Way to Go!

What better way to spend a lazy spring afternoon in Lahore then to watch karts zooming past you in speed. And that too not aimlessly but with ambitions to bring some good fame for the country at a time when even friends like Saudi Arabia are expressing their concerns on what’s going on in Pakistan.

Motor sport scene in Pakistan is a very very young promising bud …just four years old and it has already produced names like Adnan Sarwar (Pakistani racing driver who drives in Formula Asia 2.0 for ART Racing team). He has joined hands with Racing Pakistan in collaboration with smart and heavy corporate sponsors to provide a career ladder for passionate amateurs to make it to international racing.

Velocity Team Kart from Islamabad!
The Final Round today of the Super Challenge Karting Championship 2009 was managed by J&S Event Management at the vast and breezy Bahria Town in Lahore. Their PR Manager Rida Sarfraz tells me that the Karts warm up first by taking a few practice laps, then come the qualifying laps and its important how fast karts run in the qualifiers because on the basis of that the Karts are let go in the track in the final race. Interestingly the karts go on for around 6 hours at a length. Their engines are not switched off. SO, the final race laps are long and go on for a long time of course.
It’s important for an event like Karting in Pakistan to have plenty of attractions on the side to keep the spectators stay till the end of the long race because frankly you can become dizzy only looking at the karts going round and round in the short demarcated track!

There were cash prizes for the winner worth around Rs.200, 000.

Coming up in April is another event called Sprint Racing Series 2010. It is open for enrollment and any one can participate as long as there is a willingness to dish out Rs.3, 500-5,000 a month as membership fee. The lucky winner to qualify for Sodi World Series in Dubai.

Pat on the back to everyone who is involved in this activity!

Karts , by the way are cars with 200 cc engines with a top speed of 120kph.

My special thanks to a good friend in Lahore, Qasim Javed for these photos that you can see in this post.

A Meeting With No Agenda

Before these talks began and now that they have come to an end, the one thing that comes across is that there was no agenda for the moot between foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India. Even the smallest of meetings of any kind and anywhere in the world are held on a pre set agenda...and that is quite understandable since resources are consumed to hold gatherings. But for such a big buzzing meeting there was no agenda!!

Neighbours in Love

Pakistan and India are no ordinary neighbours! They are nuclear armed and have fought three wars with each other. A day before these talks began , there was unprovoked firing from the Indian side in the Sialkot sector. A couple of days after India announced these talks, a bakery in Pune was targeted-the example of which was quoted by Indian authorities to drum the terrorism issue.

Cultural similarities and people to people affiliations doesn't go beyond media rhetoric. Star Plus soaps and Pakistan music can perhaps be used to over romanticise this bond because how would you explain the Pakistani cricket players being kept out of the Indian Premier League and Shiv Sena asking Shahrukh Khan to go and live in Pakistan during the "My name is Khan" fiasco.

Need that push?

Secretary Clinton lets the cat out of the bag when she says loud and clear that Us played its part in bringing the two sides together. Many say US has its own interests in getting the two nations shaking hands. India however refuses to acknowledge any third party mediation. Kashmir the heart of the dispute remains nothing more than red herring for India. May be after todays talks US would realise the great responsibility on its shoulders for getting something concrete out of the two smart nations.

How to look at it?

Look at it any way you like . When India thinks that unrest in Baluchistan (which Pakistan thinks India is backing sitting pretty in Afghanistan) is Pakistan's internal matter but minorities rights in Paksitan is India's business, you can make little sense out of what the future holds for these two nations. I think it will help you if you are a natural optimist.

So?

But talks they say are always good. So lets take the popular word and lets hope the next time they meet there is some agenda but tell you what handing three more dossiers to Pakistan to answer was an agenda that India was clear about.

Sometimes, no amount of claims and assurances soothe you. Even if they sound sincere ....you just continue to worry.

That inevitably happens in the case of statements made by authorities for example when they say that military operations have helped establish what they call "writ of the state" in areas where extremisim had destroyed the normal way of life in Pakistan.

It will take a long time before the life that once was ,would resume....thats how analysts describe the situation.

But the fact that Daewoo Express , a multinational bus system linking major cities across Pakistan is to begin re-running its buses from the 26 of February to Swat, is quite a corroborative evidence into what authorities have been saying about the situation in the picturesque valley. This bus service has been abiding by the laws of the land. Before the ANP government had come into power in NWFP, the bus hostess would switch off the sound system as the Mutahida Majlis e Amal didnot fancy music in public places. There was also an arson attack on its terminal in Peshawar but it continued to run its buses.

