Adil Najam

Acclaimed folk and ghazal singer Abida Parveen suffered a heart attack (myocardial infarction) Saturday evening while performing in Lahore. She was taken to Lahore’s Doctors Hospital where an angioplasty was performed and a stent installed successfully. The celebrated 56 year old singer in now recovering. Reportedly the doctors treating her say that “she is stable and out of danger.”

Abida Parvee has not only instilled a new spirit into the great Sufi renditions that she has become so famous for but has revived, revitalized and popularized Sufi singing and given it national and international acclaim. Well beyond that, her mastery over ghazal and semi-classical singing places her as a legend within her own times.

As long-time fans of the Larkana-born maestro who has won so many hearts around the globe with her passionate performances and humble demeanor, we at ATP wish Abida Parveen a speedy recovery and the very best of health going forth. We are sure our readers join us in these prayers.

Adil Najam

Flicking through Pakistani TV channels I note that all of Pakistan’s mediadom seems to be waiting for imminent release of new documents on WikiLeaks, reportedly including communication from US officials on Pakistan, Pakistanis, Pakistani politicians, and Pakistani agencies and officials.

News junkie that I am, I must confess that I, too, am waiting for Wikileaks. But I am not really sure ‘what’ I am waiting for – or anticipating to hear – from Wikileaks. Nor, do I think, does anyone else. At least any Pakistani. Maybe that is what makes the entire episode so enticing. But it also shows just how messed up US-Pakistan relations really are today.

Amidst all the talk about how dangerous the leaks might be and how they might spoil relations between the US and its supposed ‘allies,’ I wonder exactly what we might find from the leaked documents that would really ‘surprise’ any Pakistani leader, or Pakistani journalist, or any Pakistani for that matter?

Adil Najam

Rereading MQ’s ‘Caps of Pakistan‘ as I was thumbing through today’s news from Pakistan I was suddenly struck by how many of the news photos that flashed by me had Pakistani wearing caps in them. I thought I would share a sampling, and maybe others (including MQ himself) could give a commentary on some of them.