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fata review
Grey and other noises King Lear
comes to Pakistan Roti
for thought
Despite the US promises to train the Frontier Corps personnel and provide money, the situation on the ground is quite the opposite by Rahimullah Yusufzai Some retired generals including former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) head Lt Gen (Retd) Asad Durrani believe it was a mistake to deploy Pakistan Army troops in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to carry out the so-called "war on terror." They may be proved right in case a proper study was done to find out the cost-effectiveness of the army's involvement in the unending war in our tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Prior to the army's
deployment, the Frontier Corps (FC) was operating in FATA for securing the The FC was raised and deployed there before the creation of Pakistan in 1947 by British colonial rulers of India. Presently 50,000-member strong and set to total 55,000 following fresh recruitment, the FC has largely managed security duties in the tribal areas and on the border with Afghanistan and earned praise for its discipline and bravery. Over a period of time, a separate FC was raised for Balochistan to police that part of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and be available for security duty in the violence-prone province. The FC subsequently spearheaded military operations against Baloch separatists and assisted the Pakistan Army in flushing out insurgents and protecting the country's largest gas deposits at Sui along with other natural resources in Balochistan. The FC NWFP and FC Balochistan are commanded by officers drawn from the Pakistan Army. A serving major general serves as commander of the force and is referred to as the Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC). Tribesmen recruited from all Pashtun, Baloch and other tribes residing in the NWFP, FATA and Balochistan form the rank and file of the FC. The FC is also called Scouts. Another lesser-trained paramilitary force, having officers from the Police Service of Pakistan and other personnel from the Pashtun tribes, is also known as FC, though it stands for Frontier Constabulary. The FC NWFP had to bear the brunt of the fighting against Pakistani and foreign tribal Islamic militants in FATA since 2003. Regular Pakistan Army troops were also deployed there to assist the FC as the fighting intensified and the militants upgraded their guerrilla tactics and skills and acquired better weapons. Around 1,200 soldiers, both from the Pakistan Army and FC, have been killed todate in the fighting in FATA and Swat district. Most of the casualties took place in South Waziristan and North Waziristan. The FC lost about 300 troops. Another cause for concern was the demoralisation in FC ranks as a result of the casualties and disabling injuries to the troops. The FC personnel aren't highly trained or paid. According to FC officials, up to 2,000 paramilitary soldiers from their ranks have deserted jobs in recent years. The numbers could be even higher as such information isn't shared with the media or the public. The desertions increased when the FC suffered setbacks on the battlefield in the two Waziristans. The abiding US interest in FATA, which are geographically part of NWFP but are administered by the federal government, became evident once again recently when a Pentagon spokesman said a plan was being drawn up to train and expand the FC to counter the growing strength of al-Qaeda and Taliban in the tribal areas. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said it had been in the making for months but was not yet underway. He said the plan had been discussed and issues such as its launching were debated in meetings. Another Pentagon spokesman said the Tampa, Florida-based US Special Operations Command, was preparing separate plans for ways to increase counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan's armed forces and to boost their capabilities. He said these plans have not yet been sent up the military chain of the command for approval. According to The New York Times, the plans were part of intensified efforts to enlist tribal leaders in the "war against terror." It said there were at present 50 US soldiers in Pakistan, but many more would be required for executing the plan. Despite the statements coming out of the US with regard to plans to train the FC personnel, the situation on the ground in Peshawar, where the FC NWFP is headquartered in the old and imposing Balahisar Fort, is quite the opposite. Major General Mohammad Alam Khattak, Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC), NWFP recently told this writer that plans for training his men haven't been finalised. He said US $ 30 million had been earmarked for the FC out of the $ 750 million new US assistance promised for FATA but the money hasn't been provided yet. "For the last one and a half years we at FC have been giving briefings to US government and military officials but even the first brick hasn't been laid yet. I still don't when the money would arrive so that the programme for FC trainings could be started," he said. Major General Khattak said the US assistance for FC would be used to set up new training centres in FATA and NWFP where the paramilitary soldiers would be specifically trained for fighting against terrorists. He said the new FC wings cannot be quickly raised to provide more manpower due to shortage of space at the existing training centres. "The FC is supposed to be the frontline force in the "war on terror" but it doesn't have helicopters, fixed-wing planes, night vision devices and modern weapons," he lamented. The NWFP in general and Fata in particular became the focus of attention following the post-9/11 US invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan in October 2001. After years of neglect, the Pakistan government substantially increased allocation of funds for the under-developed tribal borderland and foreign donors too chipped in with money for special projects. The military operations that began there in 2003-2004 to hunt down militants suspected of having links to al-Qaeda and Taliban have continued with some interruptions when peace accords were signed with the militants and could go on for years. This battle assumed greater urgency in the wake of recent statements by President George W Bush and CIA director Michael Hayden in which they referred to FATA as the most likely place from where terrorist plans to target the US would originate. Pentagon's plan to train and expand the FC is a long-term activity and it primarily focuses on militarily resolving the conflict in Fata. This policy hasn't worked until now and that is the reason there is now talk of supplementing the military effort with political and economic inputs to win the hearts and minds of the people. Still the FC would benefit from the US financial support and could in due course of time become a better trained and equipped force. In fact, FC has already received vehicles from the US and some funds from Washington have gone into setting up new border posts. But it desperately needs better weapons and equipment along with improved training facilities and working conditions to become a stronger military force.
