|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
   |
issue The
southern-most source of dignity Town
Talk culture Expressions
from Buner By Shahnawaz Khan Christmas is a joyous and a festive occasion when Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ. Christmas celebrations reach their peak on December 24 when carol services — with Christmas carols sung by choirs — and bonfires are arranged for merry-making and exciting gifts are exchanged. It’s the Christmas season. Child art brings forth thoughts on making the country a better place to live Kashf Foundation held an exhibition of child art in the city last week. The title was ‘Mera Pur Aman Khush-hal Pakistan’ (My Peaceful and Prosperous Pakistan). Thousand children participated in it initially out of which 50 works were selected to be put on display from 50 different schools.
Tale of rise and fall By Shahzada Irfan AhmedCitizens of Lahore are witnessing something out of the ordinary — contingents of police, city government officials and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) staff supervising total or partial demolition of high-rises built in violation of building bylaws along main roads and in busy commercial centres. A couple of years back, the owners of these structures mostly commercial buildings were considered too powerful to be questioned by any government authority. The real estate sector in Lahore grew at an exponential rate in those days and people saw the city’s skyline change every other day. The price of commercial land also skyrocketed as investment in real estate was thought to be the best bet. Allegedly some officials of authorities like LDA, who are responsible for approving building plans and carrying out inspections of under-construction sites, encouraged builders to maximise profits by flouting rules and selling off every inch of land. Today, one sees the trend reversed as the owners of such buildings are paying the price of their misdeeds. Similarly, many officials who were allegedly involved in approving illegal structures and colluding with the builder mafia have been suspended and being prosecuted against. This sudden change in civil administration’s attitude has not come overnight. In fact, the decisive factors were the Supreme Court’s (SC’s) suo motu notice of these violations in May 2007 and formation of a committee to inspect the under-construction buildings. It was in the first week of December, 2009 that the apex court vacated a stay order in this regard, which led to the launch of this operation. In total, 45 high-rises have been earmarked for total demolition and 150 for partial. While the said operation is in full swing, the question about who will compensate the buyers of shops, flats and office spaces is yet to be answered in detail. The occupants of space in affected buildings are worried and not clear on how to recover the loss they are bound to incur. These buyers were shown documentary proofs to convince them that they were buying property in officially approved buildings, says Ather Ali Kazmi, President Lahore Real Estate Advisers’ Association, while talking to TNS. Kazmi, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved, says the clauses that secure buyers’ investment, in case there is fault at sellers’ end, are always in the sale agreement. So, in case an office or flat bought by a duped investor is demolished the plaza owner is bound to compensate him, he adds. Kazmi tells TNS that the practice of issuing completion certificate was not fool-proof in the past. "My suggestion is that the concerned authorities must issue completion certificate for every floor, after thorough inspection. The prospective buyers should also ask for floor-wise plans from plaza owners before they make any payment," he says. Kazmi says the owners of buildings, who make profit in multiples of the investment they put into their projects, must compensate their customers for the losses they face due to demolition. He tells TNS that developers have big cash flows and assets, as we have seen in the case of Salar Center in Garden Town. "The owner of this plaza paid Rs 50 million fine in 2007 when SC asked him to do so," he discloses. Kazmi finds faults with the official committees formed to inspect and approve under-construction buildings. "They have never taken experts or people from the trade on board. Most of the committee members are bureaucrats i.e. from police, Wasa, Tepa, Highway Department and so on." A manager at a plaza facing partial demolition tells TNS, on conditions of anonymity, that some LDA officials encouraged them to violate certain bylaws. "They would not approve a building plan till the time they had a financial interest in it," he adds. The plaza manager says the situation was even worse at the district government level as some town nazims were themselves members of builders’ mafia. Advocate Rafay Alam, who has special interest in environment and urban planning, tells TNS that unfortunately the compensation issue hasn’t got much attention of the authorities. He says the liability lies with the developers to pay off their customers, but in case they refuse to do so the latter can file a civil suit. This is not a feasible solution as it may lead to endless litigation, he adds. Rafay says it’s a pity that people who invest millions in property do not ask for the credentials of property dealers who broker their deals. On the other hand they do not go to a doctor, dentist or lawyer without confirming their credentials, he adds. He says the SC ruling has sent a strong and clear message to the corrupt and inefficient government officials as well as unscrupulous developers. "I am sure they will never dare to rob people of their money again and risk their lives." Rafay explains that the violations can be of two types and so the remedial actions. For example, he says, if it’s proved that the whole building is structurally unsafe the only option left is to raze it to the ground. On the other hand, if a bylaw is violated the developer can be given some time and asked to make amends, he says. Explaining his point, he says in case a developer fails to leave enough parking spaces in the building he can be asked to buy an adjacent plot, if available, and reserve it for parking. Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajjad Bhutta tells TNS that a compensation mechanism for cheated buyers is under consideration of the district government, but currently the focus is on demolition. He says the proposal so far is to review applications on case-to-case basis but that will be the next phase. Bhutta says the city district government is providing administrative support and security cover to the LDA teams demolishing high-rises falling in their jurisdiction. "Besides, we are ourselves demolishing illegal structures that fall in our jurisdiction," he adds.
