KARACHI: Eidul Azha was celebrated across Pakistan today with religious fervour and enthusiasm.

The day began with special prayers in mosques for the peace and progress of Pakistan and the Muslim Umma. People flocked to mosques in droves to offer Eid prayers, where religious scholars highlighted the significance of the occasion in their sermons.

Large congregations of worshippers gathered for Eid prayers at Islamabad's Faisal Mosque and Lahore's Badshahi Mosque. After offering Eid prayers, the faithful sacrificed animals to mark the 10th of Zilhaj.

Eidul Azha or the Festival of Sacrifice celebrates the end of the Haj pilgrimage to Makkah and commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's (A.S.) readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God.

Eid celebrations had kicked off in parts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa on Thursday, while partial Eid was observed in other parts of the province, Dawn newspaper reported.

However, most of the country will celebrate Eid on Friday in line with the announcement of the central moon-sighting body, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

The federal and provincial governments chalked out elaborate security arrangements across the country on the occasion to ward off untoward incidents, Radio Pakistan reported.

Civic authorities in different cities and towns also made special arrangements for the disposal of offal and other waste generated during the slaughter of animals across the country.

On the occasion of Eid, President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif extended Eid greetings to the nation and urged Pakistanis to share the joys of Eid with the poor and under-privileged.

The president asked people to remember the sacrifices of the armed forces fighting terrorism. PM Nawaz encouraged the masses to "rise above personal, sectarian, and party interests" in order to eliminate extremism.

President Mamnoon Hussain offered Eid prayers at the State Guest House in Karachi, after which he exchanged greetings with fellow worshippers.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged the nation to rise above personal, sectarian and party interests to get rid of extremist approaches.

“We should work on converging our spirits of sacrifice towards the unity of nation and Muslim community world over. This is the basis of Islamic teachings,” the prime minister said in his message to the nation on Eidul Azha.

“If we devote our intent of sacrifice on true objectives, this would promote mutual harmony, brotherhood, tolerance and equilibrium in our lives.”

Mr Sharif felicitated the countrymen and all Muslims on the festival.

“We are grateful to Allah Almighty who blessed us with this auspicious eve yet for another time. I pray that may these happy moments come over and over again in your lives. Aameen,” he said.

Eidul Azha is a day of remembrance of the obedience of Hazrat Ibrahim and the reverence of Hazrat Ismael when they set an extraordinary example of sacrifice and selflessness, the premier said.

He said Islam regarded this act of submission to Allah an obligatory practice for affluent Muslims.

“Sacrifice means devoting one’s self for upholding high moral values.”

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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UNITED NATIONS: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, on Friday encouraged the leaders of Pakistan and India to meet and resolve their outstanding issues through dialogue, according a report on Radio Pakistan.

This was stated by UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric while responding to a question at a UN briefing.

He added that UN’s General Assembly session has always provided an occasion for leaders to talk to each other and sort the issues facing their countries.

Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif departed for the United States (US) to attend the 70th Session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The premier will address the UNGA on September 30 besides addressing the plenary meeting of General Assembly for adoption of the post-2015 Development Agenda.

In last year’s session, Prime Minister Sharif drew attention towards climatic change and its affects in Pakistan besides repeating the country’s resolve to fight home grown terror and Pakistan Army’s sacrifices in the global anti-terror war.

Sharif had also laid stress upon Pakistan’s desire to improve relations with its neighbours Afghanistan and rival India.

Tensions between the two countries mounted after national security adviser level talks were called off in August as India refused to discuss Kashmir during the meeting.

Talking at a foreign ministers’ forum earlier this month, Prime Minister’s adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan has “already prepared, evidence of Indian interference and subversive activities across the border and will present a dossier at the United Nations.

Aziz added that the copies of the dossier will also be handed over to Indian authorities.

Earlier in September, Pakistan had urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to “take notice” of the escalating incidents of firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region and along the Working Boundary in which a large number of civilians have been killed and injured.

PESHAWAR: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Friday celebrated Eid with troops in Khyber Agency, according to a tweet by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa.

The army chief also offered Eidul Azha prayers with Pakistan Army troops based in the tribal agency.

General Raheel Sharif was also briefed on the ongoing operations in the region and commended the troops present for the sacrifices that they have rendered, said a tweet from ISPR.

“The entire nation is with the armed forces in our fight against terrorism and we will defeat all enemies, whether foreign or domestic,” said General Raheel Sharif on the occasion.

The army chief also added that the entire nation should stay united in order to prevent any organised activity by enemies of Pakistan.

The army chief also emphasised the need to prevent terrorists from establishing bases across the border and infiltrating into Pakistan, added DG ISPR.

The statement comes a day after General Raheel Sharif visited the Line of Control (LoC) on the eve of Eidul Azha and said that ceasefire violations by India ware unsuccessful attempts to distract Pakistan from the fight against terrorism.

