The song begins with the composition of legendary Pashto singer and composer Rafiq Shinwari, who primarily sang the sufi poetry of Ameer Hamza Khan and was well-known for his rare husky voice. It is followed by acoustic guitar riffs from Junaid Khan, the guitarist and backing vocalist of the band. The word ‘Pakhwa’, that means ‘in the past’, was particularly chosen as the title of the track to reflect the harsh realities faced by the Pashtuns. Exploring the delicate details of their lives, the song is rather a tribute to all those who lost their lives in that region battling for peace. The song aims to relieve the younger generation from the frustrations that it currently braces through its upbeat and youthful spirit.

Ismail and Junaid believe that there is a need to make to music that can renew a sense of pride among the Pashtun youth for their culture. PHOTO: FILE

The musical pair, Ismail and Junaid, has tried to blend both traditional and contemporary sounds together while incorporating Ameer Hamza’s soulful poetry to give a fusion feel to the song. “We initially thought we would use a more western-influenced, hip-hop kind of music but then we realised that we will be no different from others who are destroying the Pashtun culture through their senseless music,” said Ismail, the lead vocalist of the band.

The band made its debut around two years back with their super-hit Pashto song Qarar. Soon after receiving immense appreciation for their first song, they released their second track titled Ranra. Pakhwa is the band’s third project which has garnered more attention from people living abroad than those living within the region. According to the band’s main singer Ismail, the response from locals has been rather slow but those living abroad have shown tremendous appreciation. In fact, the viewership of the subtitled version of the song, translated by Shafiullah Ahmad Zai, Haris Ali, and Mya Rehman, exceeded 0.5 million clicks within just five days.

The duo remains focused on conveying strong messages through their songs and seems to be extremely passionate about Pashtun culture. They believe that music has the power to change the society and that Pashtun musicians can renew a sense of pride for their cultural identity among the youth. “All Pashto singers are great and have nice, melodious voices but we feel ashamed that their work is more or less distorting our cultural identity,” said Ismail.

In a relatively short period of time, the band has managed to inspire quite a few with many going to the extent of copying their songs or adopting similar techniques. In fact, there are a handful of bands that incorporate Ameer Hamza’s poetry in their songs such as Yasir and Jawad, Khumaryan and the relatively new Ghag. “We are happy that Pashto singers are now copying us. Many young pop singers are emerging, who are more concerned about preserving the culture and we really hope that they make a difference,” said Junaid, adding that their upcoming projects will also revolve around preserving the Pashtun cultural identity.

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

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PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf nominee for minority seat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, Dr Suran Singh, promises to work for religious freedom and harmony in the province.

Singh, 59, a practitioner of alternative medicine, belongs to Bacha Kalay, a village in Pir Baba, District Buner. Sikhs living in the area have been forced to migrate due to deteriorating security conditions. Singh had also left his hometown along with his six family members during military operation in the valley.

“I will work for maintenance of religious harmony and peace not just in my hometown but in the entire province,” Singh told The Express Tribune on Saturday. “My efforts will be channelled to achieve freedom to practise religion for all religious minorities.”

According to Singh, Sikhs who earlier served as minority members of K-P Assembly have failed to represent interests of his community and those of other minorities. He also believes they were not true followers of Sikhism as they would not wear the turban and did not have beards.

After remaining a member of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for nine years, Singh had joined PTI two years back. While being part of JI, he had served as a member of Tehsil council, Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbankhak committee and Evacuee Trust Property Board.

In PTI, Singh was elected secretary of party’s minorities wing via intra-party elections.

Singh was also awarded gold medal by Pakistan Sikh community for his initiative in Malakand division to assist flood and war affectees.

While talking about his plans if elected as a minority member in the assembly he said, “My first priority will be to restore harmony among different religious and ethnic groups of society and to restore peace in the scenic valleys of Malakand division and K-P.”

He said he will face the existing problems with courage and discipline, traits for which his community received praise even by international organisations.

“We are Pakistani and Pakhtuns first and Sikhs later,” he added

The Sikh and other minorities face several problems such as lack of religious institutions, funerary grounds and general freedom to practise religious beliefs, Singh said.

