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anomaly review
Mime"s the word Breaking
the silence This
other England
The caretaker government has transgressed its short term role of holding free and fair elections and is making long term policy decisions, including appointments on key positions By Nadeem Iqbal In the absence of any qualification for the members of the caretaker government, including the interim prime minister and four chief ministers, any stipulated time frame and specific mandate, the perceived role of the caretakers as impartial election managers is fast diminishing. Farhatullah Babar, a
Pakistan Peoples Party spokesperson, told TNS that the caretakers Babar agreed with TNS that the constitutional provision for a caretaker setup is an anomaly that should be removed. He said that under charter of democracy, PPP and PML--N agreed to the restoration of the constitution to pre Oct 12, 1999 shape except four clauses i.e., increased number of national provincial assemblies seats; increased reserved seats for women, lower voter age and joint electorate. Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Secretary General, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) shared similar views with TNS. He said that PML-N considers President Pervez Musharraf as an unconstitutional head of state and the caretaker government is only an extension of his unconstitutionality. Jhagra argued that his party stands for not only removing the provision of caretaker government from the constitution but also the discretionary powers of the president to dismiss or dissolve the elected government and parliament. He said, "we stand not only for the restoration but also the continuation of democracy that in future no dictator would dare to abrogate the constitution." The constitutional provision regarding the caretaker set-up is a military dictator"s legacy. It was inserted by General Ziaul Haq through the infamous eight amendment under the rationale that whenever he wanted, he could dismiss an elected government on charges of corruption and misuse of power; it was only logical that another set of interim government should hold elections within the stipulated 100 days. Gen Musharraf further extended the role of caretakers in the wake of the dissolution of an assembly on the completion of its term in 2002 through Legal Framework Order that was later adopted by the parliament. Otherwise, as per constitution, the elections to the national assembly was to be held within sixty days before the expiration of the term of the assembly, which means under the elected government. To date there have been six caretaker governments including the present one. The first short term government was established in May 1988 by Gen Ziaul Haq but he did not appoint the prime minister.The second under interim prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi remained in office for 90 days between Aug-Nov, 1990. The caretaker government under Balkh Sher Mazari occupied the office for only 38 days between April-May, 1993 while Moin Ahmed Qureshi"s government that took over on July 8, 1993 continued till October and also held elections. The caretakers under Malik Meraj Khalid ruled the country from Nov 1996 till Feb 1997. Moin Qureshi did not have much stakes in a country he ruled for three months. In fact his national identity card was made after he became the prime minister. And on his ID, his address in Pakistan was the prime minister"s house. He left the country after the job and never came back. Without going into the debate whether the elections under previous caretakers were free and fair, the fact remains that no incumbent government won the elections and the caretakers remained loyal to the next government unlike the present set-up that is more faithful to the outgoing government. The present caretaker setup took over on Nov 16, 2007 and its three months term ended on Feb 16. As per law it had to hold elections within 60 days -- the limit increases to 90 days only if the assembly is dissolved by the president. However, because of the assassination the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto the election date was delayed from Jan 8 to Feb 18. This stirred a controversy if the caretakers could continue beyond 60 days. Media reports quoted interim Law Minister, Sayed Afzal Haider as saying that the caretaker government had taken oath on Nov 16 for a 90-day term, but it was competent to hold the elections even after Feb 16. However, he did not back his view by any legal or constitutional provision. Similarly, Attorney General, Malik Muhammad Qayyum opined that the constitution did not bar the caretakers from supervising the elections beyond its 90-day term. Despite the fact that over 112 days have passed since the caretakers took over, they do not seem to be in a hurry to transfer power to the new government. This is creating further complications, as in comparison to an elected government where the cabinet is drawn out of elected parliamentarians, those who have strict constitution criteria in the shape of a whole list of qualifications and disqualifications, caretakers have none. Case in point: the caretaker prime minister, Mohammadmian Soomro who as senate chairman is supposed to be the president of Pakistan in the president"s absence from the country. An interesting situation arose early last month, when because of President Musharraf"s trip abroad, the national assembly speaker, Amir Hussain, who was then contesting elections from Sialkot was summoned to act as president. Mohammadmian Soomro owes his political career to President