The army chief had also added that the army was battle hardened, had successfully handled two kinds of military operations and was capable of defending every inch of the country.

General Raheel Sharif has set the tradition of spending Eid with troops involved in operations. He had spent earlier Eids with troops in Waziristan and it was the first time that he had travelled to the LoC for the occasion.

PESHAWAR: People in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata in general and Pakhtuns in particular have a good taste for traditional foods and beverages. The traditional barbecue ‘wreeta’ (grilled meat) is one of the most popular traditional tribal foods. It has, in recent years, gained a widespread popularity. Its recipe is very simple; all that one needs is fresh ram meat and salt.

“I am from Attock, and have come along with my family to Namak Mandi, Peshawar, only to enjoy the grilled meat which I found very delicious. Although it is available in our city too, the taste of this one is quite different,” Ramzan Niazi told Dawn.

Interestingly, no spices are added to it. However, lemon water if sprinkled could enhance its taste. Hardly a friend or family’s trip completes without enjoying ‘wreeta’ barbecue in open air. Tribal people offer ram as gift to their guests and on most occasions rams are slaughtered and grilled over simmering charcoals.

“Special arrangements are made for ‘wreeta’ barbecues on Eidul Azha as fresh meat is available almost everywhere. Casual visitors and people in general during Eid holidays store enough fresh meat for ‘wreeta’ in their deep freezers and most young people take a big chunk of it along to picnic resorts where they relish the barbecue. The smell and taste are two things that make ‘wreeta’ so unique,” Mohammad Ilyas, a foodie, said.

“Meat is roasted, cooked, grilled and enjoyed in different ways. The traditional tribal ‘wreeta’ has gained a widespread popularity as dining out without it remains not only incomplete but also tasteless,” a foodie, Sadaqat Hussain, opined. He said that he liked the very smell of ‘wreeta’ barbecue attracting people from a distance.

Abdur Razaq, a ‘wreeta’ barbecue expert from Mohmand Agency in Namak Mandi told Dawn, “Three decades ago, I had introduced ‘wreeta’ barbecues in a Dubai five-star restaurant. Now it is available everywhere in the world. It does not involve any great technique. But preparing a tasty traditional wreeta barbecue still needs an expert’s hand,” he added. He said that one steel bar needed a half kg of meat and could be sufficient for a not so foodie person.

He said that most people called it ‘Da Shinwaru tikkay’ (Shinwari’s barbecues). He said that the best ‘wreeta’ restaurants in Peshawar were located on the Ring road, University Road, Tehkal Bala, University Town, Arbab Road, Hayatabad Chowk and Karkhano Market. The ‘wreeta’, he said, was served with raita, salad, and tandoori roti and it was followed by green tea. He said that patty tikkay ‘wrapped pieces of grilled liver’ was another specialty of tribal food.

“The uncut liver of ram is wrapped round a bar and put on charcoals for about 30 minutes. After removing it from charcoals, it is cut into pieces of suitable round size and then each piece is wrapped by strap of dried fat and is again put on the burning charcoals for around 10 minutes. The water is soaked out and patty tikkyay are ready,” he explained.

Shiraz Shah, another ‘wreeta’ expert in Namak Mandi, Peshawar Food Street, told this scribe that this tasty food had its origin somewhere in tribal areas centuries ago and gradually travelled to other areas and people. He said that Shinwari, Afridi and Mohmand Pakhtun tribes in Fata had expertise in making tasty ‘wreeta’ barbecues. He said that it normally took 40 minutes to get it grilled on a steel fire grate with burning charcoals.

“When I was young, there were only five ‘wreeta’ barbecue restaurants in Namak Mandi. Now there are 35 open roadside restaurants and their number is increasing since it has become the most frequented food street of Peshawar city. Visitors not only enjoy eating ‘wreeta’ barbecue here but also place orders for their home packing. Barbecues could be made of meat of calf, goat, cow, chicken and buffalo, but meat of the one-year-old ram is considered ideal for typical tribal ‘wreeta’ barbecues,” Mr Shah elaborated.

He said that the meat of ram especially those reared in the plain areas of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tasted more delicious than the ones reared in mountainous regions. He said that the meat of ram of plain areas was soft and had a natural taste.

Rajuddin Khan Shinwari, 65, a resident of Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency, runs his own ‘wreeta’ barbecue restaurant on the Ring Road. He, while explaining the process of preparing the barbecue, said that a three-foot long steel bar was required to wrap pieces of ram meat around it. He said that one bar should have 10 to 15 pieces of meat. He added that care should be taken that a steel bar should carry pieces of pure red meat and the greasy ones in adequate number.

“ Now, the bars laden with meat pieces should be put on burning charcoals for 6 to 10 minutes and after turning reddish, these should be sprinkled with light salt. There should be a space of at least two inches between the charcoals and bars to avoid over-grilling. Eating over-grilled ‘wreeta’ may cause heartburn. The grate should be occasionally fanned with a hand fan and also bars should be removed time and again from burning charcoals to check them for over-grilling at some points. Pieces of meat should be reshuffled to ensure perfect grilling,” the master wreeta-maker stated.

