Disaster movies often seem to be an excuse for filmmakers to splurge millions of dollars on elaborate special effects, expending more effort on computer-generated imagery (CGI) and less on script and character development. This is the very problem that befalls Into the Storm, a disaster thriller that is visually impressive but leaves much to be desired in every other department.

Employing the found footage trope to tiring effect, the film comprises of intertwined segments, following the arcs of different sets of characters that cross paths as the movie progresses.

Each team is forcibly given a reason to carry a seemingly damage-proof and perpetually charged camera. A group of storm chasers — filmmaker Pete (Matt Walsh), meteorologist Allison (Sarah Wayne Callies) and their cameramen — are working on a documentary, trying to shoot footage of an elusive tornado. A high-school vice principal (Richard Armitage) has asked his teenage sons (Max Deacon and Nathan Kress) to make video time capsules and to film the school’s graduation ceremony. And a bunch of daredevils (Kyle Davis and Jon Reep) are intent on behaving like an amateur version of the Jackass crew, taping their crazy antics and eager to become the next YouTube sensations.

Then the tornadoes strike. Some of the players willingly venture into the danger. Others inadvertently end up in the path of the disaster. Ultimately, they all find themselves caught in a struggle for survival.

Unconcerned with plausibility and consistency, Into the Storm shows us nature’s wrath through the lens of people who keep filming when both instinct and logic would tell them to forget about the video and focus on staying alive. The characters are dull and generic since their dialogues are mundane, their actions absurd and their relationships clichéd, while the acting is mostly serviceable. The cast may not comprise of Hollywood’s biggest names, but you can still tell that these performers have been in better projects.

The real stars of the movie, though, are the tornados — spectacular, fierce, horrific and beautifully rendered. Visually, the film is a sight to behold and one will come out of the theatre grateful that they haven’t had to experience these forces of nature themselves. But director Steven Quale doesn’t succeed in complementing the visual spectacle with compelling human drama. And you know something has gone amiss when the weather patterns have more personality than the characters.

Ultimately, Into the Storm comes off as bland and vacant as it fails to make much of a connection with the viewers. The one-dimensional characters don’t give one a reason or the chance to be invested in their storylines or their ultimate fate, which strips the movie of emotional weight and suspense. Watch it for its special effects wizardry and you will be impressed. But if you try to look for something deeper underneath its shiny CGI surface, you will be left disappointed.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

Although Keanu Reeves has a very loyal fan following, the Canadian actor has had an uneven career at best which hasn’t quite reached the dizzying heights promised by his role in the 1999 action/sci-fi The Matrix. Perhaps that is why it is such a pleasure to find him in what is by far the best action film of the year. John Wick is so good that it is most likely to earn itself a cult following.

It is as if the titular role in John Wick was tailor-made for Reeves. He plays an ex-hitman with a legendary reputation who earned the nickname Boogeyman while carrying out assassinations on the directions of Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), an extremely powerful Russian criminal from New York.

Reeves is an ‘ex’ hitman because he abandoned his criminal ways after falling in love and marrying a woman named Helen (Bridget Moynahan). Sadly, when the film begins, we learn that Helen passed away after battling cancer, leaving Wick with a broken heart and only a puppy to mend it. Unfortunately, for Wick and his puppy, he crosses paths with a spoiled young thug who not only steals his car and beats him up, but cruelly destroys the last precious memory left behind by his wife. Soon Wick investigates the identity of his assailant and discovers that the attacker was his former boss’s son, Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen). Meanwhile, when Viggo learns that his son made enemies with John Wick, he realises that no matter what he does, Iosef is a dead man.

Although the narrative featured in John Wick is a tale of simple revenge, it is highly compelling due to a fantastic performance by Reeves. His quiet intensity and calmness make the nature of his character feel very believable. Reeves’ fascination with Buddhism is also well-documented and his spirituality seems to add a peaceful aura to his screen presence. At the same time, the natural vulnerability displayed by him helps us sympathise with Wick in a way that might not have been possible with any other action star.

The storytelling in John Wick is made all the more interesting with a smart script that allows its star to deliver some amusing one-liners. The film also shows a delightful self-awareness by featuring some tongue-in-cheek humor.

The biggest star of John Wick, however, is first-time director Chad Stahelski, who created the film with beautifully choreographed action sequences. The gun battles sequences are so stylish that it is almost like watching poetry in motion. The artful nature of the action is especially remarkable, considering the film is extremely brutal and features bone-crunching violence. The secret is in Stahelski’s skill at finding the right aesthetic balance by not overindulging in the production room.

Regrettably, the final act in John Wick is standard action movie fare and doesn’t match the rest of the film in terms of either creativity or intensity. But apart from that, the film is certainly worth the admission fee, especially in the age of Michael Bay where obnoxiously loud action films are the norm.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

Human beings may no longer be as dependent on their natural surroundings for survival as they were a couple of hundred years ago but closeness to the natural world is still critical for their psychological well-being, stated American scientists Edward Wilson and Stephen Kellert in their 1993 ‘Biophilia Hypothesis’. As more and more trees are razed to the ground to make space for homes and industries in urban centres, it may not only harm the environment but also lower the quality of life for the general community. The best way to counter this damaging trend is through urban forestry — the plantation, care, management and harvesting of trees in an urban setting.

Pakistan, which has only 5.2% of its area under forest cover and lost a total tree cover of 10,022.4 hectare (ha) between 2000 and 2013, while gaining only 847.3 ha, can benefit particularly from urban forestry. Some of the different ways in which cities can be made green are:

Avenue Plantation

A major component of urban forestry is avenue plantation, which consists of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations. These plantations are visually pleasing, provide shade to pedestrians and help generate revenue for the concerned governmental organisations, such as the Forest Department or National Highway Authority. The plant species, however, should be selected according to the environmental conditions such as the soil type, temperature, precipitation, humidity, canopy cover, aesthetic value, availability of breed, rotation age and economical value.

Open spaces/parks

Urban parks, hanging gardens and wildlife parks are also important as they not only help in reducing air pollution but also provide recreational spaces for the community. The following tree species are most suitable for these purposes:

Crimson Bottlebrush

— Kingaroy Bottlebrush

— Weeping Bottlebrush

— Glory Bush

— Cross Vine

— White Sky Vine and

— Wisteria Floribunda Rosea.

There is a pressing need for the government and public to realise the socio-economic benefits of urban forestry and to initiate projects for expansion of roadside, canal side and rail side plantations on a governmental as well as non-governmental and community basis. Along with the concerned departments, such as the TMA/Contonment Board, City Development Authority, Forest Department, Highway Authority, investors and businessmen who are launching mega-scale residential colonies across the country should also include urban forestry practices in their plan. Instead of limiting their focus to the capital and metropolitan centres, a separate office should be set up under the municipal administration that can work in collaboration with the Forest Department to set up green cities across the country.

The following species are most suitable for plantation along national highways since they provide shade and curb air pollution by absorbing carbon dioxide:

— Peepal

— Paker

— Mango

— Neem

— Imli

— Jamun

— Shisham (used in loamy soil)

— Shisham (suitable for sandy soil)

— Neem

— Kanji

— Arjun (suitable for alkaline soils)

— Jamun, Arjun and Gond/Safaida are the best choices for water logged areas.

Khaksar Ali Hyder is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Forestry and Wildlife Management from University of Haripur.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

Even by the substantially chequered years of yore that have witnessed player revolts, match and spot fixing scandals, brawls between team members and ball tampering accusations, the last five years have been the darkest for Pakistan cricket. Since the March 3, 2009, attack on the Sri Lankan team outside its headquarters in Lahore, international cricket has remained off-limits for Pakistan despite being one of the leading members of the International Cricket Council (ICC). While the ICC and leading teams continue to shun travel to Pakistan, there are a few passionate cricketers and fans of the mercurial cricket-loving nation who are still willing to undertake the ‘risk’ to travel to cities like Karachi and Lahore and remind the world of Pakistan’s potential.

The Wounded Tiger XI cricket team comprising of British journalists, businessmen and university professors lost all the matches during the tour.  PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

The Wounded Tiger XI batsmen confront the experienced Karachi Gymkhana bowlers.  PHOTOS : ATHAR KHAN

Peter Oborne, journalist and author of The Wounded Tiger — which recaps the history of Pakistan cricket — recently took it upon himself to paint an accurate picture of the sport in the country. During his latest trip, he brought with him a team of veteran journalists, businessmen and university professors on a 10-day cricket tour of Karachi and Lahore, aptly naming the team ‘Wounded Tiger XI’.

While on field the team was bowled out repeatedly by the brilliant opposing teams, off the field it was the traditional Pakistani hospitality that bowled them over. “We have been extremely well received in both Lahore and Karachi. We lost all seven games against some good opposition but the tour has been a great success,” says Oborne, insisting that international cricket needs to return to Pakistan at the earliest. “The upside for the cricket board these days is that they have a capable and top quality diplomat Shaharyar Khan heading them. He was the force behind the Indian tour in 2004 and certainly has the pedigree to do the needful again.” According to Oborne, the country’s cricketing achievements and the emergence of talent from the depths of despair is simply remarkable. He cites the example of spinner Tauseef Ahmed, who turns up to bowl in the nets and practice with the players and then goes on to play a test match the next day. “One gets transfixed in recounting these accounts,” he says. “Cricket in this part of the world is magical, and there is no other way to put it.”