He also believes there is a need to work on education system, pointing out that it is one of the basic components of his party’s manifesto.

Charanjeet Singh, a resident of Suran Singh’s village, described Suran as an active member of the village who attends socials gathering irrespective of religious or other differences.

However, a Sikh community member in Peshawar said that they did not know much about Suran Singh, yet hoped he will represent the community in good light in the assembly.

Suran Singh is also associated with Khyber News and has been hosting a programme ‘Za hum Pakistanay ym’ for the last three and a half years.

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

Businessmen believe the new government must take tough decisions to recover declining industries. They also believe load-shedding must be addressed. Continuous power outages across the province have caused half of the industrial units to shut down, with the other half being termed ‘sick’ as they only function partially.

Former K-P Chamber of Commerce & Industries president Sharafat Ali Mubarik told The Express Tribune the key is to adopt a policy with proper planning.

Mentioning the economic hardships faced by people in the province, he said banks have declared K-P a ‘red-zone’ as far as investment is concerned with increases in mark-up on loans and the hesitation in lending restricting economic activity. “The increase of Chinese goods in our markets and the inability of our industries to compete have compounded existing problems,” Mubarik said, adding the smuggling of foreign goods into the country must also be checked.

“The products produced in our industrial units cannot compete with items produced in other provinces, let alone other countries, which is why dozens of our industries died,” he claimed, adding several industries must be rebuilt from scratch because the deteriorating security situation has destroyed everything.

“There is a need to set a minimum wage for labourers and dealing with trade unions to produce skilled labour also needs to be discussed. This will take a long time to fix.”

Mubarik further said industries needed to diversify their product portfolio to compete with foreign goods, while existing infrastructure needs improvement.

Women Business Development Centre’s Nabeela Safdar said the new government had promised to encourage women, minorities and other neglected segments of society to be treated equally.

All-K-P Traders Association Secretary Shaukat Ali Khan has pinned his hopes on the federal government because the expected chief executive is a seasoned businessman. Referring to Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat claimed he abolished several unnecessary taxes imposed on traders and industrialists during his previous tenure as prime minister.

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

Traders claimed the tax, which was introduced by the former Awami National Party government, not only increased prices of consumer goods, but also created a hurdle for traders bringing in raw materials from other provinces.

“The tax imposition is a cause for concern and worry for the business community as they are already suffering due to the bad law and order situation in the province,” said Israr Shinwari, a representative of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) transport association.

Shinwari said officials of the municipal committee clad in black uniforms were deployed near Ring Road and all other entry points of the city to collect the tax from passing vehicles.

The representative further said traders and transporters were already paying various types of taxes including a token tax, income tax and regional permit tax. He said this was another imposition which would negatively affect K-P’s business and transporter community.

Local farmers who bring their vegetables and other agriculture products into the city to sell have also been brought under the levy’s umbrella. Farmers claimed the tax is ‘cruel’ and increases vegetable prices in the city.

Despite the official figures, All K-P Traders Association Secretary Shaukat Ali Khan alleged there was no fixed rate, as the tax was being collected according to the wishes of contractors who had taken contracts from municipal administrations.

Dubbing it ‘ghunda tax’, Khan expressed hope that the incoming government would abolish the levy in order to revitalise flagging industrial units, boost exports and enhance the provincial economy. “Traders should be provided with facilities instead of increased burdens,” he argued.

Khan also explained the tax is eventually borne by consumers as a result of increasing prices, adding this effectively made the levy a dual tax. He pointed out loading-unloading tax had been abolished by the former government of Nawaz Sharif, but later reintroduced by the Awami National Party.

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

In the first press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, 14 candidates and dozens of infuriated party workers criticised the ECP for removing the names of thousands of voters from the electoral list.

Independent candidate Munsif Ali Khan called the election in Khyber Agency ‘a historical drama’ staged by the political administration and the ECP, while the people had eagerly awaited democratic change.