He said that after meat pieces on bars turned reddish and the moister soaked, the bars should be unwrapped and the grilled meat pieces kept in an empty cauldron. The cauldron should be put on charcoals for a brief time to get the remaining moister soaked out of it. And, finally the tasty wreeta barbecue is ready to be served, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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In the history of Lahore, which carbon-dating from the Lahore Fort tells us was functioning in the year 2,500BC, what did the city look like after the Afghan invader Mahmood flattened it in the year 1021AD?

This is a question that will one day be answered by scholars of Lahore, and will hopefully add to our understanding of how the walled city evolved over time. This piece is an attempt to understand the building blocks as we understand them today.

Over the last 1,000 years the city has had three major rulers who have contributed more to defining the walled city than anyone else. These three persons are the Hindu Shahi ruler Raja Jaipal (964-1,001AD), the Moghal emperor Akbar (1542-1605) and the Sikh ruler Maharajah Ranjit Singh (1780-1839). Under these rulers Lahore expanded and was at its most prosperous.

Between Raja Jaipal, who committed ‘Johar’ outside Mori Gate at the southern side, to Maharajah Ranjit Singh, who was cremated outside the northern end, we have three major rebuilding efforts of the city.

There were certainly others who contributed, more so damage control after invasions or strife, but never on the scale that these three great rulers did.

Let us start this exercise so as to understand what the city looked like when the Afghans struck Jaipal. Just to clarify that this great ruler’s empire stretched from Kashmir to Multan and from the Sutlej to Kabul. His initial capital was Peshawar, and when he lost that to the Afghans he removed the local Lahore ruler Raja Bharat, who had conspired to assist Mahmood, and rebuilt Lahore and made it his capital.

Our understanding of the walled city is best served if we follow two major markers. Firstly, are the ‘ghattis’ over where once stood the outer walls. Secondly, is the terrain of the mounds inside the city. The ‘ghattis’ determine the outer perimeter, and the mounds inside determine the street positions.

Let us follow three alignments inside the walled city which have developed because of the mounds. Firstly, if we observe Waachowali Bazaar we see it emerge from the curvature of Gali Pir Bola. This is a major mound. Next, and by far the most important, is Suttar Mandi inside Lohari Gate. Just follow Mohallah Challaywala Hammam in Maachi Hatta Guzar onto Chowk Chakla, the original ‘red light’ area of the city, and on to Lohari Mandi.

From this emerges a third mound of Chowk Mati as it moves and merges with Paapar Mandi. At this point we have the oldest gateway of Lahore, the Lohari Gate, and inside immediately we have Mohallah Maullian, probably where the very first city of Lahore, then called Lohar Kot, with the mohallah probably termed as ‘kacha kot’ if we are to believe H.P. Blavotsky’s Glossary of Sanskrit words. Mind you the over-riding fact remains that the slope of the land when seen from the Lahore Fort is that the gradient lowers as we head southwards, for the river flows because of this gradient.

Around these mounds Lahore had come about thousands of years earlier, a safe place when the raging Ravi flooded the plains every year. Raja Jaipal reinforced and thickened the outer walls. If you walk along Bazaar Hakeeman you will notice, to the east, a ‘ghatti’ running all the way to Chowk Hira Mandi. If you enter Shahalami Bazaar you will see a ‘ghatti’ to the west all the way near Chowk Rang Mahal. This was the outer perimeter and where the walls once stood.

So what did the walled city look like then? Research tells us that it only had two gates (or maybe three) and a ‘mori’. First, the ‘mori’. Lahore was then a pure Hindu city. Before the Hindus took over it was a Buddhist, as well as a Jain city, and we have enough clues that tell us that Gautam Buddha also visited the city on his way to the Taxila University, then the centre of the Harappa Civilisation.

Who built the ‘Mori’ of Lahore? The answer to this lies in the Hindu rite of cremation of their dead. Cremation was not part of the initial Harappan people, for their dead were buried along with food and pots and pans for the ‘next world’. The emergence of the belief that souls returns in new shapes and life-forms led to cremation as a way of life. This is true of other civilisations too. Hence the need for a special gateway out of the walled city.

Logic tells us that this ‘mori’ was an addition to the mud-walled city with the emergence of the Hindu faith. Mind you Hinduism is an evolving religion, and it might come as a surprise (with no disrespect intended) that human burial, and cow meat-eating to celebrate marriages, was the norm in the very initial period of its evolution.

The Rig Vedas have described these major changes in some detail, which came about with the creation of castes, a sort of vegetarian Aryan feudalism.