Players from The Wounded Tiger XI strategise before the start of their innings in a friendly match at the historic Karachi Gymkhana.  PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

Charles Alexandar, a contributor for The Wounded Tiger. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

Oborne has always been awestruck by the abundance of cricket talent in the country. From his early days he was captivated by the brilliance of star batsmen like Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad and the all-rounding capabilities of his old friend Imran Khan. “Some of the great names of the game have been brought up in the environs of Pakistan cricket,” he adds, also mentioning more contemporary players such as Inzamamul Haq, Misbahul Haq and Younis Khan who have contributed to the game with their skill and craft. “Misbah is a hero. He deserves great accolades for his captaincy and the fact that in such turbulent times for the country and the game he has led from the front with such determination,” he says, adding that the world should acknowledge his achievements and give him the credit he rightly deserves.

The author of The Wounded Tiger Peter Oborne.  PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN

The Wounded Tiger project also attracted businessman and cricket enthusiast Charles Alexander, who was also one of the contributors for the book. “During my work for The Wounded Tiger, I visited Pakistan and realised that cricket was deeply embedded in the culture here and that feeling has re-emerged as we play here,” he says, adding that the tour was all about developing and nurturing friendships. He believes that resuming Indo-Pak cricket — a rivalry bigger than the Ashes (a Test cricket series played between England and Australia) — can improve the game further.

Richard Heller, also a contributor for The Wounded Tiger, has great hopes from the tour — especially after they made an appearance at the historic Karachi Gymkhana ground. “This is the venue where the newly-born Pakistan defeated the Marylebone Cricket Club and earned their due by getting the Test status shortly afterwards,” he says, hoping that their tour to Karachi, especially here at the Gymkhana, is effective in paving way for the return of top-level cricket in the country. Echoing his expectations, Oborne, who is confident about the resilience of Pakistan cricket, adds, “Throughout their history Pakistani players have shown great courage to come back despite some deep-seated controversies and intrigues and due to their efforts cricket is still alive and kicking here.” One hopes that the Pakistan Cricket Board builds on this humbling gesture by the Wounded Tiger XI and makes an equal effort to put this cricket-deprived nation back on the pitch.

Emmad Hameed is an editorial consultant at The Express Tribune. He tweets @Emmad81

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

Autumn, also known as Harud locally, is the annual harvesting season in Kashmir. As the leaves in the valley turn yellow and golden, the farmers return to their fields to harvest paddy and saffron and pick various varieties of apples for export.

The entire valley is bathed in different hues of red, orange and gold during these months and a large number of tourists visit the area before the weather becomes excruciatingly cold. Children run around excitedly, trampling leaves and playing cricket under the shade of the mighty Chinar — which is considered a sign of resistance in the area. It is said that during the Mughal era in Kashmir, one of the kings stepped over the Chinar leaves during autumn. Fascinated by their bright red colour, he asked one his ministers, “Chi Naar”, which translates to, “What is this fire?” And during these few months, right before winter in Kashmir, it seems as if the flames are touching the ground.

A girl rides a cycle in Srinagar. PHOTO: Haziq Qadri

A boy rides a cycle in Srinagar. PHOTO: Haziq Qadri

A girl walks on fallen Chinar leaves at Kashmir University in Srinagar. PHOTO: Haziq Qadri

Locals burn Chinar leaves at Kashmir University in Srinagar.  PHOTO: Haziq Qadri

Children play cricket in the outskirts of Srinagar. PHOTO: Haziq Qadri

Haziq Qadri is a Kashmir-based photojournalist. He tweets @haziq_qadri

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

“Home is a precious place. I would give anything to return to mine,” says 65-year-old Gul Bibi, as she gently rocks back and forth on a hospital bed at the facility set up by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders — an NGO that provides free healthcare to people affected by conflict — in Sadda, the second-largest town in Kurram Agency, FATA.

The hospital is full of women who have babies and children in their arms or sleeping by their feet. It is hard to tell the children’s ages since most of them are malnourished and look much younger than they are. Most of them are between the ages of six months and five years and are being treated for measles and dehydration. Their parents have to travel long distances to receive the required medical treatment as the ongoing violence in the province, especially in militancy-hit areas such as Kurram, has taken a strong toll on the healthcare infrastructure in the region.

The other side of war

So far this year, MSF has treated 213 children for measles at its hospital in Sadda, which specialises in children’s healthcare. In most of the cases, the children had developed pneumonia and meningitis and needed urgent medical care. “What is upsetting is that so many of the conditions we see here are preventable,” says Dr Rahman Sakhi, one of the senior doctors at MSF who sees dozens of such cases every month. “The community is suffering unnecessarily because of the militarisation in the area.” Since health workers’ access to the community is restricted, diseases are magnified and the patient ends up facing a lot more pain which could have been prevented if diseases like measles are tackled in the initial stages. “There is no reason for a child to suffer like this,” he says. “We are part of this community and we feel the pain of their parents and loved ones. Nobody wants to see a child in pain like this.”

MSF operates a health facility in the Alizai area of Lower Kurram Agency, catering primarily to mothers and children. PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

Female patients are the most vulnerable when it comes to healthcare since their mobility is limited and the region suffers from a lack of female doctors and healthworkers. PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

More than 175 healthcare facilities and 500 schools have been targeted and destroyed by militants across FATA since 9/11, according to Nizam Khan Dawar, a human rights specialist and CEO of the Tribal Development Network, a network of local organisations working for peace and development in the province. “Even in war zones, hospitals and schools should be neutral places and shouldn’t be attacked,” he says. “The ongoing violence is weakening the health system and disproportionately impacting women and children.”

Nizam elaborates that female doctors and health workers continue to face the brunt of violence and intimidation from militant groups who question women’s right to access healthcare, especially reproductive healthcare. “There is a shortage of women health workers and women doctors who can provide healthcare for women,” he says. “Many are pregnant and especially vulnerable as they are displaced by ongoing military operations and fighting in the area,” he says. Women doctors, nurses and health professionals continue to be targeted by militants and put under pressure to give up their work and stay inside their homes. “The threats and feeling of intimidation is increasing in many areas,” he says.

More than just a number

The Kurram Agency in Pakistan’s tribal belt sits on a political fault line. It borders the conflict-ridden areas of K-P and Balochistan on its east and south respectively and also shares a boundary with Afghanistan on the north and west. Since 2007, large swathes of the tribal belt became a battle ground as the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan spilled over into Pakistan’s soil with militant groups unleashing a bloody carnage and chaos to take control of the area. Schools, hospitals, homes and even entire villages fell victim to the war, killing hundreds and displacing many others. The area was a stronghold of the Taliban until 2008 when the Pakistan Army ordered a military operation in the region to flush out the militants. The region has also experienced sectarian violence as tensions grew between the Sunni and Shia groups.

Attendants at the waiting area of MSF Women’s Hospital in Peshawar. PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

Gul Bibi came to the MSF hospital in Sadda, Kurram Agency, with her daughter, grandson and grand-daughter, who is suffering from dehydration. PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

An uneasy calm has been established in the area for the past three years, following the end of the military operation Koh-e-Safaid, which resulted in the lower and upper subdivisions of the agency falling back under government control. The fragile peace was shattered once again earlier this month when a school van hit a roadside bomb in Nasti Kot, Parachinar, and killed a child and the bus driver while injuring many others. As the United Sates gears up to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan next month, people in the area also fear an increase in violence.

Even though the residents of Kurram and other militancy-hit areas have survived death, disease and terror, their suffering remains alien to the rest of the country. They either remain largely invisible on news channels and newspapers or their names, faces, daily realities and struggles are reduced to a number that either announces their death or displacement.

No country for old women

Gul Bibi, who belongs to a village in Upper Kurram, which was home to nearly 20,000 people, is one of the faces behind that number. As she waits for an MSF doctor to examine her eight-month-old granddaughter who is suffering from dehydration, she recounts her story.

The victims of Leishmaniasis are often excluded and mistreated. The treatment options now available at the MSF hosiptal in Sadda are expected to improve their condition. PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

Leishmaniasis is a sand-fly induced skin dis ease which leaves scars on the body of its victims., The elderly, women and children who have been displaced in FATA have to travel long distances to get basic medical treatment.  PHOTO: NOOR PAMIRI 

“We lived in peace. We lived good lives,” she says about her life back in the village. “We had a lot of food and land and we didn’t need anything. We had been blessed with a lot — our health, our children and our grandchildren.” She pauses for breath, closes her eyes and continues. “Then three years ago everything changed. ‘They’ came to the area and nothing was the same again,” she elaborates without ever naming the militants. At first, the women were told not to leave their homes. Then people began being kidnapped for ransom. “There was fear everywhere,” she says. “We went from living in a happy and peaceful place where everyone knew everyone to not knowing who we could trust or who was living amongst us.” Gradually, the violence picked up momentum and the militants started burning down houses and schools. “I still see our village burning when I close my eyes and try to sleep,” she says. Her voice begins to crack but she doesn’t want to take a break. She says she wants to be heard and wants people to know what she has been through.