Musharraf who appointed him as governor Sindh in 2000 and later the PML-Q voted him for chairman senate. No wonder, almost all independent elections observers have dubbed caretakers as biased and an extension of the previous government. Another interesting case is that of federal caretaker railways minister, Mansoor Tariq, who is the brother-in-law of Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, who is brother of former prime minister and PML-Q president, Shujaat Hussain . Mansoor is a Grade-18 employee of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), who is on leave to serve as caretaker minister. Some of the accusations levelled against the caretakers are: its weak political will to enforce rules and regulations -- such as, managing the worst case of flour and energy shortage in the country. Similarly, the caretakers continued with the policies of the previous government but with more compromises than the PML-Q government. And now the caretakers are being accused of not only saving the president but also are in to save the chairmanship of the senate of Mohammadmian Soomro. Given the recent experience, it is only logical that instead of a caretaker government, activity of holding elections should be carried out by the incumbent government under a truly independent election commission. At least that would help undo the kind of uncertainty the country experiences now. Like others, artists too are busy discovering new audience for their creative outputs. A preview of Huma Mulji"s work in Lahore before its display in 'Art Dubai" By Quddus Mirza What one remembers of stories by Franz Kafka are not events or protagonists; it is the strange surroundings that entangle human beings in unexpected ways. Situations where they turn into huge insects, face trial without committing any crime or become lost in the labyrinth of rules and regulations. It is the ultimate and unavoidable fate of a person caught in odd circumstances which is strongly conveyed in Kafka"s fables and fiction. A Kafkaesque condition was
seen in the preview of Huma Mulji"s work held on Feb 28, 2008 at Besides its association with the camel, the Arab peninsula has transformed the economic status of many amongst us. Apart from labourers, plumbers, carpenters and masons, professionals from banking, business and corporate sector are seeking lucrative jobs in places like Dubai, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Tiny sheikhdoms in the Middle East are venues that generate wealth and opportunities both for the East and the West at present. Artists, too, are following the trend of time, and are busy discovering new audience for their creative outputs. After Sharjah Biennale and a number of museums and galleries opening up in some Gulf States, the latest mega art event to take place in the desert is 'Art Dubai" (scheduled for March 19-22, 2008). In this art fair, that usually invites commercial galleries only, Pakistan is the only place that is being represented as a country. At the Pakistan pavilion, the exhibition 'Desperately Seeking Paradise" is curated by Salima Hashmi. Huma Mulji, one of the many artists representing Pakistan in 'Art Dubai", held a preview of her work in Lahore. The display included a number of digital prints and sculptures. Mulji photographed dolls (pair of male and female, or female only in some pictures) in strange environments. In most of the pictures, naked dolls were placed under the legs in police uniforms. The contrast of small bare bodies of dolls with fully-clothed life-size figures in crisp pantaloons, heavy boots, batons and guns described a content that was not difficult to decipher. In other works too, a doll was sitting surrounded by people (portrayed through the lower halves of ordinary men in shalwar kameez) or the doll couple was shown drowned in a pool of water polluted with fallen leaves and broken branches. The juxtaposition of male
figures -- represented through visuals of power (police outfits and In comparison to works on paper, the three-dimensional pieces of Huma Mulji appeared more appropriate for exhibiting in Dubai. These sculptures were made with suitcases (item she used for her work in 'Scope London" in 2005, and later for another exhibition 'Flight of Fancy" held in 2006, in which another participant Nausheen Saeed displayed digital prints of a man trapped in open suitcases!). Huma"s idea of utilising a travel bag makes sense for a work to be sent abroad, especially to Dubai, a place dominated by migrant workers. In another work, link with the immigrant community was established by metal casts of naan bread and Peshawari chappal (sandal) coated in a fake patina of gold and neatly embedded in an open suitcase, with its title 'Shabbir" embossed outside. In another piece, called '1001 Storeys", a cluster of Muslim showers was placed along with their double bib corks erected on the sides and transmitting sounds of people talking about their future in Dubai. Voice (instead of water) emitting ends of these sanitary fittings were suspended in such a way that these resembled palm trees, as well as poles of street lights. Both the boxes dealt with the ideas of urbanisation and displacement, and addressed the issues of ethnicity -- especially Islamic. The notions of religious identity and dislocation were tackled in a grand manner in her large piece. The skin of an actual camel was stuffed and fixed inside the suitcase with the inscription 'Arabian Delight" on the outer flap. A camel may enter a Bedouin"s tent, but it can"t fit into a designer"s luggage, no matter how big, so the dead animal was twisted and turned in