The southern-most source of dignity By Dr Saeed Ur Rehman I become an armchair traveller when I am not roaming
around Pakistan and the rest of the world, though I realise that wanderlust
cannot be satisfied through the eyes of the others. Reading about all the
possible travel destination only stokes the fire because every now and then
one comes across a place that makes one want to pack some basic things in a
rucksack and pick up the passport and run. I am in love with silence. I have left Lahore for Islamabad simply because, after years of squirming and screaming with my hands on my ears, I can no longer live with the noise of rickshaws in Lahore. And, still, I keep looking for the most peaceful, quietest place to visit. In Pakistan, I have found the area between Sost and the Sino-Pakistan border at Khunjerab Pass to be the most quiet and peaceful — especially the roofless shelters of the shepherds in the Khunjerab National Park. While looking for the most peaceful places to visit around the globe, I came across the name of Villa Las Estrellas (Spanish for "the village of stars"). I started reading about it at different sites and gathered some interesting facts. Part of the Chilean Antarctic Territory, Villa Las Estrellas is the only permanent settlement on the frozen continent which has families and children living like a community. The village houses an oceanographic research centre, a primary school, a post office, a bank and a landing strip for small planes. The primary school has three internet-capable computers which are linked to the national educational network. When I looked at the total number of people living there (varying from 80 in winter to 120 in summer) and the fact that there is a primary school providing education up to the 8th grade, I was thrilled. There are two teachers (husband and wife) teaching the approximately ten to fifteen students. The school, named F-50, the southern-most school in the world, is administered under Chile’s Ministry of Education and is linked with the broader academic portal Enlaces. According to the administrators of the academic network, the school in the Chilean Antarctic Territory has a symbolic value: "this educational facility [F-50] represents the efforts of the Ministry along with other institutions, to involve all schools and colleges, no matter how remote or isolated they are, in an effort to improve the quality and equity of education." The Enlaces network provides three computers with internet and educational database access to every school in Chile which has 100 or less students. Because I was fascinated by the fact that Chile has the determination to operate the southern-most school on the planet, I started talking about this among my friends. Things became even more interesting when a friend, who happens to be an officer in the Pakistan Navy, remarked: "You know Chile is a poor country. It buys used naval ships from Pakistan, after we decommission them." I was stunned. Perhaps, therein was the key. While our schools do not even have proper rooms and running water, we buy the most advanced war equipment from the highly industrialised nations of the world and we are the only nuclear Muslim nation in the world. Whereas, other nations buy our used equipment but try to provide digital literacy to even the remotest learning environment. The school named F-50 in Antarctica is not run by the Chilean Air Force or the Chilean Army which has some of its staff members inhabiting Villa Las Estrellas. It is being run by the ordinary civilian ministry of education and it has the internet and the scholarly databases, which are not luxuries now but basic necessities of any learning community. And this school is open to anyone living in the village. That is perhaps we need too. A restoration of civilian dignity. A departure of Pinochet-style interference in civilian affairs. Performing institutions and, again, some sense of human dignity. During all my travels outside of Pakistan, this is something I have realised often. The Pakistani passport is not an asset. It is a liability. Carrying this passport is like wearing a badge on one’s chest announcing "strip search me for I come from the land where security institutions have produced the most insecure people." Those who make do with our discarded defence assets have found the real sources of dignity in the comity of nations. Please, let us have some dignity too. -The writer is a Senior Research Fellow, Institute of