Ajoka mounts production of Ghulam Abbas's most controversial short-story in full public view By Sarwat Ali Some things have definitely changed over the years. When Ghulam Abbas read his story Dhanak at the Halqa Arbabe Zauq in Lahore it was greeted with stony silence. When it was thrown open for discussion it evoked a strong reaction, severely condemned by some as an attack on religion or a satire on the various sectarian divisions within religion. As he wanted to publish his work he had massive problems convincing the publishers. They all feared some kind of a reprisal and a backlash. After much convincing and persuasion this story was published. Even now as one picks up a collection or a section of Ghulam Abbas's works, particularly his short stories, more often than not, this story is not included in the publication. Ironically this story by Ghulam Abbas is more remembered for its translation done much later by Khalid Hasan, titled Hotel Mohenjodaro. Now there has been a
production mounted of the same story with the name of Hotel Mohenjodaro The play, adapted and directed by Shahid Mehmood Nadeem, was staged in full public view and it appeared that the clouds of apprehension had blown away and our society had emerged as one very open and tolerant. The other plays staged were Bullha, Kala Mainda Bhes and Bala King. There has been a great deal of opening up of society in the last few years and now much is said explicitly; perhaps too much is said on the media and no holds appear to be barred. At the same time the threat of imminent violence is as palpable as ever. Never in the sixty years of the country have the citizens feared more for their life and property as they do these days. The equation of openness and debate leading to a more tolerant and equitable social order has yet to arrive. What has increased appreciably is both the openness to express one's views and the use of violence. The openness in society has not led to a convenient cathartic release ensuring space for intellectual and academic discourse. The story of Dhanak like other stories of Ghulam Abbas is simple -- Pakistan reaches a scientifically advanced stage when it launches a rocket which successfully lands on the moon. On hearing this news maulvis launch a movement which gathers strength. From the village maulvi it travels to the cities till it reaches the grand mosque of the capital. The Khateebe Azam of the grand mosque condemns the satanic sciences, calls it a blasphemous act and warns the people of the imminence of Day of Judgement. He pleads for the toppling of the kafir government and of promulgating divine laws. The government is eventually overthrown. The new regime decides to enforce the Islamic laws but soon sectarian differences crop up leading to civil war. Pursuing its policy of self-righteousness the regime totally isolates itself from the comity of nations and a foreign country attacks Pakistan and defeats it. In the last part of the story experts and archaeologists go in search of the location from where the ill-fated rocket was launched in the once advanced country. Though the long story was cast in the mould of a science fiction which created a world that lay somewhere in future, it was actually a depiction of the state of society. Such was the reaction that no one took the risk of publishing it. Ghulam Abbas was at the height of his creative powers and was undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest short story writer living. And getting his work published was both a financial and a literary reward for the publishing house. It is said that Almisaal, the publishing house run by Munir Niazi was to publish Dhanak but it could not for the reason only to be guessed, though it did publish his Kun Rus. Dhanak was eventually published by Sajjad Kamran in 1961. The other aspect which may be crucial for a production is the audience's response. It seemed that the audiences were laughing and snickering even at words, characters and situations which were extremely grim and probably the director desired serious attention. But it appeared that it was received more like slapstick where even the death of a character is another reason to laugh. Certain character-types generally evoked this kind of snickering laughter and what one saw of the play -- actually the imminence of what was happening on stage spilling over into society -- demanded a concerned reaction and not a derisive laughter. Or perhaps it was the fear of such an eventuality that made the audience snicker and laugh as momentary alleviation to the apocalyptic inevitability. Ghulam Abbas had not created characters that were caricatures and the situation as it developed demanded immediate concern. Neither in the play were the characters cast as caricatures because that would have taken away the seriousness of the issue. There definitely is some gap between the audience that come with a preconceived notion of what happens on stage rather than sit back and soak in totally the actual