“Eighty five per cent of the voters were absent from the electoral list,” argued Munsif. “The list provided to one candidate was also different from the list with other candidates.”

Moreover, he alleged the ECP registered a large number of tribal voters in various constituencies across Peshawar and other parts of the province; those living in camps for the internally displaced in K-P were included in the electoral roll for the agency. This move was aimed to deprive voters of their right to vote, maintained Munsif.

Hardly 4,000 were polled out of 160,000 registered voters for the constituency. In Jalozai Camp 500 out 1,900 voters were polled and in Durrani Camp only 187 registered voters out of 2,757 cast their ballots. Therefore, the candidates demanded, re-elections should take place under “the impartial supervision of the Pakistan Army,” but after obtaining accurate electoral rolls.

Former federal minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi held a similar conference, where he also demanded repolling the entire constituency under the army. He blamed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah Khan for overtly supporting his preferred candidates.

“The ECP has totally failed to deliver; its officials were bribed by candidates – especially independents Mohammad Shah and Haji Waris – to remove the name of my voters from the electoral list.”  Hameedullah demanded Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to resign as he had failed to deliver free and fair elections.

He maintained all presiding officers had been heavily bribed by the candidates to manipulate results. Hameedullah showed videos of polling stations plundered by people, and ballot papers which were torn up after the ballot boxes were destroyed by the mob.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate was the next to appear at the Press Club. Visibly upset about his son who had been injured during the polling riots on Saturday and is now in  coma, he said the ECP was responsible for the entire ‘mess’. It was responsible for conducting the electoral process in a volatile region which still “remains under a British Colonial system.”

Iqbal carried with him ballots cast in his favour which had been torn up later.

“We told officials to restart voting in two polling booths which were shut down after fights, and would have results favouring the PTI but the presiding officers refused. When we insisted, firing erupted and my son was injured,” narrated Iqbal.

He blamed candidates Waris Khan and Imran Afridi for starting fights, which eventually led to heavy firing.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2013.

“We request our people to come out of their homes and cast their ballots in favour of the parties who are more loyal to the country,” Hussain said while talking to The Express Tribune.

Admitting his party has been “handicapped” by the continuous attacks on its leaders and workers, Hussain, however, is not willing to give up his optimism about how the ANP will fare in the polls. “The ANP has done record development work in the province and people will vote for the party in the polls.”

But behind the veil of optimism lies bitterness over the lack of security provided to the party’s candidates. For this, he blames the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the most part.

“The ECP could not properly discharge its duties. Right from the very first day, they should have focused on the security of candidates,” he said. “The ANP does not consider the elections to be free and fair. Throughout the election campaign, party leaders have been confined to their homes.”

Hussain sees the inadequate security provided to his party while other parties carry out campaigns freely as a violation of their mandate. “Is this not pre-poll rigging?” he questioned out loud. “If there was some other political party in place of ANP, it would have boycotted the polls as some have done earlier.”

While the ANP has unreservedly been at the forefront of targeted attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have also witnessed their share of violence.

Hussain stressed the only way to defeat the terrorists and prevent them from imposing their ideology upon the masses was by stepping out of the house and voting.

He said the ANP did not have enough money to spend exorbitant sums on advertisements on print and electronic media. “The ECP never questioned where the parties got the huge amounts of money for their election campaigns,” he said.

Wracked by terrorism, ANP has also lost some leaders who defected either due to security concerns or resentment over not being allotted party tickets. But Hussain is keen to downplay the affect this might have on the party’s standing.

“This a part of democracy, people should go the way they like,” he said, adding the party neither has the time nor the resources to visit every “nook and cranny” of the province to bring back its lost workers and leaders.

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

This sixty-year-old Malakand native has launched his own political party, the agenda of which says is a pick of the best points of the manifestos of all political parties. It’s quite fitting then, that his party is named the Pakistan Achar party.

“There is a huge number of politicians and political parties who try to deceive the naïve people through their colourful slogans and manifestos; I have selected the good points from all the parties,” Shahzada Alamgir told The Express Tribune.

