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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

(<>_<>)*Batti Baal ke banere utte rakhni aan *(<>_<>)

Batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan
Gali bhull naa jave chan mera,
Haye ni,batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan.

Usnu naa changi taraan gali dee pachaan ae,
raat haneri mera mahi anjaan ae.....raat haneri mera mahi anjaan ae,
Buha khol ke...Buha khol ke main chori chori takni aan.

ohnu puchna pave na ghar mera ,
Haye ni,batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan.

Kutt kutt choorian main chan layee rakhian,
dudh nu ubaal ke te jhal ni aan pakhian,....dudh nu ubaal ke te jhal ni aan pakhian,
Kadi behni aan,....kadi behni aan te uth uth nachni aan,
Agge lang na jaave chan mera,
Haye ni batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan.

Ferian main kanghian te kajla vee laya ae,
aje vee prahune nayion buha khadkaya ae,....aje vee prahune nayion buha khadkaya

ae,
Ni main akhian,....Ni main akhian buhe de vall rakhni aan,
Aake mudh naa jaave mahi mera,
Haye ni batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan.

Gali bhull naa jave chan mera,
Haye ni,batti baal ke banere utte rakhni aan

Remembering Iqbal…........


By Shazia Marri

Lo, like a candle wrestling with the night… over my own self I pour my flooding tears… I spent my self, that there might be more light… more loveliness, more joy – Allama Muhammad Iqbal

His words flow true, as Iqbal, through his revolutionary poetry, provided unparalleled service to the cause of Muslims in the subcontinent. Unlike other poets of the time, Iqbal was not a romantic lyricist. Instead, his poetry carried a message – of hope, of Islamic renaissance, and of the economic liberation of Muslims of the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Iqbal’s political contribution is widely considered as the starting point in the struggle for the creation of a separate, independent, sovereign state of Pakistan. He recognised the cultural, political, religious, economic and social dissimilarities between the two major communities – Hindus and Muslims of the subcontinent. These differences of outlook, in fact, were greatly instrumental in giving rise to two distinct political ideologies, which were responsible for the partition of India into two independent states.

However, in order to fully appreciate the weight behind Iqbal’s words, we need to understand the reasons behind them. To follow the chain of thoughts and events that led to his unshakeable faith in the idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims. Iqbal was the product of an age that gave a new socio-political consciousness to the people of the subcontinent. He had studied the Indian political problems from various angles. He had studied the idea of a common nationality as preached by the Indian National Congress in all its details and implications; he was witness to the revolutionary activities of the Hindus on the eve of the partition of Bengal; he had seen the bleak results of the Unity Conferences held in connection with the Hindu-Muslim question; he had seen the outcome of the Minto-Morley and Montford Reforms; was dejected at the failure of the Khilafat Movement; he supported and cooperated with the Simon Commission only to be sorely disappointed by its report and the recommendations carried therein; the outcome of the Nehru Report was also before him; the results of the Round Table Conference of 1930, which he attended, left him dejected. As the entire political phenomena revolved around the Hindu-Muslim question, and the result of all political and constitutional endeavours was nothing but an increase in the hot tempers of both the communities and their gradual departure from each other.

In his presidential address at the annual session of All India Muslim League in Allahbad in 1930, Iqbal very firmly laid the foundation for a separate homeland, when he categorically said, “I would like to see the Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh and Balochistan amalgamated into a single state.” Following this, he continued to be one of the most powerful though tacit precursors of political evolution of Muslim India. Indeed, without Iqbal’s persistence, the Quaid would perhaps never have returned from England in 1934, to head the then unified Muslim League.

