“My dear sir,” he began almost solemnly, “Poverty is no vice – that is the truth. I know that drunkenness is also no virtue, and that is even more so. But destitution, my dear sir, destitution is a vice, sir. In poverty you may still preserve the nobility of your inborn feelings, but in destitution no one ever does.”

“But tell me, finally,” he spoke almost in a frenzy, “how such shame and baseness can be combined in you beside other opposite and holy feelings? It would be more just, a thousand times more just and reasonable, to jump headfirst into the water and end it at once!”

“I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.”

Our very own Internet darling, Momina Mustehsan, giving her thoughts on women empowerment, Shakeel Sheikh finally coming to terms with Misbahul Haq’s success, Ahmer Naqvi performing duties and no ‘bhabhi, bhabhi’ chants every time Shaneria Akram came on screen – Islamabad United’s celebratory match in Rawalpindi was a genuine celebration of things finally heading in the right direction – a celebration of cricket in Pakistan.

Our grounds have been deprived of such jovial occasions for over past nine years because of one act of terror that refuses to detach itself from us. When plans for Pakistan Super League (PSL) were in its preliminary stages, it received undue criticism from people who were supposed to own it.

When plans for Pakistan Super League (PSL) were in its preliminary stages, it received undue criticism from people who were supposed to own it. Photo: File

It was labelled as a bound-to-fail proposition for many factors including its location, clash with the Masters Champions League and a lack of top names. PSL became a reality, attracted large numbers, catered two geographically separate markets and fully convinced people to invest their emotions into every happening. The event in Rawalpindi was a celebration of Pakistan formally introducing themselves to the cricketing world and to some of their own as well.

Captain Misbah and Muhammad Sami of Islamabad United
Photo: Humari Web

At that time, Pakistan had hit rock-bottom and things only worsened when Pakistan’s name was thrown into a spot-fixing scandal. Misbah took charge of what was a group – not a team – plagued with leg-pulling, groupings and self-serving figures, those who had grown to become larger than the organisation itself.

Misbah, combined with the efforts of Waqar Younis, Dave Wathmore, Mohsin Khan and every other individual involved, invested his emotions, sweat and time into the group with the sole intention of creating a new and spotless identity for Pakistan.

The introduction of PSL was a historic accomplishment and it was only fitting for Misbah to score the winning runs for Islamabad United and have his name go down as the very first winning captain. The event in Rawalpindi was a celebration of the six years of Misbah that allowed Pakistan to re-conquer the world and play a brand of cricket that was respected, admired and loved by everyone.

The introduction of PSL was a historic accomplishment and it was only fitting for Misbah to score the winning runs for Islamabad United and have his name go down as the very first winning captain. Photo: ESPNcricinfo

One of the highlights of the evening was, unsurprisingly, Dean Jones. While many would gladly bring forward arguments suggesting that Pakistan is unsafe for tours, Dean Jones is certainly not one of them. Whether it was him playing mind games with Amad Butt on the ground, coming down the track to hit Kamran Ghulam for a six, spending time with the crowd or simply giving his thoughts on the upcoming tour of Australia, Dean did not, for a moment, display any emotions of fear or discomfort.

His Urdu tweets were largely appreciated by people in Pakistan and are only indicative of the undying love and yearning that these fans have for international cricket to return home once again. The event in Rawalpindi was a celebration of hope that sooner, rather than later, our stadiums will be used for their original purposes and hope that Pakistan is capable of making the shift from a warzone to comfort zone.

Coach Deano Islamabad puhanch raha hai. And looking forward to seeing the boys and the fans in a beautiful city. https://t.co/llGNMDjZ4J

— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) September 19, 2016

One of the best moments of the evening was witnessing Misbah and Javeria Khan bat together. The involvement of players from Pakistan’s women’s team was a welcome addition. Pakistan’s newly appointed T20 captain, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig and rising sensation, Anam Amin, were all involved in the match.

Anam Amin, 24, outshined her teammates as she replicated similar form from her memorable World Cup spell against India and troubled both Javeria and Misbah with her left-arm offspin bowling.

In the past few years, women’s cricket has begun breaking the shackles of societal norms and stereotypes in Pakistan and demands more attention. Beating the Indian women’s team in India, issuing of central contracts for the first time and start-ups like Khelo Kricket organising Ramazan tournaments for the women of Karachi are notable steps that indicate the serious progression of women’s cricket in Pakistan.

start-ups like Khelo Kricket organising Ramazan tournaments for the women of Karachi are notable steps that indicate the serious progression of women’s cricket in Pakistan. Photo: Khelocricket

The event in Rawalpindi was a celebration of female cricketers who perform with the same drive and passion as the men’s team and want nothing more than words of encouragement from the public.