The seven-coloured party flag is also in keeping with this political potpourri; Alamgir says the flag takes colours from the flags of all major political parties.

But while he is okay with taking good points from other parties, he also says he has nothing in common with them. In fact, that’s why he chose the magarmach (crocodile) as his election symbol. “We are proud of the symbol,” said the party leader. “Only a crocodile can swallow the bad politicians.”

This isn’t the first time he’s tried to swim in the murky swamp of Pakistani politics either. Alamgir has been contesting elections since 1993, even though he has never won. Even though his party has not yet been registered with the Election commission of Pakistan, he is confident that people will support him.

“My only slogan is education, because only education can change society, eradicate terrorism and ensure prosperity,” he said.

Certainly Alamgir, who has worked as a taxi driver, did manage to get the support of the labour class in his ’93 and ’97 electoral bids. Later, the graduate requirement kept him from contesting.

Now contesting from NA-35, the magarmach will have to take a bite out of some seriously big fish like former Nazim Fida Mohammad Khan, the ANP’s prominent poet Rahmat Shah Sayal, JI’s Bakhtiar Maani,, JUI-F’s Saeed Ahmad and PTI’s Junaid Akbar.

Faced with such opposition, the Achar party’s public relations secretary Wajahat Ali Khan complains that they are not able to campaign in full force.

“The Deputy Commissioner has imposed on ban on our holding a political gathering as thousands of people gather which creates a security situation,” said Khan.

“Different political parties have offered million of rupees for us to withdraw in their favour, but our leaders rejected them all,” Khan claimed, while adding that other independent candidates has asked to join the Achar party they were refused.

With only a few days to go, Khan is trying to get permission to hold at least one huge rally, as the corner meetings the party is conducting aren’t good enough for him. Iqbal Jan, a local poet, has composed a number of catchy slogans and poems for the party ion the hope that the magarmach really bites off a chunk of the popular vote.

“It is not just a political party, but the outcome of frustration with the existing political situation,” said local voter Attaullah Khan. “Here the politicians focus more on their personal interest than the common good will of the country.” Come May 11th, those politicians may just be in a bit of a pickle.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2013.

Senior leaders, including former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, briefly attend rallies and prefer to address political meetings over the phone or video link. Last week in Baricham area of Mardan, Hoti telephonically addressed an ANP corner meeting.

ANP district general secretary Imran Mandori acknowledged the party’s new election strategy. “Hoti usually addresses from his residence and the same speeches are later played for local workers in meetings,” he said.

Voters from divergent backgrounds visit Hoti at his house every day from 11am to 11pm for meetings.

Asad Mayar, Hoti’s election campaign manager for NA-9 and PK-23, said about 2,000 party workers from Baricham, Shamatpur, Gumbat, Baghdada, Mahodhery, Islam Bagh, Mardan Khas, Khazano Dheri and Manga areas have visited Hoti at his residence so far.

The former chief minister used to attend gatherings in the district before the recent attacks. The party leadership has advised him, however, to refrain from doing this because ANP leaders are being targeted and Hoti is on a militant ‘hit-list,’ Mayar added.

The party’s district chapter has become more cautious since two bombs were defused targeting Hoti on April 20. A 15-kilogramme bomb was planted outside the NA-9 election office on Shamsi road and another three-kilogramme bomb in Sehri Koorona near a roadside where Hoti was scheduled to address a gathering.

Former provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who is also on the hit-list, is actively campaigning by telephonic address from his hometown, Pabbi.

The ANP faces tough competition in PK-12 against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and Mian Iftikhar along with party workers and local elders have been actively campaigning. He has addressed political gatherings in Dagbehsud, Wazir Garhi, Khush Maqam, and Akbarpura, attracting a large number of supporters, Mayar said.

“We are extremely active in our election campaign in Pabbi,” said Merwais Khan, the ANP’s information secretary for PK-12, adding “Mian Iftikhar is addressing corner meetings and political gatherings over the telephone.”

The locations for gatherings are pre-arranged and security is provided by local authorities. More emphasis is being given on door-to-door campaigning instead of large rallies, Merwais added.