order to squeeze it in the bag. Due to its dimensions, the uncanny combination of the two objects and an immaculate execution, this work stood apart in the whole display. The ambitious scale, with a clever and creative approach towards ideas such as identity, religion and displacement, increased its value as an art piece. Almost everyone watching the piece could relate to it. However in a number of pieces, the artist"s efforts to contextualise her creations were less convincing; rather these appeared somewhat contrived. Titles such as 'Shabbir", 'Sumaira and her Friends", 'Chai Pani and Cigarette" and '1001 Storeys" revealed an urge to identify and associate with popular art and an effort to declass herself and her art through colloquial expressions. Festivals such as the Inter University Performing Arts Festival 2008 should continue to be held in the hope that with time quality will improve By Sarwat Ali The best aspect of the Inter University Performing Arts Festival (IUPAF) 2008 held under the aegis of University College of Art and Design, Punjab University at the Alhamra Arts Council was that the theatre groups of educational institutions from various parts of the Punjab like Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujrat and Rawalpindi participated. The institutions that took
part were: Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, King Edward Medical The better performance was 'Something to Talk About" by the University Of Engineering and Technology. They have a good dramatic club and are often in a position to stage plays which are better than the average college production. In a number of festivals over the years that one has seen, their performance has been consistent and full of potential. At least it reaches a level where the potential can be exploited for creative results, something which cannot be said for some of the other productions that are usually staged at the college and university level. There seems to have been a great deal of emphasis on mime this year. There were many groups that put up mime performances in this festival and one wondered why. If the idea is to do away with the script, it is erroneous because script is the first necessity for any kind of performance. It is the basis on which one proceeds to build the structure of a film, a play even a talk show. Actually mime is more difficult to handle because one of the major means of communication, the language, is being willfully eliminated. What remains is just the body of the actor or the mimer and it makes the task very difficult. In a conventional play the burden of communication is divided between words, actions, music, the sets but in mime the entire focus is zeroed down to the body. The body has to do so much more and for that it has to be properly trained, but alas in Pakistan there is no proper training of the body or training of any kind in the performing arts. Or probably the thought
that mime is something new and will hold fascination on its own also does Though in a way mime can show the way out for theatre as there is a very heavy reliance on the spoken word. It has taken better part of the century to gradually ease away from the verbosity that characterises our theatre. The reliance has been so great that all else in the performance becomes secondary to the word which is not always good for the theatre or the performing arts. The mime group at the National College of Arts has made great progress in the development of mime in the last many years but there too the artistic challenge posed by mime is ever present. The mime, in the absence of words, usually tends to get too abstract and is often seized by the potential of dance and movement that outstrips the cohesiveness demanded by a play. Mimodrama, as the great Marcel Marceau called it, by marrying theatre and dance fails to arrive at a satisfying unity. A play by an educational institution is always welcomed and if it is done on a regular basis it is a cause for celebration. Natak, the performing group of the students of University College of Art and Design, University of the Punjab, has been consistently doing plays in the course of the last few years and the credit goes both to the students and the faculty for it was not so long ago that Punjab University"s extracurricular activity had shrunk to a few prescribed rituals, the rest actively discouraged from taking place on the campus. In the past few years Natak has staged plays, mimes and shadow shows and has also participated in the various festivals that have taken place in the country. It has also been moved by noble causes, and an offshoot Awareness through Performing Arts (ATPA), a voluntary organisation believing in the sanctity and impact of arts for a positive change, has also been active. One of the ways of proceeding further is to be consistent in perseverance, only mindful of the quantity in the hope that quality will eventually emerge through this process. The Performing Arts Festival is a very good initiative and perhaps the quality of the plays that have been staged, though a discouraging factor, should not tip the scales casting doubts about the intention of the initiative. The festivals should continue to be held in the hope that the quality will improve. It can if the groups that represent various educational institutions invest in the human and material infrastructure at their end. Very few institutions actually have the human resource to mount a proper production. By engaging help from outside and by seeking advice, the potential that is there in the institutions can be honed considerably for the quality to improve.