Islamabad United’s victory and celebrations cannot be confined or classified as any other major tournament win because cricket is more than simply any other sport in Pakistan. Cricket is the binding force that brings people together during times of sorrow, despair and happiness. Through the event, Islamabad United and Pakistan succeeded in bridging the gap between men’s and women’s cricket, displayed the soft, welcoming nature of Pakistan to the world and brought back much-needed smiles on usually tensed faces – all while celebrating, a simple act of bat and ball; cricket.

Dear Soumyadipta Banerjee,   I don’t know if it’s the right thing to be writing you a letter, since you might be endorsing a cut-off of all sorts (of written collaborations between our countries) after so emphatically bashing the cultural ones. It might not even be the best time for you since I see your fellows are caught up in a frenzy of misjudging the Pakistani markings regarding the ammunition used in the Uri attacks. But I write to you because it’s necessary. You might not have singled out Fawad Khan in your letter but I evidently am addressing this to only you, since I do believe that many in your country still retain the basic sense and these are only your blatant misconceptions that I intend to discuss. I don’t know whether it’s a tragedy or a comedy that you are intent on portraying Bollywood as a resort for all unemployed Pakistan artists. Heck, you make it sound like a charity that would have put the late Abdul Sattar Edhi to shame. Accordingly, it’s convenient to pin-point a successful Fawad Khan (or your other options that include Mahira Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or Adnan Sami – all of whom have been duly hailed by your country), but not a failed Veena Malik or a Meera; who ran out of work in Bollywood as soon as they started since they couldn’t impress your audiences. That is the point exactly, Bollywood takes what sells. It isn’t doing any great service to the artists of my nation by hiring them out of pure sympathy. Just see the comments on the trailer of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil on YouTube, the people of your country are swooning over Fawad Khan so much that at places they even seem to over-shadow the lead of the movie. Producers are hiring Pakistani artists and paying them (something that you seem to mention quite often) because they are making money through them; it’s business, not altruism. You take the credit of making a superstar out of Fawad Khan ever so smoothly. But there’s a hitch: Fawad Khan was a superstar in Pakistan right when Humsafar aired in our country. All his subsequent serials were TRPs smashing. Friends from India tell me that Fawad Khan had won Indian hearts right when Zaroon was aired on Zindagi Channel. His stint in Indian cinema might have propelled his popularity slightly, but that’s what exposure does to you. Deepika Padukone didn’t become a superstar after landing a role opposite Vin Diesel; it was her credentials as a superstar that got her there. And I see no way how you can take the credit of his stardom for something as forgettable as Khoobsurat, a flick that was duly bashed by all your critics (“great films” you say, I reserve my comments). India didn’t make Fawad Khan a superstar, it roped him in because he was one already, and marketed the product where the demand was brewing already. Mahira Khan is another sweetheart of Pakistan. These are the highest paid celebrities in Pakistan, and the latter’s film in India hasn’t even released yet. The last point was just for your notice in case you try to claim Mahira Khan’s stardom in the future too. It’s grossly ignorant on your part to claim that while your country opens its doors ever so warmly to our country, we shut them in your face just as relentlessly. Can you please tell me how many Pakistani films have graced the screens of your country lately? While we have seen almost every Indian film playing in our country, if one of our films is lucky enough to be given the green signal by your country, it lands in trouble. The innocent Bin Roye was banned in Maharashtra, so you can definitely keep your intrinsic welcoming fantasy to yourself. Even if some Indian films are banned in Pakistan, they have baggage attached to them. Expect us to screen a Phantom in our country only if you agree to show a Waar in yours. We also know that all Pakistani channels are banned in India, despite you agreeing that Pakistani serials are way better than Indian ones. Here you might be surprised to learn that every single Pakistani channel buys Indian content and plays it on our channels, despite Indian channels also airing in most parts of the country. All your excruciating daily soaps (and God knows those things are liable to be banned only due to the sheer insanity they portray) are actually bought by Pakistan just as your films are. We are not just welcoming to your content, but also a revenue-generating market for you. So kindly cut us some slack, and do the math! You seem indignant on the view that Indian artists aren’t allowed to work in Pakistan. Well, you may want to take a back-seat and question any among Nandita Das, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri among others in this regard, all of whom have portrayed essential roles in Pakistani films. Neha Dhupia has even done an item number here. We have had songs sung by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Harsdeep Kaur, Rekha Bhardwaj, Ankit Tiwari and Sukhwinder Singh amongst others in our films, despite our music industry being second to none, and many among your population also seem to testify to this fact. We have even had Indian singers on our Coke Studio, which is the rage all over the sub-continent. Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Sidhart Malhotra, Amrita Arora, Arjun Kapoor and many others have been a part of our advertisement campaigns, and you know better, those things pay quite well. You talk about piracy as if Pakistan has a monopoly on it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s an international issue. You should remember Udta Punjab as we remember Jawani Phir Nahi Aani, both films pirated in the very country they were made by. You play the higher ground by narrating how Pakistani artists have been showered with love in India. You might not have gotten to see that, but every single Indian celebrity who has ever come to Pakistan has gone back waxing lyrical about the sheer amount of adulation and admiration they’ve received in Pakistan. You can either ask me to send you the links of their interviews or ask Mahesh Bhatt or Zeenat Aman yourself; just don’t ask Anupam Kher – but guide him on the process of applying for a visa. We have even been borderline welcoming to your director making propaganda films against our country, while one of your own actresses has been charged with sedition for stating something as innocuous as Pakistan is not hell. This tells us something about our attitudes, doesn’t it? So let’s just do away with playing Mother Teresa! And now, the most important point, you charge Fawad Khan for not denouncing his own country, but getting away with the charming smile of his every-time. Except that that isn’t his job. How would you feel if Hollywood starts seeking an apology from Priyanka Chopra every time an Indian is lynched for eating beef in your country? It’s not the job of artists to do what politicians are supposed to do. As Kamila Shamsie puts it, let’s not shift this burden from the shoulders of those responsible even one inch to those already engaging in exchange of culture and good-will. Fawad Khan doesn’t have to carry the baggage of his nationality this way, just as you don’t hold your celebrities accountable for the actions of your state. In fact, how can you even stoop to the level of charging Fawad Khan with something some non-state actors from Pakistan might have done, when your own celebrities don’t bat an eyelid for the persecutions your state officially does? Isn’t your all-time leading superstar associated with a party that orchestrated the Gujarat riots? Have you ever questioned him? How many of your celebrities have avowed against the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Kashmir, or the blinding of innumerable folks with pellet guns in that burning state? When you’re so intent on pointing out the alleged blood on Fawad Khan’s hands, how can you brush off the blood from the conscience of one of your own in a blink of an eye? The blood that was split by your state with a proper agenda, not even some lunatic groups going astray. You cannot choose to look the other way when it comes to you, while trying to limit our focus to the loopholes erratically emanating from our place. When your celebrities don’t take it upon themselves to apologise for something their state is doing, why should Fawad Khan take the responsibility of something his state isn’t even directly involved in? You try to be a humanist, but all you end up becoming is a hyper-nationalist jingoist. If there’s an equation of the cultural exchange between our countries, the balance shifts overwhelmingly in favour of Pakistan. We watch your films, telecast your shows, and listen to your songs; we know a lot more about your country that you have ever known about us. Your ignorance about us is what leads to you writing apparent love letters full of hatred to the likes of Fawad Khan. You know how many Pakistanis have been killed due to terrorism? More than 50,000. Innocents, largely unnamed, faceless Pakistanis. Our civil society, our community, our media, our children and lately, even our establishment, is trying extremely hard to get rid of the scourge of terrorism. If you cannot help us with that, kindly do not insult us by bickering nonsensically out of the blue. Oh, and people didn’t even know you before you started your rant against Fawad Khan. Now the whole sub-continent is talking about you (not very kindly, but hey, no publicity is bad publicity). So the next time you ignorantly claim that your country made Fawad Khan a super-star, always remember that it was due to this very same Pakistani star that you got your two minutes of fame. Do visit Pakistan someday, please, to let go of the sheer bias you have against us. I, along with most other Pakistanis, will be very happy to show you around. And I promise, we won’t even consistently remind you of how much we’ve spent on you! Love from a Pakistani. PS: Fawad Khan is from Lahore, not Karachi.