Socialand Policy Sciences, Town Talk * Sufi Night every Thursday at Peerus Cafe at 9:00 pm featuring live qawali performances. * Ghazal Night every Friday at Peerus Cafe at 9:00 pm. * Qawwali Night every Friday at Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall at 7:00 pm. * Exhibition of Saeed Akhtar’s paintings at Ejaz Art Gallery till Sat, Dec 26. * Exhibition titled ‘Resonant Spaces’ at The Drawing Art Gallery till Dec 28, showcases works of Madiha Suboor, Zunaira Sardar, Haider Ali Jan, Mithra Bidrie, Sonia Ejaz, Naveed Hussain and Sofia Saqib. Gallery timings: 5:30pm to 8:00pm. * Exhibition of Works by Ayaz Jokhio at Grey Noise till Apr 5. * Lecture by Professor Fawzia Afzal Khan at Cafe Bol on Edward Said: ‘The Decolonizer as Universal Humanist’ on Thursday, Dec 24 at 7:30pm. Her focus will be on Edward Said’s writings on Palestine. Time: 7:30 pm. * Global Feminisms: An Introduction, at Cafe Bol on Sat, Dec 26 at 7:30 pm.
Hollow structures Modern construction has failed to develop into cultural centres unlike the old Lahore because it is not inclusive By Sher Ali Situated on the left bank of River Ravi, Old Lahore is a legendary city. The skyline — comprising minarets, domes and the old haveli-style houses — give some prestige to the history of this city. Years ago, this was the place of royals. The governor and the statesmen would have elaborate houses that were designed with great planning and precision — so, not only the skyline was stunning but also culture was sustained. Fast-forwarding to modern day Lahore: the pollution and
neglect of old Lahore has seen a massive shift take place with the emergence
of a whole new Lahore. Despite this emergence, architecture in the new area
has failed to promote past prominence in terms of buildings and structures.
The lack of study regarding native architectural tactics and artisanship has
led to decay in cultural centres throughout the city. In understanding Lahore, Dr. Ajaz Anwar, the renowned conservationist and painter explained, "Like living languages, cities must progress with the times." He further explains: "Currently there are two emerging cities; there is old Lahore which is located on the left side of the Mall and on the other side of the road there is another emerging city which is completely different." To be specific, the old city or walled city is the area of Lahore that houses the Lahore Fort and the Badshahi Masjid. The new Lahore area is pretty much seen as the area outside the walled city. Dr. Anwar commented, "The prospect of these so-called plazas has not really caught on. For example; one reason is we don’t have fire brigades that can put out fires above the third story level. Also, many of these plazas are seen lying vacant." These vacant plazas have failed to develop into cultural centers for citizens. In the past, the walled city developed in such a way that the larger havelis were surrounded by smaller houses. These bigger residences would protect the smaller and poorer people. It was a different social set-up compared to today’s times. Before the coming of the British it was explained that there was no expansion allowed beyond the walls of the old city. So this culture of closeness remained intact till the coming of the British who had no need for the defense walls. The expansion outside old Lahore thus began for the first time. Speaking to Dr Sajjad Kausar, a prominent architect,
explained, "There was a legitimate movement that took place around the
world that took modern architecture in a new direction in the early