In the wake of bad law and order situation in Swat these buses had been stopped . Then Operation Rah e Rast started and all extremists ran away. The softer ones surrendered and since the army remained there after breaking their strenght to oversee the civilian administartion take over their job, those extremists who had fled to the hills have started surrendering to the army themselves.

Schools have reopened, hospitals are functioning, music can be bought there....all of this happening because the Internally Displaced People ( IDPs) have returned home!! Army in full control now and is helping in the rehabilitation now.

I have fond memories of the one month I spent in the area years ago....Fiza Ghat, Madyan, the irrigation system that the industrious locals had really stolen my heart , when I went there as an auditor. Things were different when I went to Buner as a journalist.......but now around two weeks back when Mingora turned all white and pretty with snow, I guess Daewoo has a point!

Honk! Honk!

Rickshaw in Lahore- A blessing!

Much of my time was spent on the roads today in the earlier part of the day.......wondering at regular intervals during my ride what kind of a news day would it be like....now that Mullah Birader and two other Taliban leaders are behind bars and the government and judiciary have settled all diputes for the time being at least and Dubai Police is around 99% sure that Mossad was involved in the death of Hamas commander,Mabhouh.

Mind blowing and Out of this world are two adjectives that you find judges of different competition shows on tv using these days to describe performances of the contestants. I want to use these two terms to describe the scenes I saw outside a leading English medium school here in Lahore. On the five lane boulevard, two lanes were being used as parking lot by the people who had come to pick up students. These abandoned vehicles were serving as a major block for the otherwise fast moving traffic there. So there it goes..the first lesson of discipline being taught to the students at thier own homes!

Dumbfounded , I decided to ponder over how would authorities in Dubai deal with the involvement of Israeli spy agency and with how much force will the British authorities be confronting Israeli authorities over forging British passports. The catch is that both Israel and Britain share a common threat from Islamic militants.

Al Mabhouh- The slain Hamas leader

UNFASHIONABLY FASHIONABLE

I saw a lithe lady wearing tights underneath a baby doll frock.......if you picture that, its quite like a fashion faux pas! but no, its quite fashionable these days,.......at least it is supposed to be because that individual was on the red carpet of the Pakistan Fashion Week, a four day party being held here in Lahore at the Royal Palm compound...amid tight security ofcourse because the country is at war with extremists and fashionably revealing ladies are the last thing extremists would want to see.

But listen to the red carpet rhetoric and you will learn that Pakistan badly needs such events because they project the soft image of the country to the outside world that thinks all Pakistan is about - is burqas!!

But hey! the world is under no illusions about Pakistan and what it is capable of ......and fashion weeks can do little to shatter those illusions. Pakistan is an important ally in the war on terror where judiciary and government are in sync!

Well, a comment that came across was that Pakistan should only be celebrating fashion when it has gotten itself rid of poverty, energy crises , inflation and has provided education and health to its down trodden....

Now that is a tall order to achieve....so till then should we be without fashionable clothes....how sorry can it get because ..as the old age adage goes...."If you are not in fashion , you are nobody"

But these carefully selected images are an ode to the hard work of everyone involved in the limelight and shining Fashion Week.......

Don't Bite The Dust

Had PML-N not chosen the rejection of Presidential notification of elevation of Lahore High Court Chief Justice, Khawaja Sharif to the Supreme Court and appointment of the next senior judge of the Lahore High Court, Justice Saqib Nisar as the acting Chief Justice of the Lahore high court as a platform to voice its frustration with the government over a host of issues including the NRO and implementation of Charter of Democracy, everyone would be spared of whif of political instibility.

What has happened is, that because of major political figures chosing to speak their minds about each other , calling for strikes, black coats having taken the roads in protest has charged the atmosphere to such an extent that whatever happens in court on February 18 over the issue is going to make the atmosphere in the country very very combustible.

Media is being accused again of having a field day over the issue and creating an unnecessary sensation.

How to behave?

Here are some recommendations:

The Government

It should accept whole heartedly whatever the Supreme Court decides in the matter and implement it fully. This will be a real favour to democracy and that is what the Government claims that it plans to do.

The Opposition

Avoid polticising a legal issue. Wait till February 18 when the matter is going to be taken up in court.

The Supreme Court

It should clarify the procedure for the appointment of judges. Clarify the controversy brewing around Al Jihad verdict.

So, every one wait, watch and learn.

So, this is Love!....

Still don't have a date for Feb 14? Get in line please because there are many who feel this kind of awkward urge to have 'someone' on this date of the year. Poor St. Valentines...I doubt if he had had the slightest idea what would happen on the planet- all in his name . Valentine was the priest who took the courage to say no to Roman emperor Claudius' ban on marriage for his soldiers. Valentine continued to perform weddings and ofcourse was killed when Claudius found out.