When things showed no signs of improvement, Gul Bibi convinced her husband to leave the village. Her husband was frail and unwell at the time but they knew their options were limited. “We left with nothing but the clothes that we had on,” she says. “We walked for five hours. I found a donkey cart on the way and asked the man to help me lift my husband on to it so that he could complete the journey.”

For the past three years, Gul Bibi has been living in a tent in a camp near the hospital. “This is not where a woman of my age should be living,” she says. “I have a home and a village and a country, yet I am living in this tent with my daughter, her children, her husband and other members of my family.” According to Nizam, most IDPs are in Bannu while a significant number is also living in tents in Peshawar and along the road to Bara. Those displaced from Kurram Agency are concentrated near Dera Ismail Khan, Sadda, Hangu, Tal and Nowshera.

He explains that the number of IDPs living in the Durrani Camp (where Gul Bibi lives with her family) is hard to estimate due to the loopholes in the registration process — people without identity cards or women who have been widowed cannot register. However, the terrible conditions that these families are living in are quite clear. Large families are cramped into small tents and are dependent on government aid or NGOs for basic necessities such as food, medicine and clothing. Those who are unable to register themselves also face difficulties in accessing aid. Poor living conditions, lack of clean drinking water, poor healthcare facilities and malnutrition has led to the death of dozens of children from curable diseases such as gastroenteritis, typhoid and respiratory infections. Amidst this chaos, Gul Bibi yearns for a safer future for her grandchildren, preferably back home. “I find it hard to sleep at night; I spend most of the night thinking about everything I’ve seen,” she says. “I yearn to return to my village.”

Restoring dignity

Living conditions for the displaced in FATA show little signs of improvement. The IDPs’ health issues are secondary to the security concerns of the region, says Dr Javed Ali, MSF’s medical coordinator responsible for running health projects in FATA. “The north western [region] of Pakistan has traditionally been victimised by sectarian violence, militarisation and mass displacement of the population because of the war on terror,” he says. “All of these factors have had a repulsive impact on the health policy and healthcare at the regional level.” Healthcare has suffered extensively due to the conflict in the area and has led to a shortage of medical staff and medical supplies and there is no system in place to monitor and evaluate, strengthen and support a coherent health policy in the area.”

A senior official in FATA’s Health Directorate who spoke on the condition of anonymity says that the security conditions are not the sole problem. “Even when people risk their lives to access healthcare in the area, most hospitals don’t even have the basics such as doctors, medicine and electricity,” he says, adding that medical facilities are not functioning even in areas where there is no violence. “Corruption and mismanagement of medical budgets is exacerbating people’s misery and there has to be accountability for things to improve,” he adds.

Dr Javed also emphasises the need to go back to the basics where there is one functioning health facility for every 5,000 people and they can access medical facilities without fearing for their lives. Even though organisations such as MSF, Ehsaan Foundation, UNHCR and CAMP are striving to fill the vacuum in healthcare facilities in the area, a far more integrated and consistent effort is required at the provincial and national level for those whose lives have been uprooted to feel at home again.

Shaista Aziz is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan, and is a communications advisor for MSF, France. She tweets @shaistaAziz

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 30^th, 2014.

People in the news business rush around the clock to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the monster that is the 24-hour news cycle. They do this while simultaneously racing against their competitors to break the biggest stories and bring the latest visuals to our television screens. Inured viewers don’t pause to think about where the footage came from, who shot it, or how it was obtained. But perhaps they should. The breakneck pace and demands of the media machinery leave it susceptible to cracks that could be exploited by those with shaky morals, which is what happens in Nightcrawler, a crime thriller that shows what can transpire when actions are driven by a union of opportunism and depravity.

The story revolves around Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), an unemployed petty thief who ekes out a living by selling stolen scrap metal. By chance, he encounters a camera crew that is out chasing late night news stories so that they can sell the gory footage to local news channels. If there is carnage, the cameramen descend like vultures. Enthralled and inspired, Louis obtains a camcorder and police radio scanner and joins the hunt for tragedies to exploit, selling his clips to Nina (Rene Russo), a producer working the graveyard shift at a flailing network. He subsequently hires homeless drifter Rick (Riz Ahmed) as an ‘intern’, as his sociopathic tendencies start to take over.

Nightcrawler presents a fascinating character study of a disturbed person who is willing to profiteer off the misery of others, and if need be, orchestrate that misery himself. The film also satirises the television news business, taking a swipe at the media’s “if it bleeds, it leads” mentality by giving us a very extreme version of events and showing us how awry things can go if this morbid tendency is not kept in check.

In his directorial debut, screenwriter Dan Gilroy has proved himself a master of creating tension, gradually increasing the intensity of the proceedings as the film goes on till it reaches its climactic clash. He has also equipped his characters with distinct, dark personalities, and chosen very suitable actors to fill each role. Jake Gyllenhaal is terrifyingly impressive in the unsettling part for which he reportedly lost over 20 pounds, and he is perfectly paired with Russo and Ahmed as his partners in crime.

Overall Nightcrawler makes for an intriguing albeit uncomfortable watch as it takes the viewer on a dark journey into the life of a disturbed soul ambitiously following his newfound passion unhindered by things like morals and ethics. Louis isn’t given a detailed backstory, a choice that will please some viewers while leaving others wondering how he became who he is and why he thinks sounding like a cross between a business brochure and a self-help pamphlet is a good thing. Ultimately, Nightcrawler’s fascinating look at an extremely dislikable yet riveting protagonist and the workings of the murky universe he ventures into may not be pleasant viewing, but the movie is very likely to make an impression on viewers and give them something to think about.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

Psychologist Dr Masani and Devika Rani, known as the first lady of Indian cinema and great-grandniece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, introduced Yusuf Khan to Indian cinema. It is this Yusuf who went on to become Dilip Kumar, the unsurpassed superstar of Indian films. Devika Rani gave him his first break as the hero of her production Jawarbhata and also a new name, Dilip Kumar. She was so impressed by his talent that he was offered a monthly salary of Rs1,250 — a big amount in 1944.

Considering the star’s exceptionally large fan following, Dilip Kumar’s autobiography The Substance and the Shadow is being widely discussed in both India and Pakistan. It is for the first time that the legendry actor has opened up about his personal life. The book is based on interviews recorded over several years and transcribed by senior journalist Udayatara Nayar.

Dilip Kumar, born in Peshawar on December 11, 1922, worked in 62 films from 1944 to 1998. His father, Mohammed Sarwar Khan, who was involved in fruit trade shifted to Bombay in the mid-1930s for better business prospects. Kumar studied at Barnes School in Deolali, Maharashtra and later at Khalsa College in Bombay where Raj Kapoor became his close friend. The two regularly met on Sundays for which Kumar was almost always late. When Kapoor suffered a stroke, Kumar was in Pakistan to inaugurate Fatimid Foundation’s blood bank in Peshawar. After he returned to Bombay and learnt about Kapoor’s condition, he immediately left for Delhi to meet his hospitalised friend. When he finally sat beside his friend, he said, “Lalay, aaj bhi mein nay der kardi…” (Friend, I am late today too).

The Substance and the Shadow is, however, not an entirely honest memoir. It remains mostly tight-lipped on Dilip Kumar’s affairs with actors Kamini Kaushal and Madhubala. It also fails to mention Suchitra Sen, who starred alongside him in Devdas, and Meena Kumari, a co-star and a connoisseur of poetry much like himself. The only time Kumar mentions Madhubala is to explain why he could not marry her, explaining that her father wanted to turn the marriage into a business affair. But he remains mum about why she was replaced by Vyjayanthimala in the 1957 movie Naya Daur and the court case that lead to it.

Although Madhubala shared the story of her broken heart with film journalist Bunny Reuben while weeping uncontrollably, it remained unpublished due to the censorship rules at the time. “And finally, I will never forget… the dearest one who became a foe,” was the only line that featured from the interview. Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were not on talking terms even while filming romantic scenes for Mughal-e-Azam. He also did not attend the movie’s premiere because his sister Akhtar had married the film’s producer/director K Asif against his wishes.

Dilip Kumar, also known for his philanthropic work, reigned over Indian cinema for more than five decades. He has many prestigious awards to his credit, including India’s third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, India’s highest award in cinema the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Pakistan’s highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. He even went on to win the Filmfare award for Best Actor eight times during his career. The book is, therefore, a must-read not just for Dilip Kumar fans but also for patrons of good cinema.

Shahabuddin Gilani is an editorial consultant for The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

The first time I met Sadruddin Hashwani was at a dinner hosted by Dr Maleeha Lodhi to bid us farewell from Islamabad. I was moving from my position as correspondent of the Asia Times, a Bangkok-based English newspaper in Islamabad to a correspondent for Dow Jones in Karachi.

