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Pakistan Frees Kashmir Singh: Reaches India After 34 Years
2008-03-04 22:08:00
Owais Mughal An India n national who was languishing in Pakistan i jails for the past 34 years has been released on March 3, 2008. He was granted amnesty by the President of Pakistan. Amid a festive and emotional ceremony, he crossed the border into India today (March 4, 2008) and got reunited with his family. In ...
More About: Kashmir , Years , Singh

The Losing Face of Multiculturalism
2008-03-04 01:57:00
Zara K There are two ways to lose oneself: by a walled segregation in the particular or by a dilution in the “universal”. Aimé Cesaire I used to love airports. I loathe them now. It was soothing to watch multifarious faces become faceless and free in airports, to watch different shades of people get absorbed into ...
More About: Face , Multiculturalism

Ava Gardner in Lahore for ?Bhowani Junction?
2008-03-03 02:06:00
Owais Mughal This photo was taken on April 22, 1955 and it shows American actress Ava Gardner at Lahore Railway Station. She was in Lahore for the filming of Hollywood Movie ‘Bhowani Junction ‘. When Ava came to Lahore, there was only one reasonable hotel in Lahore. It is still there - Falletis. The suite in which ...

Pakistan Elections 2008: Who Will Be Pakistan?s New Prime Minister?
2008-03-01 23:49:00
Adil Najam Before the elections Dawn News had done a series on who should become the next Prime Minister of Pakistan . I am not sure what the result there was. But I do know that the question is real again. Much more real. Speculation is rife. Theories about. The more we talk about it, the more confused ...
More About: Politics , Elections

Cell-phone is ringing! Is there anyone listening?
2008-03-01 16:40:00
Syed Ahsan Ali Few months back I got a chance to interview Shahid Afridi. A day before the interview I went to the Regal Electronic Market of Karachi to purchase an audio recording device. While looking for the recorder, we passed through the city’s largest cell phone market. It was almost 9 p.m. but still very ...
More About: Society , Phone , Cell Phone , Cell , Listening

Emperor Ashoka in our Backyard - Part II
2008-02-29 23:27:00
Mast Qalandar When I wrote the post on Ashoka ’s Rock Edicts I had made a suggestion at the end of the post to the department concerned, which was to put up a proper and readable translation of the edicts at the site — both in English and Urdu. To my pleasant surprise, I discovered the other ...
More About: History , Mast Qalandar , Part , Emperor

Titanic Sightings in Pakistan
2008-02-29 02:48:00
Owais Mughal Last year ATP had brought you a post on Chinese Characters on Pakistan i Transport. Today we are bringing you a brand new piece on Titanic sightings around the country. There are 5 such documented sightings. So don’t forget to go to the next page to see more. (1) At The Banks of River Kabul: The photo below is from NWFP, Pakistan. It shows mighty ‘Titanic’ (or a lifeboat of it) tamed as an amusement park ride on the banks of River Kabul. Photo Credits: trekearth.com (more…)
More About: Sightings

Awam Express Has Arrived
2008-02-28 15:04:00
Deeda-i-Beena They were always there but nobody gave them any recognition. They waited patiently and long for their day and at long last when it arrived, they acted. Quietly they arrived in their millions, got their thumbs inked and had a line marked at the edge of their thumb-nails. They went into the privacy of the polling booths, stamped the symbol of their choice, performed their sacred duty and left as quietly as they had come. What each of them did as an individual, aggregated into a colossus. The results we are now witnessing are not the result of any plan or a grand design. Simply put, they all thought like-mindedly and voted to that focus. By not giving any one party the run of the place, they have also created their own system of checks and balances - each keeping an eye on the other. With the maturity they have displayed this time; their message to their elected representatives and the political parties is loud and clear: “We will be watching.� Hopefully there will b...
More About: Express

I Blog Because….
2008-02-28 05:25:00
Guest Post By Ghazala Khan likhtay rahay junooN ki hikayat…When I was a little girl growing up in a quite suburb of Islamabad, I vividly remember playing with dolls and asking for toffees and biscuits from my father. I also used to imagine as to what would I become, when I grow up. At that time, many ideas regarding my future used to storm my mind which were quite narrow in their scope. This was mainly because my future ambitions were influenced by my parents, uncles and aunts. At that time, I couldn’t think beyond traditional professions of becoming a doctor, or a teacher, or becoming a bride perhaps. At that time, I really didn’t know one could choose her career from a multitude of options. I didn’t know there existed such things as becoming a writer, a network administrator, a software developer, a marketer, a banking executive, a sales guru, and certainly not the blogger. Now I wonder how different the my life could have been, had I known in my childhood...
More About: Blog