I guess to indulge into a moral or religious debate as to what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the day here in our part of the world is useless.

One must not be jealous of commercial success of the day. And tell me which enterprise is not trying to make people fall in love so that they could sell their merchandise.And its as confusing as it gets.....A contraceptive company is endorsing its product with the word 'love' on its packet....and this add has started going on air...will continue to irritate people till Valentine's day.

Such is the desperation to sell that a chocolate brand is even telling you that express your love to your boyfriend, teacher, siblings , crush , girlfriend, neighbour,colleague and even your wife!!

Can you imagine that....you can express love to your spouse too...thats allowed!!

The message by that choclate brand is clear....we don't care who the hell you say I Love You to, as long as you buy our chocolate.

Its not the red roses or chocolate, the colour red or the teddy bears that demean...actually its messages such as the ones above that plague minds of the impressionable ( irrespective of age).


What beautiful words by Kahlil Gibran on love....





"And think not you can direct the course of love, for love,if it finds you worthy,directs your course."

Gibran's words might be tough to chew upon but lo and behold! its now a proven myth that certain foods can burst a fountain of love and or sex inside you...chocolate, asparagus, figs , pumpkin , dougnuts, strawberries even if on your pre-coital meal,.will be able to do little for you.

Lingerie , if you are giving as a gift must be the right size , donot get an apron as a present because it will be thrown back into your face and the wallet should smell of pure leather...these gift giving tips can only help you if you know how to love and be loved .

Try to listen to that inner voice of yours coming out of the cacophony of the pressure of observing Valentine's day the way marketers want you to.

If your answer to my question in the beginning was a Yes , then can't resist telling you how to celebrate 14 Feb. Try and listen to Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night".
....love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away!

I mean , love is to vast to a phenomenon to catch and observe by the calendar.

Have a rocking Valentine's Day!!!

Je Ne Comprends Pas

Interestingly, the London transport authorities have issued an apology to passengers on the Route 24 bus, operated by London General. As it goes, the Muslim driver of the bus decided to pull up on the side, and take a quick prayer break on his prayer mat, taking off his shoes and facing Makkah. Passengers describe their reaction as that of shock and amazement. After that he just got up and then the bus set off again. He did all of this without any apology or explanation to the passengers.

Transport for London has said that it is sorry for any inconvenience that might have been caused to the passengers and have asked London General to remind drivers who have a requirement to pray to do so in their rest periods.

I guess it’s quite a win win situation ….it does not ban praying. And by the way London transport system is remarkable the way it operates in a city like London.

But, call this a case of religious bias or plain cultural sensibility or relative social freedom….or the familiar enlightened moderation concept, but developments out of France recently surprise me.
Not because Muslim women in France might not be able to wear the burqa in public places or because highest authorities there have said that it is not welcome there…but because in our country how relaxed things are!

Recently, a colleague was heard saying I wonder why women cover their heads when they head for NWFP and forget about the dupatta when they come to cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Before you begin criticizing the authorities for this cultural norm, think a little how flexible we as a society are in some aspects…yes some aspects not all…

But never mind…nothing really serious!

Forecast

Rain Rain Go Away
Come Again Another Day
When Little Johnny
Wants to play!

Quite sadistic undertones in this classic nursey rhyme.....Forget it....what really is a fact is that the country really needed these much awaited rains. But mind you! these are not any bonus showers that Mother Nature is letting go on us. The climatic zone that Pakistan is in, mid October till end February , should see heavy downpours. The entire winter went dry and now towards end February it has gotten a bit wet and slippery.

Not to mention the tantiliasing cool breeze that these rain drops have brought....our nearly dry rivers might be quenched a little too. Ravi looks nothing more than a Nullah. I am not trying to challenge the greatness of Kashmir and terrorism issue that invite such excitement every time Pak India think about talks....but I must say that what India is upto with our water has to feature somewhere near the top of the talks agenda. Worried experts also predict a war between the two countries on the water dispute. Indus Water Treaty should be implemented in its real sense and not mere formal visits that Indian Water Commissioner just made to Pakistan.

I do sympathise with the angry passengers stranded at Lahore airport but one wonders where did they gather all the strenght for being rowdy and going around smashing windows of the departure lounge. That is bad.I know PIA flight delays can be nerve wrecking but hey! you don't start breaking the few things that we have.I guess the rains got to their heads.

But slime on the roads could not keep the so far unidentified attackers on Sheikh Rashid Ahmed , indoors. They killed four and managed only to injure Sheikhoo....but many say it is the work of elements who want to derail democracy....Sheikh himself quite in his spirits alleging that the Punjab Government is fearful of him winning from NA 55. PML-Q and him singing the same tunes of political harmony now....but at the end of the day -it is politics and so,nothing has been able to stop the common man read voters ....from saying that it could be Awami Muslim League's own attempt at securing some few extra ballots. Not even the rain!