Hashwani sahab talked little during the dinner but we struck a chord and soon after I would visit him to glean tips and get an idea of how his business was doing. My logic was simple. His business, like many others, was an indicator of how the economy was doing. He did share some tips and information and the one thing I found most interesting was that in most of our conversations he was usually very optimistic.

I profiled him for Dow Jones but it didn’t reveal any hidden gems. That is why his book Truth Always Prevails, published this year and already in the middle of controversy (which incidentally only helps sales), comes as a surprise. It is an honest account of his life and work — and the incidents and experiences he had as the country’s most prominent hotelier.

In some ways he has thrown caution to the wind. There are many parts that are controversial, like where he has insinuated who was behind the Marriott hotel bombing of 2008. This is very unlike the Sadruddin Hashwani I know.

But then, maybe there comes a time in the life of a person when he decides to tell it all — maybe he feels that he owes this to history. And in that sense, I salute the courage that Mr Hashwani has shown in retelling some of the more interesting incidents he encountered. In this, I am also somewhat let down as he gave an account of two people I had held in high esteem — former Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo and the first chairman of National Accountability Bureau, General Amjad. My heroes have fallen.

But then I am a journalist and Hashwani is a businessman. The expectations that people had from him were different. At the same time, Hashwani has the reputation of being a fair person — something that is the exception in present-day Pakistan.

In his book he also gives some answers. Like how he ended up buying the Intercontinental chain. I recall reading some articles in a respected monthly at the time which alleged foul play. Now the book tells me that one of those bidding was the owner of the media group that owned that magazine.

And yet, for me, the best parts of the book are not the controversies. It is about Sadruddin Hashwani’s upbringing and his relationship with his parents, the lessons his mother taught him and the people he met in his youth as he struggled to become a businessman. I enjoyed reading about his travels to Balochistan by the Bolan Mail and his work on the docks of Karachi. But also the lessons he learnt as a businessman especially at a time when there were many ready to outwit him.

Having said that, the most encouraging part of the book is this man’s vision for Pakistan. Unlike others, he has invested in the country and continues to put money in its future. His chapter on how he plans to expand his empire leaves me impressed. At the same time, by telling it all, he has put himself in the line of fire. Unless, of course, he too wants to come into the arena and this autobiography is a sort of launching pad for him. Either way, the book is indeed a compelling read.

Kamal Siddiqi is the editor of The Express Tribune. He tweets @Tribunian 

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

Those who knew the shy Ali Jilani during his early school days could have never imagined that the 19-year-old would transform into the vivacious powerhouse he is today. Suffering from cerebral palsy — a neurological disorder which affects motor functions in the upper and lower limbs — Ali’s condition had once not only hampered his mobility but also his approach towards life. Today, he may not have regained complete movement in his feet but has certainly changed his attitude and is motivating others to do the same.

Despite undergoing a series of physiotherapy sessions and a surgery to elongate the leg muscles, Ali was not able to stand upright for even five minutes without experiencing excruciating pain until the age of 12. “I was told it was a day-care surgery,” says Ali, who did not expect to wake up in excruciating pain. “I didn’t let anyone touch me, I was screaming so loud that it was disturbing every patient in that wing and it made my physiotherapist’s job really tough,” he adds. Five days after the surgery, Ali was tied to a vertically upright table for days during physiotherapy sessions, after which he took his first three steps. “I felt relieved but frustrated as I knew I’d never be able to walk normally again,” he says, explaining that it was the first time he felt pessimistic.

Ali, who was always physically restricted due to his condition, envied the students who could participate in sports. “I would see children take part in athletics, plays and be up on stage and my heart would sink because I had come to believe that I was inferior to them,” shares Jilani. Noticing how distant he had become, one of his teachers, Ghazala Amin, started counselling him and encouraged him to express his emotions. In hopes to restore his confidence, she introduced him to the works of Nick Vijicic, author of No Arms No Legs No Worries, and Bethany Hamilton, the inspiration behind the movie Soul Surfer. Gradually Ali showed signs of improvement with his initial reaction being, “I thought people looked at me [with pity], and [that] would break me so I [decided] to prove to everyone and myself that I can do everything they can. [In fact] I can do it better.”

The realistion that his physical disability had no link with what he could achieve became his strongest asset. He started participating in all school events, including debates and plays, and was even selected to be part of the student council. In February 2012, when he was asked to lead the march-past on the school’s annual sports day, he obliged without hesitation. Although his teachers and friends had expressed concern, Ali was determined to overcome the challenge. He practiced for weeks and stunned the audience on the final day with his courage as he marched holding the house flag in one hand and a walking stick in another. When the pain became unbearable, he handed the house flag to one of the students to make sure that the flag was held high.

Based on his performance, a year later Jilani was awarded the title ‘Leadership Mentor’ to inspire other students and conduct motivational workshops. Currently pursuing his dream to become a doctor at the Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, he is also an annual speaker at the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation where he aims to raise awareness about the special needs of people. “Ali’s only dream is still to be able to walk on his own one day,” shares his friend Sameer Ahmed Khan. But in his quest to do so, he has already inspired several others to get back on their feet.

Zainab Sadia Saeed is a student and an aspiring journalist. She tweets @zainabssaeed

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

A little help by someone can sometimes change the entire course of one’s life. Ayub Khan, or Master Ayub as he is known to his students, learnt this lesson at a young age when he was assisted by a family friend while struggling to provide for his family. He reciprocated the gesture years later by setting up a free school for the underprivileged children of Islamabad, who like him needed a helping hand.

Khan left his birth city of Mandi Bahauddin in central Punjab for Islamabad at the age of 19. His father, who was in the army during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, was imprisoned and died shortly after his release and repatriation leaving Khan behind to support his six younger brothers and three sisters. “That’s when I realised that my education and that of my siblings was my responsibility,” he says with a sigh. Khan became a civil servant and joined the fire brigade after volunteering for them first. At the time, he also sold newspapers and made paper bags to supplement his income. “I [would] see children wandering the streets of Islamabad and would think to myself how different their lives could be if they too could acquire an education,” he shares.

Seventeen-year-old Shaan is one of the school’s teachers.  PHOTO: SA’ADIA KHAN

Children aged between six years and 16 years attend classes six days a week from 3:30pm to sunset. PHOTO: SA’ADIA KHAN

In 1986, therefore, Khan accumulated a group of approximately 10 children from the nearby katchi abadis to meet him every day in the marketplace for informal classes. But the group was soon ushered away by perturbed shopkeepers. “Initially it was about trust building — children can be resilient and not so easy to convince,” he says, adding that he also had to convince skeptic parents of his objective to provide an education with no financial cost or burden on them. The initiative attracted more students over time and boasted approximately 300 students by 1987. Today, with an enrollment of 75 children, the unconventional school — functional six days a week, from 3:30pm to sunset — is located on a Capital Development Authority (CDA) owned corner plot opposite a katchi abadi in F6.

Every morning, children of all ages, ranging from six years to 16 years, carry A-stands, blackboards and half a dozen garden chairs and proceed to their allotted space and place their bags and books on the paved floor. Rows are formed gradually and the students wait to commence the day with the national anthem. Khan’s primary objective is to get children into the mainstream educational system, hence, the subjects taught at the school include English, Mathematics, Urdu, History, Social Studies and Islamiat. It is also part of the school tradition for older students to return and teach the younger classes in their spare time. One such college-going student from Saidpur, Farhat Abbas, whom Khan had taken under his wing, says, “Had it not been for Master Ayub I would still not be able to read or write, I would just be collecting wood,” says Abbas.

Master Ayub who works as a chief fire officer at the Pakistan Secretariat by day resumes his teaching duties in the afternoon. He teaches the older students at the school.  PHOTO: SA’ADIA KHAN

Twelve-year-old Faikah sits on the paved floor of the open-air school. PHOTO: SA’ADIA KHAN

Mohammad Hafiz, who was reluctantly sent by his parents, is today studying for a master’s degree and spends his afternoons teaching the students at the school. “If a child learns just a single word from me, I regard that as a huge achievement,” says Hafiz, who also works for the Directorate of Energy and Disaster Management. According to 38-year old Nadeem Sagar who was under Khan’s tutelage 28 years ago and now works for Red Cross, “Sir Ayub is a very honest person. I don’t have words to express what he has done for me,” he says. “Today when I see my children with a better life than I had, I feel proud of my achievements.”

Khan’s long-term commitment and resolve to educate children has gained him the adulation and respect of many former students. “This is the legacy of 28 years of commitment to educate the poor,” says Khan. With the generosity of others, including young students of Roots Ivy in Rawalpindi who collected Rs40,000 which helped buy supplies such as blackboards, stationary and books, Khan has created a home for learning for generations of students. There is also a donation box at the entrance where children are encouraged to donate even a pencil or rubber.