happenings on stage. If the happenings on stage are different they refuse to perceive it that way. The play was an enactment of the story and probably chosen to be presented with a starkness and directness which does not always constitute good theatre. Usually the lack of original scripts and plays force the directors and producers to adapt the famous works of literature for stage. Ajoka in the past has also adapted many stories of famous writers, most of all Manto, and this appeared to be in the same strain. This adaptation had enough space for the use of multimedia facilities and it appears now that more and more video interjections are being welcomed. Even in Burqavaganza, light and sound show was very much an integral part of the production. More prominent members of the cast were Furqan Majeed, Uzma Zia, Sarfaraz Ansari, Imranul Haq and Shahid Zafar. Grey Noise, a newly established virtual gallery, held its launching exhibition at Alhamra Lahore By Quddus Mirza Alhamra Art Centre in Lahore was particularly noisy that evening. People from all walks of life had come to enjoy live folk music in the lawns of Alhamra. The audience was busy supporting the singers with their shouts of applause. Several danced on the catchy tunes. On April 27, 2008, the newly established virtual gallery, Grey Noise, also held its launching exhibition at the Alhamra Art Gallery, showing works of 11 artists in various mediums and scales. Though the link between the
name, Grey Noise, and the actual noise at the premises was purely accidental,
it helped to discern the differences in various art forms and how they are
presented, This stark difference was more evident on that particular evening. However the truth is that the idea of art as an exclusive activity has prevailed in history, with works prepared as commission for Kings, Dukes and religious leaders; and later for a small minority of collectors. This status/function of visual art led many creative individuals to change their direction and course. Some sought to indulge in 'public art' through which they tried to bridge the gap between art-producing group and the general populace. Layers of images outside
shops, signs on the streets, as well as interactive works and performances
have been a few attempts to liberate art out of the gallery space and bring
it into public sphere. But these too ended up into a sort of 'limited'
gallery art because whatever was attempted in the outside space did not leave
an impact on the masses; and it was carefully documented and In that context, one must admit the special role and status of pictorial art in our setting. A fact that was confirmed on the opening of Grey Noise, since it highlighted the divide between the crowd, students, critics and collectors who turned away from a plebeian activity and concentrated on the exhibition only. Presumably the elitist approach was not limited to the segregation of the two arts and their distinctive audiences; within visual art, one comes across various levels and individuals trying to satisfy different sections of society. These vary between framers' shops to commercial galleries to exclusive ones contributing towards high art. It was apparent at the opening of Grey Noise that the virtual gallery is selective in the choice of artists. All of them, contemporary practitioners, make works in a range of medium and techniques. Thus one came across digital prints, installation, video, mixed media paintings, drawings and works on paper in the exhibition. Despite the diversity, this conveyed a specific idea about the new art in Pakistan. In this age the practitioners of contemporary art are not sitting on the margins any more. Now there are galleries, which are open to their ideas, and collectors who are keen on buying cutting edge art (a recent example being Ayaz Jokhio's works which have been sold to various collectors). The strong presence of contemporary art was a main motif of the first exhibition of Grey Noise although it was not organised as a cohesive show -- the gallery tried to emphasise each individual's single piece and tactfully displayed without the shadow of other exhibits. Even in that pattern of arrangement, the disparity between artists' concerns and concepts was unmistakably noticed. Some works indicated a mature approach towards the practice of contemporary art, while a few -- like Imran Ahmed's installation and Fatima Saeed's video and mixed media piece -- appeared parodies of conceptual art. Works on paper by Fahad Burki, Amna Hashmi, Lala Rukh, prints of Ameen J and a series of small pieces by Ayesha Jatoi indicated various concerns and aesthetic strategies, but most of these were an extension of their previous works. The works of Risham Syed and Ayaz Jokhio (even though his installation of portraits was being shown at another gallery) with their sense of innovation, seriousness and multi-layered meaning were most impressive. In Jokhio's 'Self Portraits' one could discern the distance between art and