Crest and Trough

Times are tough when we speak of economy. Everyone who has a little grey matter up there is thinking twice before spending…..be it individual consumers or enterprises. Toyota’s brakes and accelerator pedals are under fire….despite the fact that Toyota has always been one of the world’s favorite cars and at home it is loved for the amount it fetches you when you sell it after having taken nice long rides in it.

Toyota Prius

But such technical problems are being talked about at a time when buyers have really started demanding value for their money. Millions of vehicles of Toyota Prius have been recalled and such developments may mean a gradual end to the dominance of Japanese auto makers internationally.

Statistics are confusing at their very best …as always….Unemployment rate has come down in United States but actually food banks in New York are reporting more food aid seekers because of unemployment!

After every high there comes a low…..I don’t know why but the example of Zac Posen appears the right one to quote here. A young designer who made it big in a ever burgeoning trendy New York fashion scene, has now come under criticism. He is being scathed at by fashion gurus of expanding beyond his means….He is pulling off his hands from some planned projects like launching perfumes but will go ahead with showcasing his collection nevertheless . And he should I guess, because people like Laura Bush and her daughters are sitting in his front rows.

Somewhat similar economic difficulties are being cited by Dawn News, the English language news channel in Pakistan behind their decisions to lay off staff and go for Urdu broadcasting in addition to English.

Zac Posen
But then there are others who have so much money that Muslim Commercial Bank has given time till 20th February of 2010 to come to the bank and claim the credit balances inside that have been left untouched for quite a while by the account holders.

Imagine that!

Fair Enough?

This is the beginning of the end! says Dr. Fauzia Siddqui, the sister of the now convicted Dr. Afia Siddiqui by a Manhattan Court, expressing her first reaction to the guilty verdict. This trial has invited widespread attention because it is quite advanced in a list of cases being handed over by US prosecuters in connection to what they call...the" war on terror". But she never faced any charges of terrorism. She has been found guilty of trying to kill US Servicemen while she was to be questioned by FBI agents and US soldiers in Afghanistan in 2008. Dr. Afia herself has been describing these charges as ridiculous!!

Dr. Adil Najam to whom I got a chance to speak to says ofcourse Afia would exercise her right to appeal . Pakistani Americans donot pay heed to an extent because of the fact that the case has not been picked up by media in the US in the way it has been politicised in Pakistan. But he did think that the turn of events was unfortunate keeping in mind her spectacular educational career.

Khalid Jamaal , Joint Secretary of Human Rights Association thinks that Government of Pakistan has not done anything to save Afia and the matter will now be decided on the roads of the country.

But there are questions that need to be answered......Where was she in the period 2003-2008?

What were the circumstances that led her to try to kill US soldiers? What was she doing in Afghanistan? Why did she make it to the list of US's most wanted list of people suspected of Al Qaeda's links? How did we find out in the first place that there was a Dr. Afia ?

As for Dr. Afia herself..well she thinks that this verdict is from Israel!!

Jai Ho!

Clifton Beach in Karachi

An unfortunate turn of events no doubt , when PPP and MQM members got into a dispute of words in the provincial assembly in Sindh. This was inevitable I think because for a couple of days things were such in Karachi that 37 lost their lives leaving families behind who died a death of a different kind...because whatever you say Hamdards of MQM and Jialaas of PPP are after all human beings like us. But there have got to be big reasons for submitting to their political leaders with such loyalty.

But what happened in the assembly is a wake up call in a way that a time does come when you just cannot hide things and you have to come out from behind the cover of rhetoric that spokesperson designates have mastered themselves at. But there are times when the spokespersons falter too...remember when recently even the Prime Minister asked the journalists to not fret over much of what Fauzia Wahaab has to say about PPP affairs and similarly Shazia Mari has now been given the portfolio of Tourism instead of Information Minister Sindh. She herself was found correcting a TV anchor on that yesterday!!

That is why when politicains spoke their minds today in the provincial assembly we heard such comments : We donot need MQM in the coalition in Sindh and that some MQM members need to see a psychiatric!! MQM termed some PPP members hawks and stuff.

When I say nothing remains hidden......it holds true for talent too....look at AR Rehman. He surely has gone places...and with Beyonce winning the Grammy's...it holds true that you need to be good at many other things ....not just what you are supposed to do. Think Multitasking!!

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

But listen to the soundtrack of Dead Man Walking particularly the scene in which Sean Penn is being taken for execution........you would realise just why Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan made his mark in the international music scene.