Currently 75 children from the nearby katchi abadi are enrolled at the school. PHOTO: SA’ADIA KHAN

While many have shown willingness to assist, there are some who view Khan’s efforts with suspicion. “Nothing in life is free,” says a nearby resident Nosheen who claims to contribute a small amount of Rs300-Rs400 each month but has no proof of how that money is spent. “The land belongs to the CDA, people make donations because they see a school for the poor. Some items [at the school] are kept and some sold,” adds another resident Manzoor. There was even an attempt to evict Khan and his band of students, but Ahmad Faraz, an acclaimed Urdu poet who passed away in 2008, approached the CDA chairman and insisted that the school should remain open. The plot of land was subsequently cleared, levelled and paved.

“I do not need to prove anything further than what is visible through the success of my students over the past three decades,” says Khan, who is determined to continue his mission of educating those with limited means. He divides his time between the students and his job as the chief fire officer at the Pakistan Secretariat which also helps him pay for some of the supplies for the school. “I am starting to feel weary and tired now, but I will not leave these children in my lifetime,” he says.

Sa’adia Khan is a freelance photographer based in Islamabad. She tweets @IM_SaadiaKhan

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

The medical sector in Pakistan has historically been more preoccupied with cure rather than care. As a result, while the country continues to produce a massive number of doctors every year, the nursing workforce has largely been ignored. Despite their integral role in patient care, they are seldom given the attention or recognition they deserve which has inevitably led to a drastic shortage of nurses and paramedics in the country.

According to figures cited by the Journal of Pioneering Medical Sciences in 2013, the existing nurse-patient ratio in Pakistan is approximately 1:50 whereas the ratio prescribed by the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC) is 1:10 in general areas and 2:1 in specialised areas. Moreover, the existing nurses are also distributed unevenly across provinces with Sindh facing the severest shortage of nursing staff while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has the most nurses. Currently, Pakistan has 162 registered nursing colleges with over 50 students enrolled in each of them annually. These schools are regulated by PNC, which is responsible for approving nursing schools for accreditation, devising the curriculum, licensing nurses to practise and advising the federal and provincial governments regarding nursing education and services. Demand for nurses in the country, however, still continues to exceed supply.

Keith Cash, dean and professor at Aga Khan School of Nursing and Midwifery,  talks about the increase in demand for nurses internationally and the shortage of well-qualified nurses in Pakistan.   PHOTO: ARIF SOOMRO

One of the primary reasons for the shortage in the nursing industry is due to the general stigma attached to the profession. Nursing is not generally considered a high-prestige job and usually written-off as an option for the less-privileged. “This profession is not the first choice for many,” confirms Salma Rattani, director for the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) programme at the Aga Khan University (AKU) School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM). “Nursing isn’t considered a well-reputed profession and something that is generally meant for women.”

The male-female quota enforced by PNC does little to help the situation either. The male to female ratio observed in a BSN classroom is 10:90, the Post Registered Nurse Bachelors of Science in Nursing (RN BSN) follows a 50:50 quota whereas diploma programmes only offer single-gender courses. “The concept of care is associated with women in our society,” says Noor Khan, coordinator at the Post Graduate College of Nursing in Peshawar. “But hospitals and other institutions where nurses are required need both genders.” Keith Cash, dean and professor at AKU SONAM, however, believes that the quota set by PNC reflects the cultural reality of the country. “It is not culturally acceptable to have male nurses,” he says. “Patients prefer females over male nurses and a [gender] balance in the [nursing] workforce is not right for the Pakistani population.” Khan, on the other hand, states that certain places such as army or surgical male wards prefer male nurses.

Anum’s father, Shiraze Gujrati, working at the Linen and Laundry department at Aga Khan University Hospital. PHOTO: ARIF SOOMRO

Ironically, being considered a ‘female domain’, does not free the profession from the usual biases and challenges for women. According to Rattani, if a female nurse is taking care of a male patient and is required to touch him, it makes people uncomfortable. Similarly, those working odd-hours or in far-off locations are exposed to security risks and sexual harassment threats. According to the District Nurses Association, Peshawar, eight cases of sexual harassment against nurses were filed over the last five months and the problem persists throughout the country, though it may not always be officially reported. Philomina Sadiq, head nurse at the Civil Hospital, Karachi, who has been in this profession for the past 25 years, also shares other challenges that nurses have to face on a daily basis. “When a member of a political party is admitted [at the hospital], there is usually a lot of chaos and we are also threatened,” she says. “Often, patients also break things, misbehave with nurses, beat them and blame them for their family member’s death.”

The wages paid to nurses fail to take these risks into account. A nurse in a private hospital earns between Rs20,000 to Rs22,000 per month whereas those in a public hospital start with a salary of Rs14,000 per month. “Nurses work gruelling shifts. They are exposed to life-threatening infections but still diligently perform their jobs,” says Khan. “Yet, we are not valued accordingly in the market and given fewer incentives and facilities.” Rattani adds that the nursing pay scales are not adjusted in accordance with the rising inflation rate either. According to Cash, the lower pay scale can also be attributed to gender discrimination. “Females always get paid less than males. It’s just the way it works in many places,” he adds.

The lack of uniform standards across nursing schools in the country is an additional problem faced by those working in the public sector, which eventually leads to demotivation and brain drain. “A Faculty of Science graduate like myself who opts for a diploma in nursing and then further completes his Masters is given equal credentials as a Bachelors of Science Honours in Nursing,” says Khan. He adds that in other industries, completing 16 years of education directly qualifies you for a grade 17 job in the public sector, while he was hired as a grade 16 officer despite having completed the same years of education.

A Post RN BSN class at Aga Khan University Hospital, School of Nursing and Midwifery. The school enrolled a total of 117 nursing students this year.  PHOTO: ARIF SOOMRO

The shortage of nurses, however, is not just a local problem. Infact, the downward trend is affecting medical care worldwide. WHO estimates that the world needs to increase the number of health workers by more than four million to achieve the global health goal in 2015 set by the Millennium Development Goals. Countries like Phillipines and India, which have an abundance of nursing staff, have already capitalised on this trend by exporting medical workers to developed countries like the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. And with the right research, planning and investment, Pakistan has the chance to benefit from similar gains, both at home and overseas.

A helping hand

The nursing industry continues to be mired in challenges, but some brave on despite the hindrances. “Coming from an underprivileged house, it was almost impossible to complete a diploma course which costs about Rs400,000,” says 21-year old Anum Shiraze Gujrati about her dream of pursuing a career in nursing. Things, however, took a positive turn after she was awarded a 50% merit-based scholarship at the AKU SONAM where she enrolled for a nursing diploma.

“I didn’t have enough money to pay for her course,” says Shiraze Gujrati, Anum’s father, who has been working at the linen and laundry department at AKU for the past 27 years. All his concerns, however, were relieved when the organisation extended monetary assistance to support his daughter’s dream. Half of Anum’s financial aid loan was exempted and only Rs 1,500 are deducted from her father’s salary every month. Anum does not take her good fortune lightly and plans to channel it positively. “Once I get my license after a year of internship, I have plans of completing BSN and then Post RN BSN,” she says, adding that her education will help her bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Nisma Chauhan is a subeditor on The Express Tribune magazine desk. She tweets @ChauhanNisma

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

Equality before the law and accountability for violating it are one of the founding principles of justice and a healthy democracy. In Pakistan we usually see neither. However, over the past year, things have taken a turn in the right direction, at least on the streets of the federal capital. The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has not only raised the bar for maintaining order on the streets but has also penalised those who have violated the traffic laws, regardless of their position, family name or political and economic clout.

According to official records, the ITP issued 886, 943 tickets between June 2013 and August 2014 — 1,244 of which were issued to politicians, military officials, diplomats, journalists, bureaucrats, judges, lawyers, members of Parliament, chief minister and governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa (K-P) as well as the former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly 400% more tickets were issued to VIPs in 2013-14 as compared to last year (2012-13) and more than Rs270 million were also collected in fines, which showed a 630% increase compared to last year. According to Senior Superintendent Islamabad Traffic Police Malik Matloob, the 400% increase in tickets was a combination of the increase in the capital’s population and the number of vehicles on the road along with a revamping of the police system in the federal capital.

Equal before the law

Of all the VIPs booked for violating traffic laws, politicians took the lead. Official documents reveal that the traffic police ticketed 44 of the 104 lawmakers in the Upper House of the Parliament last year — some of whom were booked more than thrice. One hundred and thirty-five members of the Lower House of Parliament were also booked which adds up to nearly 40% of the members of National Assembly having violated traffic laws in one way or the other over the past year. Moreover, 13 federal ministers, three advisors to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and 44 members from the four provincial assemblies, 19 of which were provincial ministers were also booked. Half of those booked were from the K-P Assembly. Majority of those booked were penalised for violating traffic signals while some were ticketed for speed driving. Most of the violators belong to rural backgrounds and had little knowledge of traffic rules.

Next in line were military officers. Out of 1,244 tickets, more than 450 were issued to top military officers including major generals, brigadiers, colonels, majors and captains. More than 49 officers from the Pakistan Navy and 50 officers from the Pakistan Air Force were also ticketed for violating traffic signals or over-speeding.