Breaking
the silence By Mushtaq Yusufzai The victory of liberal political forces in the Feb 18 elections is being seen as a silver line on the horizon of conservative Frontier province by the artists. For the last five years, the clergy-led government had termed all musical concerts and cultural shows as un-Islamic and a source of vulgarity. Established in 1985, the
sprawling building of Nishtar Hall -- named after noted Pakhtun freedom However, the first thing the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) government did after gaining power in 2002 was to impose a ban on cultural activities, including musical concerts and theatre. They immediately closed the doors of Nishtar Hall for all the artists and entertainers, terming it a campaign against vulgarity and obscenity. The affairs of Nishtar Hall, situated close to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) building, were earlier run by Abaseen Arts Council but, later, in 1992 the building was handed over to the NWFP Cultural department for the promotion of art and culture. But Nishtar Hall was not the only place that bore the brunt of MMA government; in the five years of their rule they had strictly banned music programmes and cultural shows in the rest of the province as well. The Nishtar Hall was mostly rented out for government-sponsored Islamic lectures and political gatherings. With all doors closed on them, some even feared for their lives, some entertainers either left the province or switched to other businesses, while others stood by their profession and converted their work (dramas and dances) on Compact Disks (CDs) for earning livelihoods. The main victims were eunuchs or cross-dressers, performing for decades in Peshawar"s famous musicians" market -- Dabgari Garden. Like others, the eunuchs were unceremoniously evicted from their bala khanas in Dabgari Garden, where they had been entertaining music-lovers for the past several years. They dispersed and settled in different residential areas of the city. Some of them went underground while others secretly continued their business. Some of the Peshawarites complained that the MMA government"s move backfired. "After the closure of Nishtar Hall, where the government had a check on activities and banning music shows in open, the business spread to the streets and bazaars through CD dramas and dances. Now there is music centre in the entire city in the form of CDs," said Sawab Khan, a resident of Peshawar"s Gulbarg town. Similarly, people feel that although the government banned music and cultural shows, it failed in having a check over growing trend of vulgarity and violence shown in CD dramas and shows, prepared by unprofessional people. "There is neither any check on CD dramas and shows nor a code of conduct for the performers, most of whom are unskilled," observed Arshad Hussain, a senior TV artist, presenter and elected president of Sarhad Artists Association of Pakistan (SAAP). This versatile artist is sad over this serious loss to the art and culture in the Frontier and feels the ban on healthy entertainment helped promote extremism and violence in our society. "Sixty per cent of our population comprises of youths and if you deprive them of healthy activities like listening to music, watching movies and stage shows, they would definitely fall prey to frustration and violence," remarked Arshad Hussain. Arshad said it was unfortunate that Pashtuns love art and music but they hate the artist and musicians. Besides male artists, the rigid policies of MMA government harassed the handful of female artists. "Our artists had never been faced with such a challenging period like they met with during the past five years. I can"t explain the suffering and hard days of my colleagues," remarked a seasoned TV artist and anchor, Shahzma Halim, while talking to TNS. Shahzma Halim says like other people, the artists too had attached great expectations with the liberal nationalist political forces who have emerged victorious in the recent polls. "Their success has created hope among the artists who believe the new government would at least redress their sufferings. The government should immediately open the doors of Nishtar Hall for artists and should constitute an autonomous committee to run its affairs," she demanded. She said they wanted to personally approach the newly-nominated chief minister of the Awami National Party (ANP), Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, and apprise him of their problems. "He is young and an energetic and we believe he would use his influence to the restore our lost confidence," Shahzma hoped. Provincial general secretary of ANP and MPA-elect from Nowshera district, Mian Iftikhar Hussain said his party would not only open the Nishtar Hall for cultural activities but also take measures for the promotion of art and culture, badly damaged during the past few years. He said their government would utilise all available resources and means for the protection of the lives and belongings of the artists like other citizens. "They are our assets and their protection is our responsibility," Mian Iftikhar maintained.