1900s." In terms of skills there has been a sharp decline in quality and practice. Though the use of brick is still prominent, the skilled artisanship has not been sustained. Dr. Kausar explains that "there has been no concerted effort to research the past architectural techniques, therefore, they have not been able to influence local architects." Elaborating, Dr. Kausar said this is an inherent problem throughout Pakistan. Education is not being promoted for teachers and scholars to develop. The lack of teachers means that students have other influences in their work due to the available textbooks. A passionate Lahori, Sarah Zaman, said: "The issue that has been prevalent in modern times is that we have not really modernised culture and art like the British or Mughal, instead we have tried to westernise our culture. So the new Lahore has not retained that long-term greatness and originality that was seen in the old city architecture and life". Zaman also explained another difference had to do with values. "Architecture is reflection of the society’s values. In trying to be extravagant we have seen an emphasis on western style architecture like the white house or a Spanish villa without putting too much effort or worth on our local designs." The lack of awareness is leading to decay. Specifically speaking, new Lahore or modern-day Lahore is not progressing into a metropolitan capital like Rome or Paris. To insure that, progress is necessary to understand the prominence of past architecture and to incorporate this prominence into the building of plazas and houses. Without buildings and structures cultures cannot be sustained and cultural centres cannot be developed. To reincarnate the glories of the past, research and movement towards incorporating native techniques and skills will be necessary. Without an architectural renaissance in Lahore, buildings and structures will be unable to give a skeleton to Lahori culture. catpion Mubarak Haveli inside Bhaati Gate. Photos: Rahat Dar
Art from conflict-hit zone and a dialogue with the people say a lot By Saadia Salahuddin "There is no access to internet in Buner in this
modern day, and still a lot needs to be done to rehabilitate the people
living there. Half of the schools were destroyed during the army operation so
many children don't go to schools. They don't have teachers," said Ziad
Khan, a schoolteacher from Buner, at an art exhibition held at Alhamra Art
Gallery last week. This was artwork of untrained people who expressed their anger, depression, desires and needs through colours, embroidery and story telling - there was not one image of killing or bloodshed. "I want education, want to shop and want to go to a beauty parlour. But in my village I don't have these facilities," said a girl from Buner. "We are the most peaceful and tolerant people," said a participant, Jansher Khan. It was heartening to see that artwork from Buner had come to Lahore. What is more wonderful than to give people the power of expression, helping them express themselves people who have been living under immense fear for long. A team of five people went to Buner to conduct the art workshop. The exercises in art workshop in four groups brought to the fore people's views. It was kind of psycho-social counselling. "We helped people take out their anger," said Imran Nafees, the person who conducted the workshop. Saba Mehmood, a student who had come to the exhibition, said, "It's a healthy activity, but it would have been better if the women from Buner had also come here and we could hear from them." She really liked the 'anger theme' wherein the people of Buner had taken out their anger through paintings. There was talk as well at the opening of the exhibition by the people of Buner who shared their concerns and feelings with the people of Lahore. "Taliban came on the night between April 3 and 4 with the latest weapons. They were reciting verses from the Quran but looted banks, destroyed hospitals and schools and slaughtered people. People hate them." "The army arrived on April 27. It took three months to gain control. People support the army. Meanwhile, most of us had to leave Buner for other safer places. Buner is 100 percent safe now but the fear that Taliban will return once the army leaves, still lurks there," said Ziad Khan. "We don't need any aid but peace. Our land is very fertile. If the army cannot give us security, we will request the UN to come to our help and secure the place. People in Lahore were rallying for restoration of the chief justice while we were being slaughtered at Buner. If the people of Pakistan don't rise now, when will they?" questions another aged man from Buner. This workshop gave a voice to the people of Buner and a first-hand account to the people of Lahore of what the people far away in a conflict-hit zone are going through. catption Embroidery. Courtesy: Dugdugi.