The ITP also ticketed nearly 91 diplomats — who generally enjoy diplomatic immunity — 30 of whom were ambassadors  or high commissioners. Moreover, 31 top secretaries, 15 additional secretaries, 27 joint secretaries, 18 deputy secretaries, 34 people from the judiciary and 32 journalists were also booked. Ninety-one senior government officers and eight celebrities were also fined.

Those who control traffic and law and order in the city were not given a free pass either. Thirty-five police officers were ticketed, something that rarely happens in police forces, according to Shams Gill, the ITP spokesperson.

According to the 1965 Motor Vehicle Ordinance, if a person violates a traffic law, a police officer or a government-authorised person may draw a charge against him on the spot stating the offence. The police officer or the authorised person shall draw the charge on five copies of Form-J and immediately deliver three copies of the form to the accused and get acknowledgement. The fourth copy and the seized documents such as the driving license, national identity card and registration documents for the vehicle should be forwarded to the bank branch, the post office or the traffic sector office from where the accused may collect his documents once they pay the fine which can range anywhere between Rs200 to Rs500 depending on the nature of the violation.

Senior superintendent Asmatullah Junejo shares that most of the VIPs were very cooperative and even appreciated the traffic police for their efforts. He recalls Pervez Khattak, chief minister for K-P lauding the efficiency of the traffic police when he was ticketed. Similarly, Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was also cooperative when she was booked. “I am glad that our police is taking the law seriously and treating everyone equally,” Junejo recalls her statement at the time.

There were, however, exceptions such as Akram Khan Durrani, federal minister for housing and works in K-P, who was extremely rude and abusive towards the traffic warden. “No one has dared to book me since I became a minister. How dare you do this today,” Junejo recalls Durrani’s statement. A few days later, his son Zuhaib Durrani was also booked for traffic law violations who abused the police officers until his vehicle was shifted to the Aabpara police station using his father’s influence, shares another officer who wishes to remain anonymous. Ayaz Soomro, a member of the National Assembly also unleashed his wrath on the police officer when he booked him. “It’s unfair that you guys book lawmakers. I never saw this practice in Sindh,” the police officer who booked Soomro recalls his statement.

Despite multiple attempts, none of the figures quoted above, except Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, agreed to share their version on the record. Yousaf too shifted the blame for being ticketed onto his driver who was behind the wheel at the time.

Taking the law in your hands

According to human rights activist Zafarullah Khan, the massive number of traffic law violations by the VIPs was an alarming sign. He added that selective enforcement of law leads to frustration which results in further violations. When lawmakers violate laws, it discourages those who abide by the rules and also leads to a loss of trust in lawmakers, says Asad Chaudhry, an Islamabad resident. It also gives public the impression that the lawmakers are above the law. “If the ITP has adopted a uniform approach in implementation of law, it must be appreciated,” says Khan. Senator Sahibzada Saifullah Magsi also called the equal treatment of citizens by the police “a positive trend”. He added that it was their responsibility as lawmakers to set an example for the public but unfortunately what happens on the streets is quite the opposite.

In order to ensure that the current discipline on the roads is maintained, Magsi suggests that the fine should be increased further so that citizens are forced to follow the laws. He added that the system of issuing driving licenses should also be improved and traffic rules should be made a regular feature of the public service broadcast by the ITP. Traffic wardens who sometimes misuse their power should also be kept in check, says Aamir Abdullah, an Islamabad resident who appreciates the ITP’s efforts but does not want it to become prey to the usual corruption, inefficiency and nepotism that is associated with most government-run organisations.

Order on the streets

The improved law and order on the streets of the federal capital can be largely attributed to the efficiency of the ITP. The department was set up by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in 2007 to emulate the success of the National Highways and Motorways Police, which has been functioning effectively since 1997. Over the next few years, the ITP came to be known for being corruption free and unbiased towards citizens. It was also awarded the ISO 9001 certification in 2008 for introducing state-of-the-art driver’s license, new laws that prohibited using mobile phone while driving and made it mandatory to wear a seat belt while driving along with client-oriented policing service in Pakistan.

The ITP is the only police organisation in South Asia that has its own FM 92.4 radio station which uses radio programmes to educate people about safer driving practices and also guides motorists on the most suitable routes that can be used to reach their destination safely and quickly. The purpose of the radio station is to educate and entertain commuters, shares Aisha Jamil, the programme director at FM 92.4 who has been involved with the initiative since the beginning. “I always encourage new and ambitious people to join hands with us in guiding the public,” she says.

Half of the fine money collected from traffic law violators also goes to the ITP, a major chunk of which goes towards imparting safety education while the rest is utilised according to the needs of the department at the time and the situation in the city. The department conducts regular seminars and public campaigns to raise awareness about traffic rules and holds classes for public drivers to inculcate the importance of driving safely. Signboards and huge screens with safety messages have also been installed across the main routes in the city. Till date, the ITP has conducted 95 driver courses, educated 951 public service vans and organised 249 sessions with 6,828 taxi drivers at the traffic complex. The traffic police helpline (915) has also registered more than 5,010 complaints and took action on 3,134 complaints during the past year.

Additional Inspector General Police (Operation) Dr Sultan Azam says that they are consistently striving to not only maintain the department’s current efficiency level but also improve the standard further. “We hope to build upon the good image that the organisation has achieved under the current leadership,” he adds. According to former Director General National Police Bureau Afzal Ali Shigri, since ITP’s performance has been better compared to other cities, the same model — which allows the department to function independently of outside interferences — should be extended to other mega cities as well.

Zahid Gishkori is a 2014 Alfred Friendly/Daniel Pearl fellow and a national correspondent for The Express Tribune. He tweets @ZahidGishkori

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 7^th, 2014.

There are times when the third installment of The Hunger Games — the awkwardly titled The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, complete with colon and hyphen — looks more farce than a teenage dystopian thriller. The rebels who are fighting the tyrannical rule of the Capitol claim to be free and democratic, yet they live in a glorified dungeon wearing what resembles a prison uniform. Their symbol is a mockingjay but pets aren’t allowed. For all the grandstanding chief antagonist President Snow (Keifer Sutherland) is shown doing, the speeches of their own leader Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) are hardly much different. In fact, for all the fighting the protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has been doing in the past two movies, in Mockingjay her role is reduced to a literal caricature of herself; she is asked to shoot propaganda shorts in an effort to sustain the rebellion. Coin and her strategist, Plutarch (Phillip Seymour Hoffman brought to life) spend pretty much the first half of the movie churning out those videos or ‘propos’ as Plutarch affectionately calls them.

This is indicative of the more political turn Mockingjay has taken, away from the main prospect of watching another 90 minutes of children slaughtering each other Gladiator-style like the earlier movies. To explain this turn, some context is necessary. The films, based on the eponymous books, are set in a future dystopian country called PanEm, a fractured federation of 12 districts held tenuously by the tyrannical President Snow. The Hunger Games were designed to be a gimmicky Olympics-style battle to promote intra-district rivalry thereby sustaining the Capitol’s rule. Katniss and her partner, the perennial don-in-distress Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), won the games in the first movie, unsuspectingly kicking off a rebellion, and were surviving another round in the second until Katniss literally blew up the whole thing. When the third film begins, Katniss has been whisked away by a rebel organisation aiming to overthrow President Snow and Peeta, much to Katniss’s dismay (and to nobody’s surprise), needs rescuing.

This gender role reversal is at the heart of what makes The Hunger Games series so compelling. In arbitrary acts of affection (or charity, if you’re cynical) Katniss courts both Peeta and Gale (Chris Hemsworth), a friend from her district, neither of whom seem to occupy her thoughts or feelings for long. In Mockingjay, Gale finally says what everyone’s thinking (except, perhaps Katniss) and tells Katniss after another one of those kisses that she only gives them when she sees him in pain. The admission also underlines another fact about Katniss: she giveth and she taketh away as she wishes. It’s this subtle, but powerful defiance of patriarchal order that Plutarch wants to capture in his ‘propos’. Whatever the merits of propaganda videos, Katniss is at her very best when she’s out and about shooting down multiple aircraft with a single shot or when she’s out hunting. The latter half of the film is taken up by a rescue operation that Katniss isn’t part of and like the audience she too must settle for watching other people on a screen. It leads to a flaccid ending, already ill-timed because of the corporate need to split a single book into two movies.

The previous Hunger Games movies ticked all the boxes of a Hollywood blockbuster — action, sequels and star actors — but crucially, it also added subversive, even genre-defining feminism for good measure. By design it seems, ‘Mockingjay’ does not do the same.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.

It’s strange how 140 characters have the power to awaken an entire spectrum of conflicting emotions. Elation, hope, optimism, regret — all these emotions were in play when Polly Samson, wife of Pink Floyd’s present leader David Gilmour, tweeted this July that the Floyd would be coming out with a new album in November. This would be their first studio outing in nearly 20 years and it would also be their last. The music world drew in a collective breath. Dreams do come true and they have a soundtrack — it’s called The Endless River.

