Flashback: When ‘fear’ was a word in the dictionary (By Sher Alam Shinwari)
Syed Amiruddin Shah Gillani hails from a spiritual family; his ancestors migrated from Iran many centuries ago and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, providing spiritual guidance to people. Now in his 80s, he recalls a time when peace prevailed everywhere; there was no violence in the land of the ancient Gandhara civilisation.
“There used to be peace, hospitality; literary and cultural activities. A typical tribal society with hujra and jumaat (mosque) entwined in social norms and traditions that kept institutions and people tied together is now in ruins. The image of a peaceful Pashtun society is smeared with blood and the smoke of bomb blasts everywhere. Tribal life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has undergone a tremendous change; for Peshawarites, fear was a word that existed only in the dictionary during the 60s and 70s,” Gillani recalls sadly. (complete article) (via umalik)
Pakistan: Does a veiled woman make you uncomfortable? (Tribune)
How does veil make people feel in a Muslim country. Personally I am no one to tell a woman what she should wear but yes there are few things which I have a strong opinion about - and some people might not like them. (via umalik)
A discussion you wouldn’t think be happening in Pakistan, but hey here is something to surprise you with.
Due to Pakistan’s support for the cause of Algerian struggle for self determination and independence, Ben Bella was given a Pakistani diplomatic passport to make his foreign travels possible in the face of the international manhunt for him undertaken by the French and their allies. Ben Bella also traveled on a Pakistani diplomatic passport during the years of his exile from Algeria in 1980s.
“
—
Ahmed Ben Bella (1918 - 2012) Algerian soldier, revolutionary and the first President of Algeria (Wikipedia). (via umalik)
Am thankful to Nadia Rasul for finding them worthy enough for an inclusion. However for the kind of interest it has generated, I understand that it will not have many people pleased but that is what my opinion of the gathering was. You might consider me myopic in my approach here, but well that is my approach and as always I shall stick to it unless proven wrong. And of course as always when I am proven wrong I will admit it publicly.
Although probably not dancing, the ‘dancing girl’ is unquestionably ‘a pleasing little thing’. Naked save for a chunky necklace and an assortment of bangles, this minuscule statuette is not of the usual Indian sex symbol, full of breast and wide of hip, but of a slender nymphet happily flaunting her puberty with delightful insouciance. Her pose is studiously casual, one spindly arm bent with the hand resting on a déhanché hip, the other dangling so as to brush a slightly raised knee. Slim and attenuated, the legs are slightly parted, and one foot - both are now missing - must have been pointed. She could be absent-mindedly surveying her wardrobe, except that her head is thrown back as if challenging a suitor, and her hair is somehow dressed into a heavy plaited chignon of perilous but intentionally dramatic construction. Decidedly, she wants to be admired; and she might be gratified to know that, four thousand years later, she still is.
Keay, John. India: A History. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 15 (via 6656)
In the midst of violence and chaos in Karachi, master craftsmen are giving birth to art-in brass. Unfortunately, business has taken a down turn in the recent years due to instability in the city.
Son of a Bug is a feature-length experimental documentary that explores the history of The Bugs, the first Pakistani rock band (formed circa 1964), and the contested spaces of culture and religion, particularly what it means to be Muslim and Pakistani/Pakistani-American, as revealed through the father-son relationship between former drummer-turned-Texan, Jumshade “Jimmy” Muzaffar, and his Texas-raised son, Shams-Tabraiz “Tabby.”
Spread the word, let’s support Ali Kapadia’s Peace Film via Kickstarter.
Pakistan is a country surrounded by complex issues and I am passionate about addressing them. One of these issues is Pakistan’s relationship with India.
Ever since the independence of Pakistan and India in 1947, they have repeatedly been at war with each other and there seems to be no end to it. The two countries have fought 4 wars with hundreds of thousands of casualties and refugees. Even when both countries have half their population living on less than $2/day, they spend more on their military than education, poverty relief and social services combined. The strife is fueled by political interests that benefit from such conflict and the conflict has no place in today’s world. (Know more about it and support the cause by donating or spreading the word)
In the 1965 war with India, Flight Lieutenant Chaudhry shot down three Indian aircraft in one mission. In the 1971 war with India, he has a close call when his plane was hit over Indian territory but he managed to glide the plane back into Pakistan.
He passed away recently after a long battle against Cancer. He will be remembered by his family and Pakistanis everywhere.
This blog aims at telling you the "truth" about Pakistan. Unfortunately, today the news emerging from Pakistan on the Western media are so much polarized that it gives a very unreal image of Pakistan.
At "What no one told you about Pakistan", we aim at telling you the real stories about Pakistan.