Christmas preparations are in full swing in the city By Shahnawaz Khan Christmas is a joyous and a festive occasion when
Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of their saviour, Jesus
Christ. Christmas celebrations reach their peak on December 24 when carol
services — with Christmas carols sung by choirs — and bonfires are
arranged for merry-making and exciting gifts are exchanged. It’s the
Christmas season. Though the Pakistani Christian community is comparatively poorer but the fervour for Christmas is no different than the affluent parts of the world where people do a lot of shopping around this time. Here too the houses are decorated, Christmas cards and emails sent to the loved ones, new clothes are bought and funfairs arranged to greet each other and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The year 2009 especially has been the worst in Pakistan’s history for the Christian minority. In 2009 incidents of mob attack on the Christian community are still fresh. The Christian community in Lahore has prepared a series of religious, cultural and sports activities in the prelude to Christmas but the organisers of all activities have emphasised that the preparation for the events are purposely subdued in view of violence perpetrated in Gojra and Kasur. Several organisations are taking initiatives for charity and humanitarian assistance in Kasur and Gojra on this occasion. One such organisation "The Community Development Initiative" is providing Rs. 4,000 to 40 families in Gojra. In Bahar Colony, Yohannabad, Basti Sayden Shah, Township and Green Town, preparations for Christmas have picked up, as the Christian community is busy making arrangements to celebrate the day with zeal and fervour. People are excited and busy in shopping and decorating their houses, streets and churches. All missionary education institutions have started organizing various programmes like tableaus and carols to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christian youth has also started composing songs in connection with Christmas Eve. From all shops in Christian localities most of the people are purchasing artificial Christmas trees made of plastic which costs around Rs 200 to Rs 500. Apart from that, tree lights, stars and other tree-decoration items are among the most wanted decorations. Marten Masih, one of the shopkeepers at Bahar Colony said, "This year customer turn-out is low." Small Christmas trees and candles are selling. They are placed on the centre table of drawing rooms. Trees are being decorated with different ornaments like figurines of Santa Claus, angels, miniature stockings and lights. Surroundings of houses and terraces are illuminated on the eve of December. Arthur Wilson, a resident of Bahar Colony, sharing his experiences said that flowers are also one of the favourite decorative items for Christmas as on 25th holly and berry wreaths are made for decorating the main entrance of houses of Christians. Wilson said at some places youngsters are also making efforts for decorating streets with colourful bunties and lights while decorated Christmas trees will also be displayed. In Lahore there are nearly 400 churches and almost all churches have been decorated with colourful lights and Christmas trees. Church decorations commence at least two weeks prior to the Christmas, and involve dedication and faith on the part of the Followers of Christianity. The Churches are decorated with many ornaments, ribbons and Garlands besides several big and small fully decorated Christmas trees. Apart from that special prayers and church services also begin to be held a few weeks before Christmas. On the eve of Christmas bakers in the city also get busy and work overtime to meet the high demand, especially of the large variety of cakes said the manager of a large bakery chain in the city while adding that during Christmas Season especially the plum cake, chocolate cake, fruit cake and iced cakes are sold at large scale. Meanwhile, the family of Pervaiz Masih who died while saving the lives of more than 50 female students in the International Islamic University Islamabad during a terrorist act is still waiting for the fulfilment of promises made by the government. It is worthy to mention that Parvaiz Masih’s wife complained that the government had not fulfilled its promise of providing her one million rupees despite the fact that Interior Minister Rehman Malik saluted Parvaiz Masih for his brave act on TV and announced this amount for the deceased’s family while some NGOs provided financial assistance to Parvaiz Masih’s family after the incident.
Child art brings forth thoughts on making the Kashf Foundation held an exhibition of child art in the
city last week. The title was ‘Mera Pur Aman Khush-hal Pakistan’ (My
Peaceful and Prosperous Pakistan). Thousand children participated in it
initially out of which 50 works were selected to be put on display from 50
different schools. These were children of Kashf Foundation’s clients from low income areas of Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Okara, Gujranwala, Nankana Sahib and Hafizabad. The most common image found in children’s art was hills but a number of children made images of what they think will lead Pakistan to prosperity like industries, schools, science teaching. A child literally wrote a note on the importance of going to school everyday on time and respecting the teachers. He had drawn a school beside other things. Among the drawings was a map of Pakistan where two persons are holding hands in the space that marks the provinces of Sindh and Punjab. Najmus Sahar, who is a student of Matric at a school in
Dharampura, got the first prize. She portrayed a prosperous Pakistan — one
which has good road network, is green, has good crop, hospital with
ambulances, emergency services, school for girls, bridge, industry and
transport, where every house opens on a metalled road. The second prize was won by a child of Nursery from Riwaz Garden. She drew a perfect picture of peace. The drawing was full of colours, candle and play. A girl is taking swings under a tree with flowers growing beside her. The third prize went to 14-year-old Esha of Baghbanpura who portrayed her country’s prosperity in having good sources of energy (she had drawn windmills), in cleanliness and organisation. The Kashf Foundation gave one year education scholarship to children and other prizes at the Child Art Competition. It was a laudable effort on the part of the Foundation to organise such an exhibition and make children think about their country. —Saadia Salahuddin
|
|