To understand Pink Floyd’s final record, one has to know that it’s a record of largely ambient music and instrumentals. Only the last track, ironically titled ‘More Than Words’ has lyrics, save the robotic musings of Dr Stephen Hawking in ‘Talkin’ Hawking’ ala “Keep Talking” from The Division Bell. This is no coincidence. All the 18 songs that have made it on this record are actually fragments that did not make it onto that 1994 record, but that the band decided to re-play, re-master and release as a tribute to Richard Wright, Floyd’s keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist who died of cancer in 2008.

By the time ‘Things Left Unsaid’, the first track, is a few seconds in and you hear that ambient swell, leading in to the jingly jangly sound effects, there’s a singular thought that goes through your head: “It’s so Floyd.” And it is, unmistakably so. There is something about the band’s ability to trademark disjointed sounds where even if a portion were sampled into layers upon layers of unrelated music, the trained ear would know the original source, or at the very least, cite the inspiration.

Members of the band Pink Floyd during their early days.

Gilmour stated in an interview that The Endless River is a “21^st century Pink Floyd album.” It does not come across as such at all. The entire album seems to be reminiscent of the days when Roger Waters was still at the helm, before the mansions and the antique car collections. Back when the band was playing impossibly long, improvised sets — to make up for their lack of rehearsing — to crowds in London comprising of spaced out teenagers tripping on LSD. Listen to ‘It’s What We Do’ and you hear ‘Wish You Were Here’. Listen to ‘Allons-y’ and there’s the unmistakable riff of ‘The Wall’. ‘Eyes to Pearls’ brings forth ‘A Saucerfull of Secrets’, as does ‘Skins’. For the uninitiated listener this will seem like a record without direction. For the rabid Floydians this will be a time machine.

And so ends the final chapter of one of the greatest and most successful bands in the history of music. A delicate swansong to lead in a new era that will continue in their absence. However, just like a river seeps into the earth, so will the legacy of Pink Floyd. The Endless River and everything that precedes it will be immortalised as an inspiration for the future — the source from which all things grow.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014. 

Protests erupted across different cities in the United States last week as a grand jury decided not to press charges against the white police officer who illegally held an unarmed African-American man in a chokehold and killed him earlier this year. The decision came barely a week after another grand jury allowed the police officer, who shot and killed a young unarmed African-American in Ferguson, Missouri, to walk away scot-free. Both cases have immense repercussions for civil liberty and justice in the country. The cases also shed light on structural racism inherent in the American police force as African-Americans find themselves disproportionately facing police brutality. Statistics by the US Census Bureau reveal that 32% of people killed in arrest-related incidents between 2003 and 2009 were black.

Soon after the decision was announced, protestors in various cities such as Miami, Oakland, Chicago, Boston, Los Vegas, New York, Washington, Philadelphia and New Orleans poured onto the streets to register their disappointment in what they see as a corrupt system. They chanted slogans expressing solidarity with the victims and carried signs protesting against racial inequality. The image above shows a group of protestors in New York city soon after the grand jury decision.

Donovan X Ramsey is a New York-based journalist. He tweets @iDXR

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.

Muhammad Ali is an artist of the senses — his paintings are so visually complex, realistic and detailed that a good look at them awakens all the senses. Typical of his style, Ali’s recent exhibition at Canvas Gallery, Karachi, titled ‘Rainbow of Y-Our Own’ evokes many emotions using familiar imagery and famous personalities.

For Ali, the act of painting in itself means something: it highlights his frustration as an artist in a commercialised world where his paintings act as commodities. His piece, Beauty With a Chance of Meatballs depicts Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone in a sultry pose, inviting the viewer to look at her. However, each of Ali’s paintings has a twist. While Deepika looks alluring, a dollop of spaghetti and meatballs placed on her midriff and hair mars the perfect scenario and irritates the viewer. Why was it placed there? It seems Ali is highlighting how beauty and ugliness go together, and people/situations are never perfect, nor what they seem to be at first glance.

The Immaculate Ejection. PHOTOS COURTESY CANVAS GALLERY

No Place Like Home. PHOTOS COURTESY CANVAS GALLERY

Fruit Chaat displays a pink sari-clad melody queen Madam Noor Jehan, lounging in a royal setting amidst an array of beautifully painted, succulent food and flowers that look tangible. Her pose reminds one of Edouard Manet’s 1863 painting, Olympia, and the use of chiaroscuro (contrasted light and shadow) takes one back to the Renaissance. Ali finds food to be second nature to flesh. Perhaps, the placement of his subject amidst it denotes the way with which women are often looked at — something that can be devoured — as well as the luxury and excess that comes with celebrity-status.

The Immaculate Ejection is one of the most exciting pieces. It reminds you of a Renaissance painting gone awry; it is at first glance, amusing and startling. Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh looks at the viewer cheekily as he goes about his business in the toilet, while cherubs carrying toilet paper hover above him affectionately. Not only is the actor painted to perfection, his perspective of the floor and walls give the impact of a tight, closed-in space. Also, he pairs conflicting emotions successfully — in this case, amusement and disgust. How excrement can be ‘immaculate’ is ironic hinting on how the media glosses over trivial things and makes them appear glamorous and larger-than-life.

Death By Chocolate. PHOTOS COURTESY CANVAS GALLERY

Beauty With A Chance Of Meatballs. PHOTOS COURTESY CANVAS GALLERY

Like a few other pieces, Death by Chocolate does not use the celebrity as a tool to convey ideas. Here, Ali depicts a dead, faceless man smothered will all kinds of delicious treats, while hooded women in black mourn him. However, a closer look reveals the presence of insects on his body, and the fact that the ‘women’ aren’t really mourning him at all — they seem to be harbingers of death that will take him to his next journey. This painting depicts a morbid theme by fetishising it with gourmet delicacies and sexualising it. It is as if the luxurious lifestyle of this man is eating him away — the hopelessness of the material world takes over any hope of salvation after death.

Apparition displays Pakistani dictator General Ziaul Haq lifting his veil. The painting seems to suggest the return of a ghost from the past, which speaks of the repetitive political climate of Pakistan. The veil is an important symbol here. It replaces the subjects with the ruler who subjected them to his Islamisation policies such as making women cover their heads on television. Also, it represents how often the true nature of politics is shrouded from the public.

Ali’s work is about social commentary that aims to explore social and political narratives through the appropriation of celebrities’ images as well as depictions of ordinary people. According to Ali, “If you’re using a popular face you can talk about a lot of things in a sophisticated manner. Since everyone either knows them or of them, they become part of the conversation.”

Since Ali’s work speaks for itself, the short statement — borrowed from Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins — describing the exhibition was an apt choice: “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy. As a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored. I can be destroyed. But as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.” This is very true of the symbols used in Ali’s work, which will leave an impact that will last for a long time.

Shanzay Subzwari is a Fine Arts student.

She tweets @ShanzaySubzwari

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.

Knowing how to effectively use various technological tools to create a market that is not limited to physical boundaries has become the new key to success. Young entrepreneurs, Sidra Qasim and Waqas Ali structured their business model around the same concept and started counselling local craftsmen in their hometown Okara on how to move their business online. In the process, they ended up teaming up with a reluctant shoe-maker Muhammad Hussain and gave his handcrafted shoes a much-needed digital footprint.

In 2012, the duo launched Markhor — an online shoe brand that connects indigenous shoe-making craftsmen to global customers — but their journey was not a walk in the park. “The idea started with our small digital media company that provided assistance to people who were not familiar with technology. We would train them on how to use the internet for communication and business proposals,” recalls Ali. It was during this time that they first met Hussain who was striving to keep the craft of shoe-making alive and was convinced the internet was a dangerous tool. When they managed to finally reason with Hussain on their second visit to Okara, they did not have the finance to take the project forward and for a brief while returned to focusing on their digital media company.

Markhor shoes are made from leather and are therefore priced on the higher end. PHOTOS: MARKHOR COMPANY

Markhor’s sole focus is to build a quality brand for Pakistan that can compete internationally. PHOTOS: MARKHOR COMPANY

“When our company failed, Sidra and I took up different jobs to make money. Meanwhile, we applied for various grants and competitions as well,” shares Ali. Their big breakthrough came in September 2011 when the Pasha Fund for Social Innovation, a programme sponsored by Google Inc, awarded them $10,000. But since the money was handed in installments of $2,000 it took them a while to firmly establish themselves. “We basically launched our company at a local fast food joint. For three months we held meetings with suppliers there and in June 2012, Markhor launched its website,” adds Qasim.

The brand combines an age-old craft with modern designs to cater to a global urban clientele. All the shoes are made from leather and are therefore priced on the higher end. The ‘mark loafer’ which is made from just one piece of leather and the ‘black loafer’ which is made from full-grain cow leather both cost $235 (approximately Rs23,800). Similarly, their ‘Kaptaan Chappal’ is priced at $169 (approximately Rs17,000). “We hired a local designer and gave him an idea of what the international market demands and what works. He made sketches keeping these things in mind,” says Qasim. Initially since the designer sketched out only loafers and the shoe’s frame was designed accordingly, they invested more in tools and the raw material instead of the shoe’s design. The brand is also presently limited to shoes for men as the team strives to build a loyal clientele that can ensure a steady demand. According to the duo, women tend to switch between various brands and the project needs consistency in sales for now. So far, 60% of Markhor’s total sales have come from customers based in the United States.

