The Pakistani Parliament has now passed the bill authorizing Sharia laws in Swat – and perhaps in other territories. Punjab, according to the NYT report, United Militants Threaten Pakistan’s Populous Heart is also in grave danger of going Islamic in a meta-way. Baluchistan has broken out into violence and protests since the president of the Baluch National Movement, Mir Ghulam Mohammad, was kidnapped (along with two other senior associates), shot to death and then their bodies ditched from a helicopter. The primary suspicion falls upon the military or military intelligence. That leaves us Sindh. Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan, is having a battle of the bands. More seriously, it is also been the scene for ethnic riots against the Baluchi recently.
On a chilly evening last December I decided to stop by a music store in Clifton known to have the largest stock of classical and semi classical music from both sides of the Wagah border. While browsing through the shelves, I spotted some CDs of Iqbal Bano and had a sudden craving to listen to her. I bought two CDs instantly. From that day onwards, I got hooked to her music that I was listening to after a long time, my favorite being her thumri ‘ab ke sawan ghar aaja’.
As I got deeper into her music, I had this urge to talk to her for she had been living in the oblivion for long. I called her Garden Town residence but could not speak to her. The next few weeks were spent in an attempt to reach her in vain. The last time I called, I was told she has gone off to her lands. I thought I’ll try after a month or so. Little did I know a month would become eternity.
Urdu columnist Hasan Nisar is known for his outspoken view. He can sometimes be a loose canon, but whether you agree with him or not (and I do not as often as I do) he makes you think. He certainly does that in this outburst on a TV talk show (this is an old recording, but I do not know from exactly when).
While All Things Pakistan has remained alive and online, it has been dormant since June 11, 2011 - when, on the blog's 5th anniversary, we decided that it was time to move on. We have been heartened by your messages and the fact that a steady traffic has continued to enjoy the archived content on ATP.
While the blog itself will remain dormant, we are now beginning to add occasional (but infrequent) new material by the original authors of the blog, mostly to archive what they may now publish elsewhere. We will also be updating older posts to make sure that new readers who stumble onto this site still find it useful.
We hope you will continue to find ATP a useful venue to reflect upon and express your Pakistaniat. - Editors
The Pakistani Parliament has now passed the bill authorizing Sharia laws in Swat – and perhaps in other territories. Punjab, according to the NYT report, United Militants Threaten Pakistan’s Populous Heart is also in grave danger of going Islamic in a meta-way. Baluchistan has broken out into violence and protests since the president of the Baluch National Movement, Mir Ghulam Mohammad, was kidnapped (along with two other senior associates), shot to death and then their bodies ditched from a helicopter. The primary suspicion falls upon the military or military intelligence. That leaves us Sindh. Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan, is having a battle of the bands. More seriously, it is also been the scene for ethnic riots against the Baluchi recently.