The initial ‘mori’, so accounts tell us, was barely four or five feet in height (nine hand lengths). In the grounds outside Mori Gate the dead of Lahore were cremated and their ashes consigned to the Ravi. It was here that Raja Jaipal committed ‘johar’ as a mark of honour over his failure to stop the Afghan hordes of Mahmood. So we can assume, safely, that this ‘mori’ is not more than 2,000 years old.

The walls of Lahore had just one gateway to the south, and that being Lohari Gate. Experts believe that this is the city’s oldest gateway, probably over 4,500 years old. The wall to the west always was without a gate, and went on to curve and meet the northern gate. We must understand that the wall turned in before where today stands Taxali Gate. It passed where today stands Paniwalla Talab and immediately curved in to the east of today’s Shahalami Bazaar.

The ‘ghatti’ to the east of the bazaar is ample proof of this, for under it lays the foundations of that original mud wall.

This means that all the gateways to the east of Lohari Gate did not exist, except for Delhi Gate which was not in its present position, but was located at the north-eastern tip, which also saw the road from the west, or from present-day Sheikhupura, join it as it headed towards Delhi. Hence we see Lahore with just two gateways.

But then this gives rise to the question of how did the rulers living in the fort enter the walled city. Here we have two possibilities. One being that they used the north-eastern gateway because the river enveloped both the fort and the walled city, and it makes sense, at least for a much smaller Lahore, to have the minimum of outlets. The other possibility, and one that a lot of researchers ascribe to, is that a third gateway existed where today stands Chowk Tibbi.

By this account we have gateways to the south and to the north-east and north-west tips. What their names were I will not venture to say, at least not till research educates us.

We know from several accounts that Malik Ayaz, the slave Governor of Mahmood, was buried outside the city walls. That grave today is in the middle of Chowk Rang Mahal.

To learn about our past there is a lot of archaeological work needed inside the walled city to uncover our real history. Maybe once we have crossed the point where scholarship matters more, like our Harappan heritage, we will be able to see what the Lahore of Raja Jaipal was really like.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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Ghulam Hussain Guddu

A promising visual artist, Ghulam Hussain Guddu, was born to a family of artisans making carved and decorated furniture, commissioned by rich families in Sindh.

He remembers watching his father weaving colourful beds meant for the newlyweds as a child.

The weaving patterns that would emerge were very fascinating for a schoolboy who would keep on watching that ‘magic’ with great enthusiasm.

But he was kept away from the traditional craft intentionally so that he could focus on his studies.

“My father wanted me to excel in studies and get a good job, but I was an average student, more interested in drawing than books.

“Inspired by my elder brother Muhammad Rafique, who is an artist and art teacher, I used to draw regularly,” he vividly recalls.

After learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting from his elder brother, he joined the National College of Arts to do his major in the miniature painting.

“While doing a class assignment in the second year, I thought of employing the traditional craft of weaving to create visuals.

“During summer vacation, I went to Sukkur to learn the skills of weaving from an old lady, making floor mats using date palm leaves,” he recalls.

He learnt the basic technique in a couple of weeks but kept in touch with this artisan for more than a year to master the details.

For more than last eight years he has been practising this indigenous craft to create contemporary visuals.

The first body of work he created was weaved old film posters. He fused the film images in such a way that the real faces disappeared, still depicting the growing culture of violence in society.

Soon he ran short of old film posters and started using printed images from magazines to create new works.

With one solo and a good number of group shows in Pakistan to his credit, his works also got selected and displayed at some major art galleries abroad.

Selection of his works by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund for a group show at Chashama Art Gallery, New York, in 2013 opened up new dimensions to his creative ventures.

“During my visit to New York, I spent maximum time seeing the works of master painters. I relate myself with the works of Piet Mondrian.

“The squares, rectangles and the stripes weaved together attracted me a lot,” he said.

Inspired by this experience, he has been creating a body of work titled ‘Dialogue with Piet Mondrian’, to be displayed in a solo show, for the last couple of years.

He is also running a small studio to teach aspiring young artists, besides working for an art gallery as an archives assistant.

The features of human faces started disappearing gradually from his visuals and they are turning into a combination of simple geometric shapes. In most of his works, he has left a small area of paper sheet to define the origin of material he is playing with.

It seems he weaves his visuals with keen labour and then works further to conceal his effort, through synchronisation perhaps till the image is rendered humble, effortless and minimal.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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Some two months ago while driving over the recently erected Clifton Flyover in Karachi, a good part of which runs past the shrine of Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi, I thought I saw a malang (spiritual vagabond) whom I once knew.

He was lying on the footpath situated on the right of where the flyover ends. I slowed down the car to take a closer look and indeed it was him, even though he must now be in his 70s. I hadn’t seen him for over 23 years, but remembered well his face and, especially, his name: Khassu.

I pulled the car nearer to the footpath on which he was blissfully taking a nap. I rolled down the car window and shouted, ‘Khassu! Khassu!’