life, since the photocopies of the artist's face were provided to various people who drew hairstyles of their choice on these. Hence all the portraits hung on the wall questioned the reality, authenticity and originality of art and artist. Interestingly, Nadia Khawaja's work also dealt with identity, as she removed the features from faces composed on a grid and only diverse hairstyles were visible and remained identifiable. The importance of an art work as an object (consumer goods) was probed by Risham Syed in 'The Cape', her installation with several images 'trapped' in golden frames. The paradox of exquisite frames and digital print of a maiden from the last century, sheep in the field, drawing of a plane crash, a family group photo in sepia and the stretched coat of ibex (used for making caps, now transformed into a national symbol because of Quaid-e-Azam) was enhanced with all the 'pictures' installed on a deep red wall that reminded of museum interiors. The contradiction of wall and mouldings with the mundane imagery could be understood as a way to question the art practice of our time. Grey Noise is a new addition to this thriving art market. One only hopes that it soon operates as a physical space because virtual in our situation purely depends on business, while the actual space may be about art as well.
NAPA Repertory Theatre Company deserves all credit for staging Agha Hashar's Sufaid Khoon as their maiden venture By Tazeen Javed The story of Sufaid Khoon, Agha Hashar's adaptation of Shakespeare's 'King Lear', is as old as time and still relevant to us all. Like its inspiration, the play opens with a court scene where King Khaqan (superbly played by Talat Hussain) asks his daughters about affections for their father. The elder daughters Mahpara (Bakhtawar Mazhar) and Dil Ara (Maria Rabab) eloquently praised their father to the skies and were suitably rewarded for flattery; the king distributed the kingdom between the two of them. However, the king was not
happy with the youngest daughter Zara (Aymen Aly) who did not display
affection for her father in the court and was consequently sent away. The
daughters turn out to The play was interspersed with a parallel comedic story which depicted an early 20th century haveli with a patriarch Turram (Jamal Abro), his son Jalil (Zeeshan Haider Nalwala), his daughter-in-law Laila (Shagufta Mumtaz Shah) and Jalil's tutor Baghlol (Syed Ather Abbas) along with two extremely cheeky servants Guldam (Uroosa Shamim Siddiqui) and Gul Khairu (Farhan Shah) and two guests Karak (Kashif Sial )and Bharak (Mohsin Ali Shah). Although not related to the original story line, a comedic portion was written to break up the original tragedy as was the tradition in early 20th century. Apart from the genre and storyline, the parallel stories are visually different as well. The actors in the tragedy were attired in elaborate period costumes while the comedic period had actors wearing early 20th century outfits such as achkans and chooridar pajamas. The play was the first production of NAPA (National Academy of Performing Arts) Repertory Theatre Company. According to the artistic director of NAPA Repertory Theatre Company (NRTC) Rahat Kazmi, the company is established to promote an appreciation for professional theatre and is committed to all forms of theatre; from high brow experimental work to comedy and hyperbolic melodrama. The company will also work on translations from across the globe. Staged at the the Karachi Arts Council, the play is produced and directed by theatre veteran Zia Mohyeddin. Apart from Talat Hussain, all the actors were NAPA students. The set and props, designed by Schahbaz Chaudhry were minimal. The costumes designed by Ismail Fareed, Ambreen Inayat Ali and M. Talha were suitable, however, the accessories used by male artists were make-shift and it showed. The original music was composed by Nafees Ahmed and beautifully performed by the Napa music ensemble. Talat Hussain turned in another stellar performance. His dialogue delivery was impeccable and the shift from an arrogant emperor to a senile old man in rags was flawless. Among the young actors, Paras Masroor had the best lines and did full justice to his role. His costume was perhaps the best in the play and was designed keeping in mind his sinister character which added a new dimension to his character. Bakhtawar Mazhar and Aymen Aly played their parts with conviction. It was a pleasure to listen to such lyrical dialogues in Urdu with correct diction. It shows the hard work put in by the director Zia Mohyeddin and the young actors. The only weak performance of the play was from Maria Rabab who played middle sister Dil Ara. Among the actors in the comedic part of the play, Uroosa Shamim Siddiqui as the cheeky maid was a winner and drew most claps. Farhan Shah and Syed Athar Abbas were excellent and carried their roles with requisite chutzpah. NRTC deserves all the credit for staging this Agha Hashar play as their maiden venture.
