Highlights of the December 2009 issue
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Election: Sect factor
By Moosa Kaleem
Sectarian affinities played an important role in the elections in Gilgit and led to many a tense situation in some constituencies
Elections in Pakistan are usually a mix of the modern and the traditional.
Parties, ideologies and manifestos go side by side with biradari, caste and
religion. The November election in Gilgit-Baltistan proved to be no
different; sectarianism ruled the balloting roost instead of the parties and
their policies.
In more than one constituency, the sectarian influences were so strong that
they rendered all other factors ineffective. Take, for instance, the
campaigning and polling patterns in Gilgit, the headquarters of the
Gilgit-Baltistan region. In at least two constituencies, the sectarian
divide was so deep that no one could fight the election there without taking
this into account. It was mainly because of this divide that Agha Raziuddin,
an independent candidate, won the election from Gilgit-I constituency. The
fact that he is the leader of the local Shia community helped his cause as
much as his successful efforts at bringing out his supporters in big numbers
to cast their votes. At the end of the day, he won the poll by 1,154 votes,
which is a huge margin in Gilgit-Baltistan.
By Umer Farooq
It was after the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai that Pakistan’s state
machinery sprung into action. More precisely it was a day after December 10,
2008, when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) declared the
self-proclaimed Islamic charity Jamaatud Dawa (JD) an affiliate of al-Qaeda,
which not just intensified the international pressure on the Pakistani
government but also provided a legal justification under international law to
crack down on the organisation.
In response to this, the Foreign Ministry issued a notification listing the
three actions against JD and some of its key members – an asset freeze, a travel
ban and an arms embargo – required by the UNSC Resolution 1267, which governs
sanctions regime regarding al-Qaeda, the Taliban and their affiliates. Dated
December 11, 2008, the notification stated: “The individuals and entities listed
in the annexure to this order … shall stand subjected to the travel restrictions
and arms embargo in accordance with the aforesaid resolutions and their bank
accounts, funds and financial resources … and other individuals, groups
undertakings and entities associated with them shall stand frozen.” The annexure
listed JD as well as some other organisations and individuals.
Interview: “There is a notification banning the Jamaatud Dawa”
— Qamar Zaman Kaira, federal information minister
By Umer Farooq
Q. What steps has the government taken to implement United Nations
(UN) resolution 1267?
A. Well there is a UN Security Council resolution and we are aware
of that. Our own policy is very clear on this. We cannot allow any group to
operate which is involved in terrorism and any such activities. In this
regard we have banned the organisation [Jamaatud Dawa (JD)], sealed their
offices and arrested their leaders. Mostly this comes under the jurisdiction
of the provincial government because law and order is a provincial subject.
The provincial governments have taken certain measures. But one thing is
very clear: getting rid of the menace of terrorism as soon as possible is a
priority for us. It is in the interest of this region, it is in the interest
of Pakistan and it is in the interest of the whole world.
Sports: “One risky decision
changed everything”
By Muhammad Fawad Asghar
Most cricketers start thinking about retirement in their thirties. But not
off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who made his debut at the age of 31 with his
induction in the national team for the Asia Cup in 2008. This became
possible after he had a remarkable domestic season with Khan Research
Laboratories (KRL) taking 38 wickets in 12 first-class matches. The second
major obstacle that he overcame was the objection of the International
Cricket Council (ICC) to his bowling action which they thought was suspect.
He not only refused to let his game be affected by the ICC’s decision to
review his action but in fact played a crucial role in helping Pakistan win
the world Twenty20 (T20) title this year. Along with Shahid Afridi, he was
the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Since then Ajmal has
become a crucial member of the Pakistan cricket team. The Herald talked to
him just before the Pakistan cricket team left for the United Arab Emirates
in October to play against New Zealand.
Focus: Show Me the
Money
By Madiha Sattar
While Fashion Pakistan Week
captured media attention around the world, more focus on the business side is
needed to turn it into the trade show it wants to become
One of the undeniable achievements of Pakistan’s first ever fashion week,
held from November 4 to 7 at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi, was that it
attracted more global attention than any other fashion event in the
country’s history. Through a savvy media strategy, Fashion Pakistan Week (FPW)
took full advantage of the controversial juxtaposition between exposed
Pakistani flesh and Taliban-inflicted suicide bombs that its organisers knew
would be too tempting for the international media to ignore. Domestically,
the fact that FPW took place at all was described by those involved in the
sector as a major achievement for the industry despite the tough economic
and security scenario, an environment that has led to the cancellation this
year of annual fixtures such as the World Performing Arts Festival and the
Lux Style Awards.
But what was missing from the event, which showcased 31 designers over four
days, was a sense that business was taking place. Organisers and designers
were often overheard saying that a fashion week is ultimately a trade show,
not a cultural or social event, and part of the stated mission of Fashion
Pakistan (the Karachi-based design council that organised FPW) is to
“encourage, promote and facilitate the development and growth of the fashion
industry in Pakistan, make it competitive in the international market, build
on relationships with buyers, both overseas and domestic, and foreign
designers, and promote investment in the industry.”
Health: Addicted to the
Chill Pill
By Huma Yusuf
Addiction to tranquilisers,
anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills among middle and upper class
Pakistani women is a cause for concern
On some days Anita is grateful for the silence. Her parents, who used to
fight incessantly, have fallen into a state of mutual indifference and
communicate only when necessary. A 17-year-old in the first year of her
A-levels at a private school in Karachi, Anita did not realise at first that
this change in her parents’ relationship came about when her mother started
taking the anxolytic Lexotanil to ward off the stress and frustration
stirred by each altercation with her husband.
A year and a half later, Anita’s mother, a 47-year-old resident of Karachi’s
posh Defence locality, is chronically lethargic. “On some days I’ll come
home from school at four or even five in the evening and my mother will
still be asleep,” says Anita. “She’s always too tired to do anything. Even
the smallest task – giving the servants instructions for dinner or shopping
for a birthday present – will throw her off. She’ll get agitated, accuse us
of pushing her to do too much and then claim she’s feeling unwell just so
that she can take her medicine and lie down.” To the best of Anita’s
knowledge, her mother takes at least one pill a day, though there have been
a few occasions on which she has had up to four.
By Huma Yusuf
It took Wajahat Ali a while – two years to be precise – to start thinking of
himself as a playwright. But in September this year, this Pakistani American
mesmerised diverse audiences, including one of those notoriously
hard-to-please reviewers from The New York Times, with an off-Broadway
production of The Domestic Crusaders. The play, an irreverent yet complex
portrait of a family, is one of the first theatrical outings to dramatise
the experience of Pakistani – and Muslim – immigrants in the US.
The script began as a 20-page short story assignment in an undergraduate
writing class soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. At the time,
Ali’s professor, the author and Pulitzer Prize nominee, Ishmael Reed, asked
him to produce something that humanised American Muslims. Two years later,
after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Ali found
himself putting the finishing touches on a play that spans generations,
interrogates the boundaries of assimilation and moves from comic to tragic.
Table For 2: Seafood in
Serendip
By Irfan Husain
Addiction to tranquilisers,
anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills among middle and upper class
Pakistani women is a cause for concern
Rollers are crashing on our beach on the southern tip of Sri Lanka as I
write this. The thought that there is no land mass between our dream house
and the Antarctic is a sobering one whenever we swim in the sea.
However, this vast body of water is also home to a huge number of fish,
several of which find their way to us. Every morning, a number of fishermen
from our neighbouring fishing village wave and yell at our gate that leads
to the beach. Invariably, they are displaying their catch of the day and
trying to persuade us to buy.