But Khassu just wouldn’t respond. I tried to park my car beside the footpath so I could get down, but a stream of vehicles had begun to pile behind my car, with their drivers honking like their lives depended on using their car horns in the most deranged manner possible.

In this city, there are stories hidden in every street corner

I instinctively turned left towards the centre of the road and drove away. A week or so later, I did go looking for Khassu again but he was nowhere to be found.

Until about 1995, there used to be a block of apartments just behind the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine. The apartments were built in the 1960s and had a huge parking lot. Some friends of mine and I often went to play cricket there. This was between the early 1980s and early 1990s.

The apartments began being torn down after 1995 and today a massive building is being constructed on the plot by real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz.

In the late 1980s my friends and I would frequently visit the Shah Ghazi shrine (mostly out of curiosity), especially on Thursday evenings when a concert of qawwali used to be held there. I wonder if they are still held there now, but till the early 1990s, qawwalis were a regular fixture at the shrine every Thursday evening from 10 pm till midnight.

Here is where we first met Khassu. I think it was some time in 1987. We had just entered our 20s. Khassu was there, always in a green flowing kurta, a multicoloured fakir cap, greying stubble and lots of metallic bangles on his wrists.

He never spoke a word, unless he was at the qawwali (which he usually was). As the music and the chanting would start to reach a swirling climax, Khassu would spring to his bare feet and begin a fascinating, anarchic dance (dhamaal); all the while shouting ‘haq, haq, haq Allah!’ After the qawwali he would immediately retreat back into his forlorn usual state.

One day a friend of mine asked another malang what Khassu’s story was. He told us that Khassu was left at the gate of the shrine when he was a child (that must be some time in the late 1950s). He’d been living here ever since.

The malang told us that Khassu was not always this quiet (or sad). Then a most remarkable story followed. He said, ‘Khassu is waiting.’

Waiting for what? ‘For Cooler Saab …’ he replied. He actually meant Colour Saab.

Who was Cooler Saab? From Urdu, the malang suddenly switched to speaking in Punjabi: ‘Cooler Saab was a dear friend (of the vagabonds of the shrine). Especially of Khassu. Khassu still waits for him.’

Where did Cooler Saab go? ‘To his maker, the Almighty,’ the malang told us.

So why was Khassu still waiting for him? ‘Cooler Saab told him he will be back to finish a draaing (drawing) he was making for Khassu,’ the malang explained. ‘But he never came back. We heard he had died. But Khaasu never believed it. He is still waiting for him.’

Over the next few months we discovered that Cooler Saab was none other than one of Pakistan’s foremost painters, Ahmad Parvez. Parvez had passed away in 1979.

Born in Rawalpindi, Parvez began his career as a painter at the Punjab University. A restless soul, he soon moved to London in 1955.

In the late 1960s he returned to Pakistan and moved to Karachi. Across the 1970s he rose to become one of the country’s premier artists and a huge influence on the then thriving art scene of the city.

In spite of being surrounded by admirers, Parvez remained to be a restive and impatient soul, never satisfied.

His lifestyle became increasingly erratic. Nonchalant about being hailed as a genius by art critics in the UK, US and Pakistan and able to sell his work easily, a contemporary noted that Parvez treated money ‘as if he hated it’.

Art critic Salwat Ali in a profile of Parvez (in Dawn) wrote that Parvez ‘was given to rampages and turbulent interactions.’ Deputy Editor of Global Post and art critic, Mariya Karimjee, informs her readers that ‘in the 1970s, Ahmed Parvez, one of the country’s most revered artists, was a frequent visitor to the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, and could often be seen there with a lit blunt (hashish joint) in hand’.

Critics and contemporaries of Parvez suggest that most of the money that he made was spent on alcohol. Sick of the company he was attracting, he began frequenting various Sufi shrines of Karachi. He became a regular visitor at Karachi’s Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine.

Art critic, Zubaida Agha, in an essay on Ahmed Parvez writes that the more fame Parvez gathered, the more erratic and ‘unhealthy’ his lifestyle became.

By the late 1970s he was almost permanently staying on the grounds of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine. This is when he must have struck a friendship with Khassu.

A Lahore-based artist, Maqbool Ahmed, who was a student at the Lahore College of Arts in the late 1970s, told me how he came to Karachi to meet his idol, Ahmed Parvez, but was shocked at what he saw: ‘This was 1978. Parvez was a mess. He didn’t even acknowledge my praise and presence. He was an extremely troubled man, but no one seemed to understand why this was.’

Maqbool said Parvez could have made millions (of rupees): ‘He did make some money but it seemed he wasn’t interested. He behaved as if he was selling his soul to people who had no clue what his art was all about.’ Maqbool then wondered, ‘perhaps it was this guilt that drove him into the hands of the homeless malangs?’

Even when the government bestowed upon him the prestigious Pride of Performance Award, Parvez continued with his distressed lifestyle. And then it happened. And no one was surprised.

