By S A J Shirazi

Discovery of fossils, tools, coins, and remains of ancient archaeological sites give enough historic evidence about Soan civilization and its continuity in Potohar (or Potwar) Plateau. The people, colourful landscape, lakes, hill ranges, flora and fauna are sufficient reasons to explore the land that is largely off the beaten track and one does not see many backpackers in the area.

Some of the world history has started from this region. The first residents of the land we now call home were Stone Age people in the Potwar Plateau. They were followed by the more urbane Indus Valley (or Harappan) civilisation which flourished between the twenty-third to eighteenth centuries BC.

Some of the earliest relics of Stone Age in the world have been found in the Potohar region, with a probable antiquity of about 500,000 years. The crude stone implements recovered from the terraces of the Soan carry the account of human grind and endeavours in this part of the world to the inter-glacial period. The Stone Age men produced their equipment in a sufficiently homogenous way to justify their grouping in terms of a culture called the Soan Culture. Around 3000 BC, small village communities developed in the Potohar area and began to take the first hesitant steps towards the formation of society.

Adil Najam

Today ATP gets to feature the work of two people whom I hold in great respect – even awe – each at the top of their craft.

The first, of course, is Madam Nur Jehan (Noor Jahan). Whatever the word might mean to others elsewhere, for Pakistanis ‘Madam’ refers only to Nur Jehan; and one need not say anything more (except, maybe, that her real name was Allah Wasai).

(You can also view and hear a pictorial tribute to her here).

Because it is so difficult to even begin writing about Madam, I want to just refer you to the words of a second person I have been meaning to write about: the indomitable Khalid Hasan; erstwhile compatriot and Press Secretary to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and journalist par excellence.

Whether you agree with Khalid Hasan or not (and I don’t just about as often as I do), one has to agree that as a journalist – especially as a columnist (as opposed to just an opinion-monger) – he is at the top of his craft; the standard for all others to follow. How can you not be enamoured by a journalist whose website opens with the following line from Chiragh Hasan Hasrat:

No one should take journalists too seriously, especially journalists themselves because what they write in the morning, is used to wrap fish in the same evening.

Like so many Pakistanis, Khalid Hasan followed Nur Jehan’s career in intimate detail. Unlike most, he knew her well and have written about her with a palpable depth of affection. For example:

When Nur Jehan first suffered a heart ailment, I remember saying, “But of course it had to be the heart, considering how many claimants it has had and how often it has fluttered for those on whom she has chosen to smile, even if fleetingly and on a mild summer evening.”

This post came about because I recently stumbled upon this wonderful clip from the 1958 movie Anarkali, produced and directed by Anwar Kamal, music from Rashid Attre, starring Noor Jahan in the lead role with Sudhir as Prince Salim, and also with Shamim Ara in the cast.

Click on arrow at center, or view it directly here:

Of course, there are many other movie and song versions of Anarkali, and ATP has written about them before (here and here). But this one reminds me not only of the glory days of Pakistani cinema but also of the magic that was Noor Jahan. Most people thought that both she and Sudhir were ill-cast in this movie, yet the sheer brilliance of her songs took it to Silver Jubillee hieights. (Apart from this song, another memorable song in the movie was: “Sadaa houN appne pyar ki“).

Adil Najam

It took England only three days to defeat Pakistan most thoroughly in the second Test Match at Old Trafford.

The injury-ridden Pakistan team collapsed not one, but twice as England wrapped the game by an inning and 120 runs. Final scores: Pakistan (119 and 222); England (461). But injury is really no excuse for the way the Pakistan team simply collapsed both innings. The pitch was bad, but no worse than it was for the English side.

The featured picture (above) shows the English team appealing (successfully) for the dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq in teh second innings (he had scored a duck in the first).

I also found this other rather interesting picture of signage in Urdu that was posted on the ground to keep Pakistani fans — who can often become over-enthusiastic — to stay away from the field.

In this case, unfortunately, there was not much to be enthusiastic about for the Pakistani fans.

Photographs from CricInfo.Com.