Founders of the Markhor brand Sidra Qasim and Waqar Ali with a shoe-maker from Okara.  PHOTOS: MARKHOR COMPANY

Markhor is an online shoe brand that gives indigenous craftsmen a global clientele.  PHOTOS: MARKHOR COMPANY

Building a quality brand for Pakistan that can compete internationally remains the sole focus of Markhor. “Whoever buys from us knows where these craftsmen are from. It is [with their] stories and hard work that we have established this [online] community,” explains Ali. He elaborates that the project has ensured employment for a large number of local craftsmen and allowed them to polish their skills by learning new designs and techniques which is also the project’s top priority.

The company has also received further support from Plan9, one of the country’s largest technology incubator, and through its Kickstarter Campaign raised over $100, 000 in less than a month. The campaign also helped them cater to a wider clientele, which was earlier limited to just 500 individuals who knew the brand through word of mouth. “People were talking about us in the Silicon Valley which is the capitol of innovation,” says Ali. The campaign lifted his spirits and further strengthened his confidence in the brand. “Things will change slowly. People are talking about us in places we would have never thought we’d be able to reach,” says Qasim. The campaign has also helped market the brand within Pakistan.

“You have to be at the right place at the right time and it is not coincidental,” says Ali about the success of his brand. “It is all part of a God’s plan.” Although Qasim’s parents were not supportive of the venture in the beginning, they warmed up to it after witnessing their daughter’s achievements. “Starting a company is not an easy task whether you’re a man or a woman. But being a girl from a small town, I had to face a lot of challenges,” shares Qasim who belongs to a family where most of the women’s career choices were limited to teaching and she was expected to do the same. The duo who have survived against several odds is now known among their friends as the ones who never give up. Those who approach them for help are never turned away either.

Mariam Saeed Khan is presently a student of Political Sciences and Media Studies at the Lahore School of Economics.

She tweets @mariamsaeedkhan

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.

Eighty-five year old Ikramul Haque has been coming to the roundabout at Liberty Chowk, Lahore, thrice a week for the past two-and-a-half years with the same demand. He wants Jinnah’s Pakistan. The message is written boldly on a homemade placard that he holds up while sitting on a chair that he has brought with himself.

“I come here as often as I can, which is about three times a week,” he says, given of course that he is feeling well and allowed by his wife to leave the house. “She is 13 years younger than me but still takes care of me like a child,” he adds with a laugh. Passersby greet him with mixed reactions, some honking, waving or putting up a victory sign in appreciation of his efforts while others ignore him completely. Haque waves back happily at whoever acknowledges him and his message.

According to Haque, the manshoor (manifesto) by Jinnah/All India Muslim League which formed the basis for Pakistan should be revisited and implemented. “The manifesto was forgotten immediately after the creation of Pakistan, because the country became a realm of the nawabzadas (landowners),” he says. Even though [one of the things that] the manifesto declared was that all agricultural land will be nationalised, it never actually happened since the land belonged to the nawabzadas. He cites the monopoly of resources as the reason why a lot of farmers still do not own a piece of land and have to continue working for others.

Haque, who postponed his college education at the Dayal Singh College for four years in 1944 to join the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and participate in the Pakistan Movement, is deeply attached to his homeland. He also witnessed the struggle of Partition firsthand when he, along with students from Punjab University, Islamia College, Dayal Singh College and Forman Christian College travelled to help out at refugee camps in states such as Batala, Bihar, East Bengal and other parts of Punjab that were most affected by Hindu-Muslim riots. Hence, the fact that the country has not turned out the way it was initially envisioned troubles him deeply. “Roti sab ko mil gayi (everyone got food to eat). Look at the cars on the road. This is all great but this is not what we wanted,” he says. Even though Haque’s own struggle was rewarded sufficiently — he started as a junior clerk at Caltex and worked his way up to being a managing director at Pakistan State Oil from where he retired in 1988 — he feels for those who have not been equally fortunate. “The children of the poor still can’t get an education. We knew that Pakistan would not be perfect but we can at least try for it to be so.”

Hence, he comes out on the streets as often as he can to remind people of what the original plan for the country was and forces them to reflect on where they have gone wrong. “All I want is for people to read the [initial] manifesto,” he insists, adding that his efforts are not on behalf of any political ideology but as an average citizen.

As the day draws to an end, Haque folds up his chair and prepares to leave when a woman approaches him to appreciate his efforts. “We are proud of what you are doing, Sir,” she says, “and we should be ashamed of ourselves.” But the elderly optimist consoles her saying that everyone can bring about a change in their own way whenever they decide to do so. “People can ask me where I was 50 years ago and why I am doing this now,” he says. “But I am here now and all I want is Jinnah’s Pakistan.”

Ayesha Mir is a photographer for The Express Tribune Lahore desk.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.

Being constantly wired to the cell phone, laptop and Wi-Fi not only clutters the mind and affects one’s inter-personal relations but can also harm one’s health. The phenomenon of dirty electricity or electrosmog — currents in a wire generating frequencies above 2 kHz (those below 2 kHz are characterised as clean currents) — shot to limelight in 2010 when an epidemiologist investigating a California school where 16 staff members were diagnosed with 18 different types of cancers by 2005 found high levels of electrical pollution that exceeded his meter’s ability to measure them. The phenomenon has since sparked a global wave of concern with its potential health hazards, including cancer, asthma, diabetes, headaches, joint pain, sleep disorders and neurological problems.

Dirty electricity, however, is not a recent discovery. In the 1950s special clinics were set up in Moscow, Leningrad and other cities in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to study an occupational disease termed as the radio wave sickness. The patients included those who were in constant contact with electrical equipment and exposed to harmful electromagnetic fields. Many reported symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, weakness, sleep disturbance, heart palpitations, irritability, dizziness, sexual dysfunction and occasional sensitivity to sunlight which were documented in a report produced by the study. As a consequence, the first programme called the US/USSR scientific exchange was launched to further study the phenomenon.

Since then, numerous studies have been carried out on the subject of radio wave sickness. Based on a report by Dr Ollie Johnson in the Electromagnetic Biology Medicine journal, electromagnetic hypersensitivity is on the rise and by 2017, 50% of the total world population will be sensitive to electric current. The World Health Organization has already classified electromagnetic fields produced by mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic to humans. One of the first scientists to conduct studies on dirty electricity, Sam Milham, who also authored the book Dirty electricity: Electrification and the Diseases of Civilization, writes, “All the diseases of the 20^th century, which we may consider to be the so-called ‘diseases of civilisation’, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and suicide, are caused by electromagnetic radiation.”

While today’s ubiquitous technology affects almost all of us, the risks are reduced for those with the genetic or epigenetic makeup to withstand the harmful effects. Certain environmental factors can also make one less vulnerable to dirty electricity. Magda Havas, an associate professor of Environmental & Resource Studies at Trent University and a PhD graduate from the University of Toronto, has conducted a series of experiments which show that consumption of dirty electricity can lead to a rise in the blood sugar levels. One of those sampled was a 57-year-old female diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar became normal whenever she went for a walk outdoors as opposed to running on a treadmill indoors. Similarly, a 27-year-old male diagnosed with multiple sclerosis did not need a cane just a week after reducing the electrical pollution in his home. The neurological effects, however, are not limited to multiple sclerosis. Other researchers have shown that dirty electricity is also the primary cause for brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases which include Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Havas even went to the extent of testing her own blood after exposing herself to dirty electricity. After using a laptop for 70 minutes she observed her blood under a microscope and noted that the red blood cells had aggregated together in a way that deprived them of their ability to effectively oxygenate the body, leading to fatigue.

Even though there are no safety standards set on an institutional level worldwide, a number of steps can be taken on an individual level to reduce the negative effects of exposure to dirty electricity. Once the source has been identified, which could range from compact fluorescent bulbs, plasma TVs, cordless phones or wireless routers, the first instinctive reaction should be to maintain a distance from it when it is plugged in or switched on. One can further replace a cordless phone with a corded phone, use an ethernet cable for computers instead of Wi-Fi and maintain a minimum two centimetre distance from the mobile phone whilst receiving a call. Further, installing the Graham-Stetzer filter, which removes or reduces high-frequency pollutants from electrical wiring, can be highly effective in minimising the health risks. According to Dr Havas, “It is important to help people who have developed this electrical sensitivity. We need to have wireless free zones. We need to protect children in schools who are at an increased risk from electromagnetic hypersensitivity and antennas need to be kept away from communities.” The power to contain electrical pollution therefore lies in our own hands.

Zohaib Amjad is a scientist with a major in Biology. He tweets @infecuni

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 14^th, 2014.