In 1979, he suddenly collapsed and was found dead in a room that he had rented at the now-defunt Bombay Hotel, near I.I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi.)

Lamenting Parvez’s self-imposed isolation and destructive lifestyle, an art critic writing for Dawn in 1979 added that ‘Ahmed Parvez still had another 20 years of genius left in him. But then perhaps, it was this genius that so tragically sealed his fate as well’.

I now know that his friend, Khassu, at the shrine, is still alive. Though he was asleep when I last saw him, it did seem he was still waiting for Cooler Saab. And for that ‘draaing’ he was promised, now 36 years ago.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 25th, 2015

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PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which rules the centre, seems to have lost ground to opponents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to lack of attention on part of central leadership towards its re-organisation.

The party’s poor performance in the recent local government elections in the province is enough to bear out the notion.

Most PML-N office-bearers complain the central leadership doesn’t meet them or call them to functions at the central level.

Lately, Rehmat Salam Khattak resigned as PML-N provincial general secretary for being ignored by the leadership though he cited personal reasons for the move. The office is vacant.

At least 20 provincial office-bearers are ready to resign in protest if the party’s leadership did not pay attention to the problems faced by workers in the province.

Activists say central leadership not bothered about party’s reorganisation

Many of them told Dawn that they were unable to answer questions of workers why the federal ministers belonging to their party didn’t give them time to know about their problems and ensure their resolution.

An insider said PML-N provincial president Pir Sabir Shah was also not given ‘due attention’ by the leadership though he always remained loyal to the party and never protested.

He said the PML-N leadership had focused only on the party’s strengthening in Hazara division and thus, ignoring Pakhtun belt.

The main reason for it is that many party leaders having say in the federal government, including Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Capt (r) Mohammad Safdar, provincial governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, religious affairs minister Sardar Yousaf, National Assembly deputy speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Senator Gen (r) Salahuddin Tirmazi, belong to Hazara.

On the other hand, Pakhtun belt has no such leader.

However, Engineer Amir Muqam, adviser to the prime minister, is an exception as he is actively working for the party in the province.

Leading the campaign, he helped the party win local government elections in home district, Shangla, as well as Swat.

A PML-N leader said changes to the original plan of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were enough to prove that the Pakhtun belt was neglected in the project and that such moves would damage the party.

When contacted, PML-N provincial vice president, Waqif Khan, said the party’s central leadership had totally ignored workers in the province and thus causing unrest among them.

Accusing the party’s central leadership of ignoring workers in the province, he warned workers were ready to launch a protest campaign after Eidul Azha for the workers’ rights in order to save the party in the province.

Waqif Khan said PML-N activists were joining political parties in a state of disappointment as no one was there to pay attention to their problems and that the party was passing through a very crucial period in the province.

He said central leaders of all other parties took active part in functions and meetings and thus encouraging workers but the PML-N totally ignored its people over few years.

The PML-N leader asked central leadership to form a committee to meet workers and make a comprehensive report regarding those rendering sacrifices for the party saying this will help discourage time-servers and save party from further destruction.

He said if prompt attention was not given to the party in KP, then it would be unable to succeed in future elections.

PML-N Peshawar district president Abdul Sattar Khalil too insisted the situation for party was worsening in the province due to lack of interest on part of the central leadership.

He said he had repeatedly tried to develop liaison between workers and leadership but failed.

“I have been serving the party for around three decades and have suffered financially and faced at the time when the leadership was in exile but never served personal interests,” he said.

Khalil said PML-N was in the power and it was time that the leadership focus on the party’s re-organisation in the province, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said leadership had no proper contact with party’s office-bearers in different districts of the province and therefore, the party lost the last general elections and recent local body elections as well.

“The party has focused attention only on Hazara division and ignored Pakhtun belt for unidentified reasons. We have time and again requested central leadership to take corrective measures and take workers into confidence but to no avail,” he complained.

Khalil complained all political parties were giving importance to district level organisations but t he PML-N was least bothered about doing so and as a result, its senior activists and leaders were quitting.

He said the officials of federal government ministries didn’t pay attention to the problems of PML-N activists in the province causing unrest among them.

Khalil said workers loved Nawaz Sharif but he too should direct ministers to ensure early resolution of the workers’ problems.

Pir Sabir Shah was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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LAHORE: Strict regulations and enhanced punishments await meat sellers found selling meat of sick, underage and female animals in Punjab soon after Eidul Azha.

Those found selling meat of animals considered haram (prohibited) in Islam will also be taken to task under the Punjab Animals Slaughter Control Act 1963 which the government intends to amend because of its outdated punishments like just one-month imprisonment or fine up to Rs200.

The provincial government has already banned slaughtering of female animals to ensure breeding of sheep, goat, cows and buffaloes.

According to details available with Dawn, the law is being amended to provide for a system of more effective regulation, monitoring and control of slaughtering of animals and their sale.