Dear
all, Like other old fogies, I too like to reminisce about the days of yore and muse upon times past. My recent musings have been to do with the 'pakki pakai taaza roti scheme' set up by the Z.A. Bhutto government more than three decades ago, which really seems to have been an idea quite ahead of its time. The Roti Corporation of
Pakistan was a state-owned company which produced packets of cooked roti at
very reasonable prices. Some sixteen roti plants were set up in the country
which were able to produce some two million rotis a day. The rotis were the
height of convenience for housewives: Those were the days when we had ration cards -- when sugar, ghee and atta were rationed, and the country had not yet been gripped by the mania of glossy consumerism and easy credit. Pre-cooked, packeted roti was something of a revolutionary concept and many people still think the project failed because some elements in our society thought it would create social upheaval and set out to deliberately undermine it. This school of thought has it that the conservative elements were of the view that because of this paki pakai roti, women would be dislodged from their main work at home -- they would be able to go out to work instead of having to be on call by the stove, to make fresh roti. There is a view that this sort of 'socialised food production' enables women to leave the home and engage in productive work, thereby helping to change not just the economic situation of their households, but also the overall status of women in society. In this case the packed roti would specifically have freed women from their stove bondage function of having to provide roti on request, and would perhaps have created a more egalitarian system of domestic organisation. It is actually not too fantastic a theory that conservative and religious elements in society were responsible for the failure of this project. Initially the rotis were a great success especially with the middle and lower middle class. But then a whispering campaign began which basically maligned the product and ensured its failure. This was done by spreading the rumour that the rotis were being laced with some sort of contraceptive chemical, and the government was insidiously trying to control the country's population growth through the rotis... This rumour created all sorts of doubts and insecurities in consumers. It is sad that this project for the socialised production of this essential food item failed, and in the wake of the country's recent atta crisis, the need for a state produced, state distributed system of roti seems to me to be very acute. With the costs of essential food items spiralling out of all control, with atta shortages and uncontrolled inflation, we do perhaps need some of government control in this area. Socialist policies are terribly unfashionable these days, but I do believe that the government needs to step in and create a new version of RCP or else set up a chain of subsidised government-run tandoors working along the same lines, adhering to price and quality controls and ensuring that we all have access to affordable roti, and are not at the mercy of the 'free market' and the smugglers. The roti question provides us with food for thought... Best
Wishes Umber
Khairi
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Afghan border and assisting the political administration of the seven tribal
agencies to maintain law and order. In fact, this paramilitary force is best
suited to operate in FATA. The largely Pashtun force drawn from the same
ethnic race that inhabits the tribal areas is better able to win the trust of
the people and match their fighting skills.
by Ajoka at the Alhamra as the first of the four plays in the Ajoka Spring
Theatre Festival, which was a clear departure from the hush hush terrified
response by the readers, listeners as well as the publishers.
perceived and received in our environment. Besides the dissimilarity between
the two genres, folk music and visual arts are separate in terms of the class
they cater to. If the folk music was performed by and for a section of
society that was not wealthy, travelled in public transport, sat on the
ground during the function and left after expressing their true emotions, the
art activity reflected the status -- rather confinement -- of art as an
exclusive pursuit.
presented to the spectators within the gallery/art circles. Hence, any
deviation from the elitist position of visual art reverts to being a private
and exclusive endeavour.
be greedy and power hungry and drove their father to madness. He took refuge
in the jungle along with a couple of his loyal ministers. When Zara hears
about it, she comes to take her father with her. When the older sisters
learned that Zara is now taking care of their father, they abducted Zara and
their father with the help of Bairam (Paras Masroor), the scheming son of one
of the loyal ministers of the king and attempted to kill them both but end up
killing each other.
instead of kneading dough and slaving over the stove cooking rotis, they
could simply send one of the men of the house out to buy a packet of roti.
The rotis were rather good as well -- slightly different from chappatis but a
good white bread option available.