KSE-100 Index Sets New Record: What is the Market Telling Us?
2008-02-27 07:39:00
Adil Najam On Tuesday the Karachi Stock Exchange’s (KSE’s) KSE-100 Index - Pakistan’s equivalent to the Dow Jones Index - broke the psychological barrier of 15,000 for the first time. At the time of writing this (on what is Wednesday morning in Pakistan) the Index remains well above that mark.
More About: Market , Development , Sets , New Record , Record

Masjid Mahabat Khan, Peshawar
2008-02-26 06:14:00
Owais Mughal The old city of Peshawar is called the ‘andar shehr’ (the inner city). The mosque of Mahabat Khan is located in andar shehr. The mosque was built in the seventeenth century and it is named after Mahabat Khan Mirza Lerharsib who twice governed Peshawar under Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Its exact date of completion ...
More About: Masjid

Diodes & Triodes??We?ve Got?em All at The Modern Radio Service
2008-02-25 21:36:00
Owais Mughal Photo Credits belong to my friend Benedict Benjamin who took this photo on February 21, 2008. Subject is an Electronics Shop at Regal Chowk, Karachi. I chose this photo because it captures a live snap of a Pakistani street. There are people busy in discussion inside the shop. The person sitting outside the shop looks ...
More About: Radio , Service , Modern

The Flawed Boycott Mantra? Pakistan?s Urban Intelligentsia Should Rethink i
2008-02-25 03:11:00
Raza Rumi Much has been said on how the election results are a referendum against the policies of General Musharraf. While there can be little disagreement with this, there is a clear lesson for Pakistan ?s urban intelligentsia that had been screaming about the futility of this election. True, Pakistan?s troubled polity will not transform overnight, nor will ...
More About: Politics , Urban , Boycott , Mantra

YouTube Blocked in Pakistan. Why?
2008-02-22 16:14:00
Adil Najam It seems that YouTube is down in Pakistan . Possibly it is blocked. Blocking websites is a rather bad habit that the government authorities in Pakistan have gotten into (here and here). This is something that we have written about before. It is silly habit, because technologically it does not work. But, much more importantly, it ...
More About: Politics , Youtube , Technology , Law and Justice

PPP and PML(N) Announce To Form a Coalition Government
2008-02-21 20:03:00
Owais Mughal All major media outlets are reporting that Pakistan’s two main opposition parties, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), have announced to form the new government together. News reports also suggest this understanding has been reached at both center as well as provincial level. The photo below shows Asif Ali ...
More About: Government , Coalition , Form

Sindhi Poetry at ATP: faasla
2008-02-21 13:45:00
Owais Mughal This poem was published on February 20, 2008 in The Daily Kawish. Poetess is Shagufta Jabeen. I think it is a very beautiful poem. I have tried to translate it below the Sindhi text (next page), but my translation is a bit amateurish. Any correction or suggestions from our seasoned readers will be appreciated.
More About: Poetry

Pakistan?s First Water Desalination-&-Power Plant
2008-02-21 02:05:00
Owais Mughal On the same day (Feb 11, 2008) when South Bound Lyari Expressway was inaugurated, another important project of Pakistan reached its opening milestone. This one is called the DHA Desalination and Power Plant . It is the first project of its kind in Pakistan which desalinates water from the Arabian Sea for human consumption as ...
More About: Water

Pakistan Elections 2008: Electainment
2008-02-20 13:00:00
Owais Mughal Pakistan Election 2008 is a serious business. Our present and future depends on it. There is however, a lighter and human side to it too. Soemtimes it brings smile to us and sometimes a laughter. And that lighter side is also a part of our Pakistaniat. I’ve tried to collect few such moments here. (1) ...
More About: Elections

Architecture Pakistan: True Blue in Lahore
2008-02-20 00:32:00
Owais Mughal Photo Credits belong to Zafar Iqbal at trekearth.com. The subject is a brightly colored house in Lahore . Also note the use of spot lights for night illumination as well as the few resting pigeons at the scaffoldings.
More About: Architecture , Pakistan , Blue , True