Until his death in 1938, Iqbal continued his close association with the Quaid and the All India Muslim League. Ever mindful of the volatile situation in the subcontinent, Iqbal continued to apprise Jinnah through his letters. In his letter to the Quaid on June 21, 1937, Iqbal lamented, “I tell you that we’re actually living in a state of civil war which, but for the police and military, would become universal in no time.” These letters that Iqbal wrote to the Quaid were his prized possessions. As Hector Bolitho writes about the Quaid in ‘Jinnah – Creator of Pakistan’, “He worked alone, with no personal staff and not even a secretary to copy his letters and keep his papers tidy. But there was one bundle of letters, in a drawer, to which he could turn for consolation: they had been written to him by Sir Muhammad Iqbal…”

The Quaid himself said of Iqbal, “To me he was a friend, guide and philosopher and during the darkest moments through which the Muslim League had to go, he stood like a rock and never flinched one single moment…”

But Iqbal’s contribution to the creation of Pakistan can perhaps be best gauged by Jinnah’s words on the eve of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, “Iqbal is no more amongst us,” he said. “But had he been alive he would have been happy to know that we did exactly what he wanted us to do,” he added.

Let’s use today, his birthday, to remember what Iqbal wanted, and what he helped achieve. This great nation – a homeland for Muslims. A separate, sovereign Pakistan. A land acquired after so many years of incessant struggles and sacrifices. A land we must now pledge to protect and develop, as envisioned by those who spent their lives struggling to achieve it.

Pakistan Fashion Design Council, Sunsilk present 2nd fashion week

Pakistan Fashion Design Council, Sunsilk present 2nd fashion week

PFDC and Sunsilk are proud to present their second fashion week from November 10 to 13 in Karachi, featuring four days of high fashion by Pakistani designers, encompassing both the leading names from the industry as well as its emerging talents. The week will feature 24 distinct designers who will showcase creations from their Spring/Summer 2011 prêt-à-porter collections, with daily post-show exhibition stalls at the venue, thereby aligning the Pakistani fashion industry with international trends.

Participating designers include Ali Xeeshan, Ammar Belal, Asifa and Nabeel, Élan, Fahad Hussayn, HSY, Libas, Maria B, Muse, Nayna, Nickie Nina, Nida Azwer, Rano’s Heirlooms, Republic, Saai by Sahar Atif, Sadaf Malaterre, Sobia Nazir, Sublime by Sara, Teejays, The House of Kamiar Rokni, YBQ, Zara Shahjahan, and emerging talents Akif and Mohsin.

The first day’s finale of the fashion week would be a charity show called ‘Fashion Gives Back’ with over 40 designers participating. Each designer will present his interpretation of ‘black’, highlighted with an accent colour. These creations, amongst others, have been donated by the designers to be sold at a 40 percent discount the next day at a fundraising exhibition from 12 noon to 3pm at Sheraton Hotel. All proceeds would be channelled towards the rehabilitation of flood victims of Hisar Qilay village in the Malakand district. In addition, throughout the fashion week, donations would be collected for the cause.

Following PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week’s unprecedented success in February this year, and the expansion of the PFDC fashion platform to Paris, the Fédération Française Prêt-à-Porter du Féminin has committed to work closely with the Pakistani fashion industry.

Consequently, the council has been invited by the federation to exhibit at Atmosphère’s in Paris for the January 2011 prêt-à-porter show. Around 15 designers would showcase their collections, to be selected by the PFDC’s French consultant, journalist and fashion entrepreneur, Alexandra Senes, who was present for the February fashion week and would also be present during the November shows.

Speaking about the second PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, PFDC Executive Committee Chairwoman Sehyr Saigol said, “It gives me great pride that the PFDC brings to Karachi our second fashion week after a successful debut in Lahore in February. Through regular weeks of fashion, we are working towards formalising the processes needed to help commercialise Pakistan’s fashion industry, which were initiated in the previous week. Additionally and most pressing at this time, through our November fashion week, we also endeavour to engage this platform responsibly to contribute towards the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.”

The second PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week will be produced by Catwalk Productions with styling by Sabs Salon and Khawar Riaz, event coordination by the R Team and public relations by Lotus. The PFDC Sunsilk team have also brought on board Little Black Book as business consultants, Latitude as buyer focused marketing consultants and Asim Naeem as a technical consultant.

The PFDC and Sunsilk have announced their next fashion week for April 2011 to be held in Lahore.

The PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week has come forward in an effort to rehabilitate and rebuild flood-affected areas of Pakistan as they announce their first-ever charity show entitled “Fashion Gives Back”. The charity show would be held from November 10-13 and take the final slot of the opening of fashion week in Karachi. The show will not be ticketed, however, voluntary donations would be accepted at the entrance. As a central part of the Fashion Gives Back! campaign, outfits from this very show, amongst others, would be exhibited for sale at knock-off prices on November 11 at Sheraton Hotel in Karachi.

PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week invites you to be part of something beyond the red carpet, the glitz and the glamour. A diversity of up to 50 designers will be donating outfits from their latest collections to be showcased on the ramp in an exciting first-of-its-kind charity show in Pakistan. With each creation expected to be sold, the entire proceeds will be channelled towards rehabilitation of the residents of the Hisar Qilay village in the Malakand district of Swat, which was heavily affected by the floods and has been adopted by the PFDC.

The fashion fraternity has raised over Rs 15 million to date for flood relief efforts and the PFDC invites you to come forward to support the key effort to raise further funds for the cause.

The PFDC was established in 2006 and, with over 55 members from across the country, endeavours to accord a corporate status to the fashion business, provide a platform for young and mainstream designers and to institutionalise the fashion industry in order to create and maintain industry standards in conformity with global market standards. Today, the PFDC is also involved in the revival of the crafts sector in collaboration with Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN); this being of significance since 90 percent of the embroideries of the South Asian subcontinent originates from Pakistan. The council also offers two annual scholarships to aspiring PIFD students. Lastly, the PFDC continues to strive towards the standardisation of the prêt-à-porter industry and to this end, the PFDC has two multi label retail boutiques to its credit, in Lahore and Karachi.

PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week is a platform to map Pakistan on international fashion week circuits. This will be the second time there will be a complete synergy between three aspects of the business: the designers, the crafts people and the textile industry who have worked together in a planned, cohesive and sustained manner to add value to previously simple products. Indeed Pakistan has an incredibly rich history of arts and crafts, which has provided the bedrock of our fledgling fashion industry. Through fashion weeks, the PFDC endeavours to show the world that despite the unstable socio-political situation the country finds itself in, Pakistanis are continuing to nurture and promote their creative heritage. To this end, success of the first ever PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week was indeed unprecedented and can be quantified by the success of the facility provided to showcase designer collections, the presence and keen interest of local, regional and international fashion buyers and the reaction and support of the international and local media.

With one of the world’s biggest, best-known and well-loved hair care brands Sunsilk as long-term patron, the second PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week is being held in the diverse and cosmopolitan city of Karachi and will feature over four days of fashion by 24 designers, encompassing both the leading names from the industry as well as emerging talents.

Zulqarnain Haider unveils Kamran Akmal

Olympic staff reporter: In a special meeting with the Daily Olympic London Bureau chief, Syed Tariq, Zulqarnain Haider disclosed the real facts behind his escape to UK.

According to Zulqarnain, he had been receiving threats and dictations from Kamran Akmal for some time now. Haider said that Kamran had asked him to not perform well in the foruth ODI against SA. But keeping a closed ear to threats and warnings from Kamran Akmal, Zulqarnain Haider did what he could to help Pakistan cricket team win the 4th ODI.

According to Zulqarnain, after the last ODI, which he participated in, he decided to leave the team, because he saw no other alternative. When asked by Syed Tariq for the reason to decide to come to UK, Zulqarnain said that he knew that if he would go to Pakistan, no one would pay any attention to his hews and cries. Answering to a question regarding his plans of filing a case for political asylum in UK, Haider said that his asylum application has no monetary motives, because all that the refugees get are 200 pounds sterling a week, whereas his own cricketing career was worth lot more than that.

Concluding his conversation Zulqarnain Haider said that even being in UK he still has fears regarding his own life and more importantly he fears for the lives of his family in Pakistan.

Near the end of his meeting with our London bureau chief, Zulqarnain received a call from his brother and even during his talk withhim he repeated that it was Kamran Akmal who threatened him and forced him to play against the country for the good of the book-keepers.

Zulqarnain Haider also reiterated that what happened when Bob Wilmar died. There were signs and reports of crime, but did anyone find anybody responsible? So if Bob Wilmar’s death went undisclosed, how could he (Zulqarnain Haider) trust his security to such people.