Sellers of sick, dead animals meat to face eight years jail, Rs0.5m fine

The amendments will make slaughtering of female goat, sheep and calf under certain ages illegal. It will disallow sale of meat of sick, dead or haram animals. Unstamped meat will also be considered illegal.

They will also make it mandatory for those dealing in or processing skins and hides of dead or haram animals to keep a record of their procurements and supplies and allow inspection of the record. The amendments will make violation of the law non-bailable offence.

Those found selling meat of a haram animal or of an animal which died of, or has suffered from, contagious diseases or has been poisoned to death, or died because of gunshot wound or electrocution will be awarded up to eight years imprisonment which shall not be less than four years, and fine up to Rs500,000 fine which shall not be less than Rs300,000.

Unstamped meat, and of underage or specified female animals will be liable to (on first conviction) up to six-month imprisonment which shall not be less than 15 days and with up to Rs100,000 fine which shall not be less than Rs25,000.

The second conviction will lead to up to one-year jail term which shall not be less than one month and with up to Rs200,000 fine which shall not be less than Rs100,000.

The third conviction would mean up to two years imprisonment which shall not be less than six months and with Rs500,000 fine which shall not be less than Rs200,000.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2015

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NEW YORK: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met the chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, on Saturday in New York – where the latter lauded Pakistan's efforts to wipe out the crippling poliovirus from the country.

They discussed Pakistan's efforts in bringing about positive changes in the fields of education and health to provide better facilities to the common man.

The premier renewed his commitment to further focus on the improvement of health and education sectors, and said only 32 cases of polio had been recorded this year so far, as opposed to 396 cases in the preceding year.

Nawaz Sharif thanked and appreciated Bill Gates for his efforts to eradicate polio, and for pursuing other health and social projects in Pakistan.

In-depth: Lost — The battle against polio.

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in New York Saturday to lead the Pakistan delegation at the 70th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, where he will address at five important events, spelling out Pakistan's foreign policy agenda and stance on global issues.

The premier was received at John F. Kennedy International Airport by Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani, and senior officials of the Pakistani mission.

Prime Minister Sharif's delegation includes Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz.

Dr Lodhi told reporters that the prime minister has a hectic schedule during his stay in the US.

She said around 160 world leaders are scheduled to attend this year's UNGA session coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the UN. She termed it a historical event, adding that it would be a vital opportunity to put Pakistan's stance on world stage.

Dr Lodhi said around 90 per cent of the world's leaders would be attending the event and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had a number of bilateral meetings lined up.

Also read: No meeting scheduled for Nawaz and Modi at UNGA

The prime minister will address the UNGA on September 30 and will articulate the government's vision of a peaceful neighbourhood and economic development, and share with the world community Pakistan's position and priorities on key international and regional issues.

During his stay at New York from Sept 25 to 30, Nawaz will address the UN Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The comprehensive and transformative agenda comprising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) sets a new global development framework for the next 15 years, replacing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The prime minister will also participate in a high-level roundtable on South-South Cooperation, and the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, being hosted by President Xi Jinping of China.

The premier during his speeches at different events will stress Pakistan's continuing strong role and engagement with the UN and the international community to promote collective responses to the multifaceted challenges of global peace, security and development.

Pakistan and Kuwait to increase cooperation

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz on Saturday met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the sidelines of the UNGA, with both sides agreeing to increase cooperation in counterterrorism and to promote Kuwaiti investment in Pakistan.

The two envoys reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation and identified scope of improvement in areas of counterterrorism and defence cooperation.

Foreign minister Al-Sabah, who is the chairman of the Kuwait Fund, expressed his keen interest in utilising this instrument for future investments and projects in Pakistan. In this regard, the two sides decided to explore possible areas of cooperation, particularly in the sectors of health and education.

On the occasion, Sartaj Aziz highlighted the problems faced by Pakistani nationals from the visa regime instituted by the Kuwaiti Government. The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister promised to address the issue.

Sabah also appreciated the role of skilled and semi-skilled labour force from Pakistan which has contributed in the development of Kuwait.

LAGOS: As Nigeria celebrates news that polio is no longer an endemic in the West African country, Pakistan and its war-battered neighbour Afghanistan remain the only two countries where the disease is prevalent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Nigeria and Africa as a whole are now closer to being certified polio-free. It warned polio remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan and that as long as the disease exists anywhere "it's a threat to children everywhere".

Polio which can cause life-long paralysis can be prevented with a simple vaccination.

"It's a great moment for Nigeria," Dr. Tunji Funsho, chairman of Rotary International's anti-polio campaign in Nigeria, told The Associated Press. "We should celebrate but with a caveat that we should not let our guard down." He attributed the success to teamwork between government and non-governmental health organisations.

Nigeria's main goal now is maintain vigilance to make sure that Nigeria has no new polio cases in the next two years so that the WHO can declare Nigeria a polio-free country, Dr. Funsho said. "Until that happens we are not out of the woods yet," he said.

