On Wednesday, the opposition party announced its schedule for countrywide protests.

Early elections

He called for early elections and said if a government does not deliver in four years it should not be allowed to govern for another year. Saifullah also proposed shortening the length of term of national and provincial assemblies from five years to four years.

PESHAWAR: For Seo Moo Seon, Pakistan is a holy place. He has travelled to the country from South Korea to visit Buddhism’s sacred sites from the Gandhara civilization.

Seo is among a delegation of Buddhist monks who are on a tour to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The team is being led by Park Hee Doo, a former chief in the South Korean army.

Standing by a stupa in Takht Bhai, Mardan district, Seo said his journey was full of discoveries. “Scholars at these monasteries wrote Buddhist canons,” he said.

While Seo said the complex was well structured and clean, he said he wished to see a Buddha statue here.  The monk suggested that a statue should be built in South Korea and sent to Pakistan. “It is our duty to preserve these sites.”

On Tuesday, the monks visited the Peshawar Museum, which has the largest collection of Buddhist religious artifacts from the Gandhara civilization after which they visited Takht Bhai.

The museum visit started with a prayer in front of a statue depicting Maitreya Buddha (second coming of Buddha). Director Museums and Archeology, Dr Shah Nazar briefed the monks on sites and relics from the civilization.

Speaking to journalists, senior monk Hang Jeong Sup said the Government of Pakistan has preserved Buddhist monuments, stupas and other holy artifacts very well.

Park Hee Doo also applauded the government for the preservation of Buddhist sites and praised the hospitality shown by the Pakistani people.

Provincial Minister for Culture and Tourism, Syed Aqil Shah welcomed the visitors and said the province is now safe for visitors. “Their (the monks) arrival is a good omen for the province,” he said.
Shah said Pakistan has a lot of potential for religious tourism and the nearly 350 million Buddhists around the world should visit the country.

Later, the delegation left for Swat to visit more holy sites.