With the encirclement of the South China Sea having been completed by the US and her allies (Japan and Australia), the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become crucial to China – more than Pakistan as well. India’s play on the other hand is not just post-Uri theatrics. With the recently acquired civilian nuclear technology and its offer to provide a base to Baloch separatists (Baramdagh Bugti citizenship case), it’s evident that our neighbours are willing to play hardball on behalf of the US, in order to up the ante on Pakistan. Add to this, the far from amiable attitude of our western neighbours (Afghanistan and Iran) – again cajoled by the US-India nexus – and suddenly Pakistan is squeezed from all sides for providing a safe route for Chinese interests. However, the US, not content with its own strategic encirclement of Pakistan, has launched her allies within Pakistan as well, even while the North American Tahirul Qadri pushes the house of Sharif and just when Indian war drums are being beaten across the border. And it is in this theatre of war between two great powers (US and China) that the chairman, Imran Khan, finds himself in. He has the knack of landing into dubious positions ever since he launched his campaign to become the Khan of Khans a few years ago. Whether it was the Army Public School incident or the recent Quetta blast, Khan has been left licking his wounds more than once. There are conspiracy theorists who believe there is a voodoo connection between the timing of national ills that befall our nation and those that conveniently coincide with Khan’s push for a Kurultai (Mongol version of a regime change). However, on a serious note, we have witnessed a systematic encroachment by the US-India nexus of Pakistan’s right to sovereign development and progress, made possible by realigning her foreign policy interests with that of Russia and China. Just recently, a Congress bill was being prepared to designate Pakistan as a terrorist state and the Congress’ refusal to sell the promised F-16’s in addition to the latest NYC bomber being linked to Pakistan. And suddenly, there is a flurry of anti-Pakistan activities being orchestrated, either on American soil or on behalf of the US in other parts of the world (including Qadri and Indian war mongering). I have long been sceptical of our ruling elite’s intentions to provide a safe and progressive environment to our people, one that would allow for an inviolable freedom of conscience, right to a fair trial and access to education and healthcare. The upper echelons of the armed forces and feudal-bureaucracy-industrialist troika have been no different in exploiting the people of Pakistan for their personal gains – case in point the Panama leaks that point towards billions of dollars stashed away overseas by retired General Pervez Musharraf, the off-shore companies of Imran Khan and the Sharifs, as well as the house of Kayani’s business consolidation during the previous government. One would do well to read Arundhati Roy’s Broken Republic and Algebra of Infinite Justice to understand a similar treatment that’s being handed out to nearly a billion ordinary Indians. They, like their Pakistani counterparts, are witnessing daylight robbery of their flora & fauna, minerals, hopes and tomorrows at the hands of the large corporations in cahoots with similar ruling elite. Khuzdar, Badin, Chattisgarh and Orrissa are one and the same when it comes to evicting the rightful owners of what Roy calls the MOU lands, named after the hidden terms of the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ signed between the corporations and the state. Till date, no public document has been shown to the people of the subcontinent for the minerals worth trillions of dollars that’s been extracted over the last 50 years or so. Yet, this is a battle that needs to be put under the metaphorical ‘rock’ of the Pashtunwali code, that sees two warring people temporarily setting aside their differences to jointly defend their land against a foreign enemy. Once the enemy has been avenged, the previous issues are retrieved from under the rock and hostilities are resumed. There comes a time in history where doing the right thing takes courage, and sometimes, this includes sacrificing one’s own interests for the greater good. If CPEC is compromised, then a lot more roads, energy and infrastructure projects will be obliterated. It might even result in a potentially bipolar world and a unique once in a life-time chance for Pakistan to realign herself with Russia-China. Is this the world that the future Khan of Khans wants to inherit if and when he ascends the throne? One that has no glimmer of hope, no big dreams to paint onto the canvas of young Pakistani’s, those who want their green passports to mean something, their nationality to say something, and their right to dignity? Perhaps, Raiwind can be breached some other time. Let this not be the day when the greed of small men compromises the eternal Armageddon between the forces of right and wrong. Khan, may you find the fortitude and strength to bear the weight of your own decisions – the consequences of which will be faced by the rest of humanity.