Once stigmatised as the world's polio epicentre, Nigeria in late July celebrated its first year with no reported case of the crippling disease, having overcome obstacles ranging from religious extremists who assassinated vaccinators to rumours the vaccine was a plot to sterilise Muslims.

Just 20 years ago this West African nation was recording 1,000 polio cases a year ─ the highest in the world.

The last recorded case of a child paralysed by the wild polio virus endemic in Nigeria's impoverished and mainly Muslim north was on July 24, 2014.

Also read: Bill Gates lauds Pakistan's efforts to eradicate polio

MAKKAH: At least nine Pakistani pilgrims were confirmed dead while 17 are reported injured after the stampede that killed more than 700 in Mina outside the holy city of Makkah on Thursday.

According to a report published on Radio Pakistan website, the deceased persons include Hafsa Shoaib, Zarin Naseem, Syeda Narjis Shahnaz, Bibi Zainab, Mahmood Arshad, Rasheedan Bibi, Zahid Gul, Dr. Ameer Ali Lashari and Makhdoomzada Syed Asad Murtaza Gillani.

On the other hand, out of seventeen Pakistani pilgrims who received injuries during the tragedy, ten have been discharged from hospitals, while the remaining seven are receiving medical aid in Mina ul Wadi Hospital, Mina Dispensary No. 5 or Al-Noor Hospital.

Details of Pakistanis confirmed dead in the Mina stampede. — Courtesy: Radio Pakistan

Details of Pakistani pilgrims injured in Mina stampede. — Courtesy: Radio Pakistan

Pakistanis wishing to inquire about their loved ones are advised to call emergency helpline numbers 00966125458000 and 0096612527753.

Related Karachi pilgrims narrate horror of Mina stampede

Foreign toll in the Mina stampede

Saudi authorities have yet to provide a breakdown of the nationalities of the 717 pilgrims killed in the deadly stampede, but several foreign countries have announced the deaths of nationals. Here is the toll given by foreign officials and media so far:

• Algeria: 4 dead

• Benin: deaths confirmed but number unspecified

• Burundi: 1 dead

• Cameroon: at least 20 dead

• Chad: 11 dead

• Egypt: 14 dead

• India: 14 dead

• Indonesia: 3 dead

• Iran: 131 dead

• Kenya: 3 dead

• Morocco: 87 dead, according to Moroccan media

• Netherlands: 1 dead

• Niger: at least 19 dead

• Nigeria: 3 dead

• Senegal: 5 dead

• Somalia: 8 dead, according to media reports

• Tanzania: 4 dead

At least 717 pilgrims were killed while 863 were injured on Thursday in a stampede at Mina where some two million people are performing Haj.

It is the worst disaster to strike the annual pilgrimage in 25 years.

The tragedy occurred when two large groups of pilgrims arrived together at a crossroads on their way to performing the symbolic stoning of the devil, the Saudi civil defence directorate said.

Soon after the incident, Saudi King Salman had said that he had ordered a review of the kingdom's plans for the annual Haj pilgrimage.

King Salman, speaking in a live speech broadcast by Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television, said he had asked for a swift investigation into what he described as a painful incident.

Also read: Witnesses blame Saudi officials for Haj horror

KARACHI: Pakistan Rangers Sindh apprehended a suspected target killer Rehan alias Behari during a targeted raid Friday in Surjani Town area of Karachi, according to a press release issued by the paramilitary force.

The press release said that the suspect is a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) sector incharge and has confessed his involvement in incidents of target killing, snatching hides of sacrificial animals and extortion.

Rehan was heading a number of target killing teams in his town which killed police officers and people of rival political parties, said the press release

The suspect is also involved in collecting donations by force, snatching hides of sacrificial animals and land grabbing, said the release.

Related: Karachi Operation: Crime down but sleeper cells still exist

Rangers personnel had also arrested a suspected murderer from Taiser town area of Karachi on Wednesday.

The statement issued by the Rangers spokesman after the arrest said that the suspect Muhammad Ashiq affiliated with MQM confessed killing party leader Manzar Imam and his guards on January 17, 2013.

Ashiq was also involved in killing 12 other individuals from rival political parties, said the statement, adding that the suspect would dump dead bodies of his victims using a Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation (KKF) ambulance.

The deployment of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in Karachi is requisitioned under Article 147 of the Constitution, and under Clause 1 of Sub-section 3 of Section 4 of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, authorised to prevent the commission of terrorist acts, or scheduled offences in notified area for the punishment of terrorist in accordance with the provision of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Called in 1989 to assist the police in Karachi by the then PPP-led government amid a deteriorating law and order situation, the Rangers started enjoying more powers in 2009 — again extended by PPP-led governments both in the centre and the province, which allowed the force to search houses and arrest suspects without warrants.

Also Read Sindh governor lavishes praise on Rangers-led operation in Karachi

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