Adil Najam

The news, although not surprising, is still too fresh and without enough details to make a full commentary on. But it is worth getting a discussion on. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has finally made up its mind on who its nominee for Prime Minister will be. And the winner is Yousuf Raza Gillani.

According to The News:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday named Yousuf Raza Gillani as its nominee for Prime Minister. Co-Chairman of PPP Asif Ali Zardari announced the name of Yousuf Raza Gillani as the PM candidate in a statement read out by the spokesman of PPP Farhatullah Babar. The name of the candidate for the prime ministerial job was finalized by the Pakistan People’s Party after due consultations with the democratic parties and coalition partners, said the statement.

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Shiraz Bashir

Basant – the kite flying festival of spring – was supposed to be celebrated last weekend in Lahore but, at least officially, it was postponed because of the tragic Lahore bombings. But Basant season is obviously here. For good and for bad.

Basant is a festival celebrating arrival of a spring season. People dress up in colorful clothes and fly Patang or gudday (Kites) of various shapes and sizes using a thoughtfully selected and prepared dor(Kite String). Some people fly kites just for fun. Others fly in serious competitions among various families, mohalas and emotions can run high.

Adil Najam

The vast majority of Pakistanis are Muslims – over 160 million according to some counts – and will celebrate Eid Milad-un-Nabi today to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Coincidently, this year Eid Milad-n-Nabi comes on exactly the same day when the another 3 million Pakistani Christians will be marking Good Friday to commemorate the day when Prophet Jesus (PBUH) was crucified. About an equal number of Pakistanis – the 3 million Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan (also here and here) – will be celebrating the festival of Holi today (my understanding is that although Holi is a primarily Hindu festival it is also widely celebrated by Sikhs, especially in the Punjab).

Whether they be in the masjid, their mandir, thier gurdwara or their girja ghar, we share heartfelt good wishes with all – in Pakistan and everywhere else – who commemorate these occasions today. The coincidence of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Good Friday and Holi falling on the exact same day (in 2006 it was Diwali and Eid that came back to back) can be symbolic. But only if we want it to be so.