This has been a very interesting year with a lot of nice changes and plenty of pleasant surprises. My younger brother Salman is part of an exhibition arranged by Institute of Architect Pakistan at Serena Hotel Islamabad. He will be showcasing his photography and architectural design. If you are in the city, go catch a glimpse. The exhibition starts tonight and will go on till 26th February.
Other than this, he will be starting his final year of Architecture and he already has found a commercial architecture work which paid him more than my two month’s salary! (slightly jealous, but mostly real proud).
How horrible last 48 hours of my life were, illustrated by my tweets.
For some reason my family and friends on Facebook found it to be funny! No wonder we enjoy misery of other people :/
Can write in length how Government departments in Pakistan have made themselves so inefficient that now they are actually capable of being highly efficient contagion!
Women in black with Salman. (mobile)
- February 21
- , 2012
Timelapse: Lahore to Islamabad via GT Road with some retro music
Drove from Lahore to Islamabad on 17th Feb 2012, and decided to take the historic Grand Trunk Road with a Canon 7D mounted in the back and some retro Pakistani music from late 60s to complement that.
I would probably end up using this in some larger project later, but for now - enjoy!
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Track: The Aye Jay Theme
Artist: The Aye Jay
Album: Pakistan: Folk And Pop Instrumentals 1966-1976
A Pakistani security officer carries an injured child from the site of bombing in Quetta, Pakistan. A pair of suicide bombers attacked the house of a top military officer in the southwestern city of Quetta on Wednesday, killing his wife and 18 other people, at least eight of them soldiers, authorities said.
Let’s talk to Congressman Dana (@DanaRohrabacher) about this much #Baloch “struggle”.
(Source: politics-war, via zaraahmed)
Unfortunately Jogi is been missing for 4 days now. He is old, has partial blindness in his one eye and he has been with us for over 12 years now. I hope he is safe and get’s back soon. Worst of all I can feel that Jackie is really silent and down.
UPDATE: Few hours after this post, Jogi found his way back home. He was covered in mud, had some bruises, was missing his collar and seemed exhausted and hungry. And yes Jackie is ecstatic!
Since I have been asked this a few times already, here is my “straight to the point” reply.
I as a Pakistani am deeply disturbed on number of unimportant and not so good looking women with Green Passport posing nude. It might be helping them gain traction or much needed attention in their fast decaying careers, but seriously we have a lot better to offer in this country (even in the department of sleaze)!
I also feel sad that I had to waste a perfectly good post on this topic.
p.s. they both should join a gym and work on their core at least!
At Chaaye khana with family after birthday lunch for Salman. (mobile)
Poor Rich Boy - Alice
Pretty much among the best music I found from Pakistan in 2011.
yumnaolivia asked:
Any special reason of not being his fan? I am not either his fan, i rarely notice the authors/writers at Dawn, i am only freak of reading the content and sharing. Ive heard that he writes pretty critical stuff tho. Thanks for sharing my post further ! Keep it up!
The reason why I am not a fan of Nadeem F Paracha or people like him is that they are disconnected from the realities of the land. NFP in particular for me is the extreme Left wing which constantly feeds the extreme Right wing of Pakistan with their empty and mostly lethargic ideals.
I however do miss the times when he used to write just on music for an online blog, Band Baja. And yes I find his often childish sarcasm beyond annoying, especially when he started those bubbles over pictures in MS Paint!
And hey thanks for that post, it seems like public really enjoyed it too! I hope that you keep in contributing in future too (you can always submit here)
By Murtaza Haider, Ph.D. Associate Dean of research and graduate programs at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.
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Several policy-makers, politicians, and development professionals in the west believe that the economic survival of Pakistan rests on handouts from the United States. Often American legislators ridicule Pakistan for willingly accepting American dollars in charity, but not delivering on American demands in return.
The Westerners are not alone in believing that Pakistan’s survival rests on handouts from the US. While speaking on Canadian TV earlier this week, Raheel Raza, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, argued the same. “Ever since the inception of Pakistan the United States has given Pakistan aid without which it cannot survive,” said Ms. Raza.
The US economic and military assistance to Pakistan indeed has a long history stretched over decades during which several American governments have poured billions of dollars into Pakistan. The question, however, is to determine first why Americans aided Pakistan and second what was the money intended for. And even more importantly, one should determine if indeed Pakistan’s economic survival rests on American aid.
The British newspaper Guardian maintains an active database documenting six decades of American aid to Pakistan. The data is compiled by Wren Elhai of the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC. The database reveals that since 1948 the US assistance to Pakistan has largely been for civilian purposes. Of the $61.7 billion in total assistance (in constant 2009 dollars) provided to Pakistan between 1948 and 2010, $40.4 billion were provided for economic assistance and $21.3 billion in military assistance. The economic assistance to Pakistan peaked in the early 60s when in excess of $2 billion annually were provided to Pakistan. (Complete article)
I hope you all read this article in it’s entirety!
Hanif Kureishi on “The most fascinating place in the world”
Award-winning author Hanif Kureishi gives his insight on modern Pakistani literature and on turning ideas into best sellers.
Okay this Valentine Day offer from Islamabad is pretty interesting:
Zefra announces
“Love Bites” Valentine’s nyt live Bar B Q, open Bar 14 Feb, 10 pm onwards its tym to shake ur body wid DJ Fawax Feel d powful beats kk in… Strkly couples @ Rs. 4000/couple, 1500/girl 0333 88888143
Interesting thing in above is (which I am thinking of confirming in morning) that they are actually offering a girl for Rs 1500? Because it doesn’t make sense of why there is mention of per girl rate if this is “a strictly couples only” event! (mobile)
Naseer & Shahab - Za Pukhtoon Yam
I am not very fond of “ethnic nationalism” but this is first of all very catchy, secondly it has a point which is dear to my heart as it breaks the stereotypes against Pakhtun (esp given war in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan), and finally it has beautiful lyrics!
The enemy brands it as a language of hell,
To heaven I will go with Pashto. (Ameer Hamza Shinwari)