Dear
all, Finally I got my hands on the book I have been trying to acquire since December: Marina Lewycka"s second novel 'Two Caravans". Lewycka, you may (or may not) recall is the author of the rather amazing debut novel 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" which a couple of years ago was shortlisted for the Booker prize and has continued to gain new readers and devotees ever since. 'A Short History of
Tractors in Ukrainian" is an amazing book: a story about a family
plunged in Thankfully, it is good and also funny, poignant and very enjoyable. Lewycka tells the story of immigrant workers, who come to England with dreams of earning enough money in a few months to improve their lives. But the England they come across is very different as compared to what they had glimpsed in books and on television. They become part of a brutal, exploitative 'supermarket supply" economy of strawberry picking and inhumane 'chicken farming", and are tangled in a web of human trafficking. The story begins at a strawberry farm in Kent where a small group of Poles, Ukrainians, Chinese and one African live and work together. The workers are crammed together in two caravans, overworked and underpaid. From their brief time together they develop a sense of camaraderie and mutual care. Their lives become interlinked even as they move in different directions. The story is told by several different and rapidly alternating narrators and this actually works surprisingly well, especially considering that one of the narrators is a dog and yet another is an innocent African teenager whose entire vocabulary and English expression has been formed by biblical and evangelical texts and teachers. I finished this book within a few hours of getting it, simply because I didn"t want to be parted from it, and I wanted to stay with the characters till the very end. Marina Lewycka writes extraordinarily well with a wonderful understated wit and a fine ear for the nuances of language and pronunciation. What she also does is create with minimum fuss, a story of individuals caught in currents of social and political change. Whether it is China, Moldovia, Malaysia, Poland or Ukraine we are given a sense of where the character is coming from and what other factors have shaped his or her life. Considering that the subject matter is bleak and the story"s landscape is pretty grim, Lewycka creates a story that is not only entertaining but also full of humour and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for the reader. What Lewycka does masterfully in her fiction is convey the human dimension of global events and policies -- the new Europe, globalisation, the Orange Revolution or the decline of coal mining are all important aspects of these character"s lives and they have shaped the situations they find themselves in. The book also highlights a question that many of us, in this strange post cold war period may be asking ourselves i.e. is Capitalism an evil or is it the only viable way forward for us? The story gives us a glimpse into the ruthless exploitation of immigrant workers in the so-called free market system and humanises many issues that many would not usually give much thought to, beyond mere newspaper reports. Marina Lewycka has paid tribute to the victims of Capitalism"s unbridled excesses by dedicating the book to the almost two dozen illegal Chinese workers who were drowned in Morecambe Bay four years ago, due to the criminal neglect of their employers. Anyhow, I am now looking forward to Marina Lewycka"s next book. In the meantime I am reading advance proof of another wonderful novel, my friend and colleague Mohammed Hanif"s 'A case of Exploding Mangoes". But more about that later. Best Wishes Umber
Khairi
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transgressed their short term role of holding free and fair elections only.
"Instead caretakers are making long term decisions, appointing
bureaucrats on key positions, extending contracts, awarding fringe benefits
etc. The caretaker government has even increased the petrol price and
electricity tariff without consulting the PPP. The hike should have been
staggered instead of carrying out in a go that has put pressure on the next
government."
Rohats 2 in Lahore. In one piece a camel was stuck in a suitcase. Usually
camels are not sited in built spaces nor are they connected with pieces of
luggage. These are used as beasts of burden, pulling carts or raised for
sacrificing on Eid. Another significance of camels in our culture is that
these are associated with the Arab peninsula, and in a symbolic way with our
religion.
weapons) -- and naked dolls offered an easy and immediate narrative. It
illustrated the tension between two aspects of life: the freedom to live and
the brutal force of the state that works against this freedom. Yet to some
extent the scheme of arranging two pictorial elements in a specific fashion
helped to subvert the typical reading of the works. Interestingly the two,
oblivious to each other"s existence, were shown in an identical state --
relaxed and resting.
College, Lahore, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, University of Engineering
and Technology, Lahore, Fatima Jinnah Women"s University, Agricultural
University Faisalabad, University of Gujrat, and Agricultural University,
Rawalpindi.
not seem to rest on any solid premise. Mime is as old as performing arts and
actually even in the oldest treatises on the performing arts it is mentioned
in the same breath as acting and dance -- natya, nritta and nritya, the three
basis components where the human body is the principal agent of expression.
fighter Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar -- was the hub of art and socio-cultural
activities in the province.
crisis, an extremely funny book tinged with sadness of tragic upheaval and
human suffering in the face of political events. It is also the sort of book
you just want to keep on reading and not be distracted from for any reason
whatsoever. And because it is such an extremely satisfying book it was a hard
act to follow, so a huge question mark hung over its author"s next
creation: would it be any good, we all wondered?