Pakistan Elections 2008: Vote I Must
2008-02-19 12:20:00
Adil Najam We have recently been talking about whether people think that they should at all vote in these elections and it is clear from reports that the turnout has been rather low. But it seems that like in all elections there are some who you cannot keep away from polling, even if you wanted to. ...
More About: Politics , Elections , Pakistan , Picture of the day , Vote

Pakistan Elections 2008: ATP Newsroom
2008-02-19 00:26:00
ATP Team and ATP Readers All Things Pakistan (ATP) is a blog. We are not a news site. We are, however, deeply interested in meaningful conversation on everything that relates to Pakistan. Including news. Especially news about the elections now being held in Pakistan In this post we invite all our readers to help us write ...
More About: Elections , Newsroom , 2008

Pakistan Elections 2008: Vote I Must
2008-02-18 17:29:00
Adil Najam We have recently been talking about whether people think that they should at all vote in these elections and it is clear from reports that the turnout has been rather low. But it seems that like in all elections there are some who you cannot keep away from polling, even if you wanted to. ...
More About: Politics , Elections , Pakistan , Picture of the day , Vote

Pakistan Elections 2008: To Vote Or Not To Vote?
2008-02-17 06:05:00
Adil Najam Although this election remains shrouded in uncertainty, despair and gloom, it is quite clear that - one way or the other - these elections will be yet another defining moment in Pakistan ’s traumatic political history. Elections are critical because they give the citizen on opportunity to make their voice heard; to make a statement. This ...
More About: Politics , Vote , 2008

Aitizaz Ahsan bazaban-i Aitizaz Ahsan
2008-02-16 04:42:00
Adil Najam Aitizaz Ahsan, flaws and all, has become the voice of the moment. The voice of a generation. This voice, which has become my voice and, maybe, yours speaks more passionately in the idiom of poetry than in the idiom of prose. It speaks most passionately in this poem - Kal, Aaj and Kal - ...
More About: Society , Politics , People , Poetry

Damage to Buddhist Heritage in Pakistan - Chilas Stupa and Answer to ATP Qu
2008-02-15 15:43:00
Darwaish Looks like our last ATP Quiz has turned out to be a bit tough for readers as very few came close to guessing correctly. Let me just give you the answer. The votary stupa that you are seeing above (left picture) was carved some thousand years back and often referred as ‘Chilas Stupa’. It used to ...
More About: History , Heritage , Answer , Pakistan , Damage

Pakistan Elections 2008: A Manifesto Review ? Are They Really Serious About
2008-02-15 05:41:00
Zahra Naqvi The nation is gearing up for Election 2008 but issues-based politics remains a distant dream. However as an electioneering ritual all major political parties have announced their election manifestos to offer voters their pledges, promises, potential policies and programmes that will be realised if they are voted to power on February 18, 2008. The comparative ...
More About: Politics , Elections , Education , Review , Pakistan

Happy Valentine?s Day, Peshawar, Pakistan
2008-02-14 06:01:00
Adil Najam This rather striking picture, taken by Associated Press in Peshawar Pakistan is remarkable just for it captivating composition. But I have no doubt that our readers will not disappoint in making more of this than probably needs to be made!
More About: Society , Valentine , Picture of the day , Happy

Pakistan Elections 2008: Why the lull this Time?
2008-02-13 18:01:00
Syed Ahsan Ali I have witnessed few elections since 1990. It has always been a fun witnessing elections in your mohalla in the hustle bustle of Karachi. Motorbike riders running around on their bikes flashing flags of parties of their preference. This is considered by some to be a nuisance but they play a vital role ...
More About: Society , Politics , Elections , Time , Pakistan

ATP Quiz: What is This and Where in Pakistan?
2008-02-13 06:36:00
Darwaish I think many ATP readers might find this one very interesting. This is an ancient rock picture located somewhere in Pakistan . Can you guess what is it and exactly where? In case you know about it, please share as many details as you can. I must tell you though that the current status of this ...
More About: Quiz , History , Heritage

Pakistan Election 2008: Suggest a Title
2008-02-12 14:28:00
Adil Najam Credit: Associated Press.
More About: Politics , Pakistan , Picture of the day , Election , Election 2008