“The elders of our families prefer to attend telephonic addresses of Mian Iftikhar Hussain,” said Muhammad Hussain, a party worker from Dagbehsud. Though people think telephonic speeches are a bit strange, we realise that our party leaders are under attack from militants, Muhammad added.

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

Wheat is usually ready for harvest by the start of May.

Rain and hail have flattened the wheat crop, the main food grain. The extended winter period, torrential rains and hail also did not bode well for the peach and plum orchards.

Abdur Rahim, an agriculturist from Pabbi, told The Express Tribune, “We are subjected to erratic changes in the climate, a very unpredictable weather pattern.”

Previously the rains would start in the end of February and stop towards the end of March, Rahim explained, but now the seasons are more erratic, and farmers have still not been able to adjust accordingly. “The volley of pebble-sized hailstones on acres of cultivated land was unexpected.”

A serious cause for concern for farmers is the quality of the wheat grain – the crop has been soaked in water for days, turning the grain almost black.

“This is usually the time when the grain dries and ripens. Instead continuing rains have increased moisture levels – which will not only impact the level of nutrition in the grain but has also made it blackish in colour,” said Dr Salahuddin, an agricultural expert.

“The most important requirement for a good crop of wheat is sunny days – at a temperature of 30-32 degree Celsius.”

Salahuddin pointed out early rains prevent the grain from maturing well and the continuing dip in temperature would lead to low harvest production which in turn would push up food prices in the country.

Peshawar and Nowshera are the main producers of apricot, plum and peach.  “Our crops have suffered massive damage, we have lost our crop and orchards to storms and rains,” shared Wajahatullah, a fruit grower.

“The production of apricot, plum and peach has been reduced by up to 50%,” asserted Wajahatullah. These are the “cash crops” which fruit growers wait for the entire year. They supply the produce to big markets in Punjab and other parts of the country.

The worried fruit farmer added that more than half of the farmers could not plant the tomato crop this year – a major produce in Nowshera district. The wet weather made it impossible for the agriculturists to prepare their lands for it. Those who managed to grow tomatoes, a common ingredient in the country’s daily recipe book, complained the inconsistent weather was plaguing their crop with various diseases afflictions.

According to Dr Salahuddin, a simple fallback which could have helped farmers was insurance. “In our country, farmers are unaware of crop insurance; they need to adopt the policy as protection for their crop-derived income as changes in climate are hampering produce.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2013.

PESHAWAR: Award-winning actor Safia Rani passed away on Friday, leaving behind two sons, a daughter and a 30-year-long acting career. She was 65.

Her brother Ameer Khan said Rani had been suffering from liver cancer for the past five years. Her funeral prayers were offered at Kakshal graveyard at 5pm where a large number of artists and fans came to honour the queen of Hindko drama.

A versatile actress hailing from Ganj area of Peshawar, Rani had performed in nearly 500 Hindko, Urdu and Pashto television series in Peshawar, Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. She also worked on various radio and stage shows during her career and was the recipient of the Pride of Performance award among other accolades.

She was popular for her Pashto dramas Angar, Khapoona and Jaal, while Manzil and Barish were her famous Urdu serials. Her leading Hindko television dramas include Dusri Dastak, Rait te Rasty, Parchol, Dekh da janda ray and Ka be bhol pa ye, for which she would always be remembered by her fans. She also produced two dramas in Peshawar.

Salahuddin, a senior drama artist, told The Express Tribune he had worked with Rani for years. “She worked with unparalleled passion and integrity. She was a brilliant, compassionate and noble woman who will profoundly be missed by her fans.”

Salahuddin added that Safia’s illness had taken her away from television, but she recovered soon and made a comeback. “She will never come back now. She has left her fans grieving and will always be missed,” he added.

Her brother Khan broke the news of her tragic death and said her doctors had long before given up hope for her recovery. He added her fight with cancer was not easy.

She faced many difficulties during her illness and never received the respect and honour she deserved, he said. “If Safia went through this, one can imagine what lesser-known actors go through.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2013.