He looks well. Well-dressed, well-fed and well-rested, his face is not covered in the debris of a house demolished by shrapnel. He sits in peace and quiet, not against a backdrop of blood-curdling screams of humans in pain or the earth-shattering sound of rockets hitting targets. His eyes sparkle, not with tears but with hope and promise. His aura reflects confidence that comes from living in a safe home not by living under the real threat of death every day. This is Alex from Scarsdale, New York, the subject of yet another emotionally moving video in which a child attempts to reach out to another human being in pain. He wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, requesting if he and his family could adopt Omran Daqneesh, the Syrian boy who survived an attack in Aleppo recently. The deplorable state of Omran was enough to melt hearts around the world and Alex’s heart was one of them. However, this one impressionable child managed to do what different countries had not been able to pull off on the floor of the United Nations. He managed to show how much he cared as a human being. He managed to project an image of humanity that is not tarnished with self-interests and vanity. The President of United States read out this letter in the United Nations in his speech last week during the summit on refugees. Emotions ran high. The video message, in which Alex read out this letter, left no dry eyes in the summit. The sheer sincerity with which the letter was written and read out by Alex, appealed to the humane sensibilities of the world leaders. But did it make a real difference? The European countries still blatantly criticised the German Chancellor for her acceptance of the refugee influx, attributing all terrorist activities to this development. The Syrian ceasefire is still being violated with the number of children dying, mounting with each passing day. It is with unabashed consistency that the world powers are destroying Syria for their own personal gains. If I daresay, it appears to be a rather dark comedy that is being played out in the battlegrounds of Syria. Sometimes a loaded bag of ammunition is thrown right into the hands of the ISIS by ‘mistake’ or sometimes the humanitarian aid convoy is hit by rockets. Are we seriously taking this into consideration that responsible countries with adults running their affairs are treating this crisis like a lousy game of catch ball? If this is not sheer stupidity, then it most definitely is a well-thought out game plan which is being carried out by deliberately killing countless innocent people. Either way, even a six-year-old can come up with a better strategy for peace in the world than the grown-ups which are currently trying and failing (probably on purpose, but failing nonetheless). Whether it is Omran covered in dust and blood, Aylan lying on a beach lifeless or Alex sitting in his room safe and sound, they are all children. They are children who are plainly born without any prejudice or affiliations. No child is born a racist as evidenced by Alex’s act of kindness. This proves how as human beings, we are not so different from each other, regardless of the cast or creed or the religion that we follow. Humanity is not dead...yet. We just have to delve deeper.

Edmonton like many other metropolitan cities is an interesting blend of people of various nationalities, race, religion and creed. Walk around in the neighbourhood or enjoy the lazy summer sunshine in a park and you will be struck with a variety of people and languages you hear. The same exotic sampling of populations is present in schools, which gives children a wonderful opportunity to not only mingle or learn about various cultures but also to accept their differences and forge friendships out of their own communities at a very young age. It was a special day for the children of a small elementary school in Edmonton. They had been preparing for the event for quite some time and now it was time to appreciate their efforts and hard work. The event was a Cultural Festival organised by the local school to celebrate its multicultural and diverse community. The students made the decorations for the festival themselves. As a part of their Social Studies curriculum, teachers had been discussing their native countries, religion and languages. Thus, they encouraged their students to communicate in their native language at home rather than in English. The participants were asked to attend the event dressed in their traditional clothes and bring along their native cuisine to be sampled by others. Considering there are limited opportunities for him to showcase his native clothes in front of his school friends, my son was quite animated that day as he carefully chose a white kurta, a black vest and a matching cap that was embroidered with gold threads and embellished with small mirrors. The school grounds were adorned with giant marquees with each continent having its own booth manned by volunteer parents and students and decked up with student made garlands, flags and streamers. The Asian marquee had a Nepalese, Indian and Pakistan booth. We headed for the Pakistani booth and greeted our fellow countrymen with delight. Young boys were smartly dressed in kurtas, ladies in vibrant hues; everyone was flaunting our culture and it made me rather nostalgic about my life earlier when I lived in Pakistan. The aroma of chicken biryani wafted through the booth. Curious visitors kept coming to sample the delicacies; the biryani proved to be a hit and had vanished in no time. Amidst tending to the crowds of samplers, we exchanged pleasantries with one another and started conversations by asking,

 “Ap log kahan sa hain?” Where are you all from?

He replied, “It’s a kurta shalwar.” “Yeah, but what are you dressed up as?” She probed again.

“What is he dressed up as?” “What do you mean?” I asked.

“My son is dressed in our province’s traditional clothes, and those kids over there are in another province’s folk clothes; what is your son wearing?”

“He is just dressed as a Pakistani; not as Sindhi, Punjabi, Pakhtun or Balochi – or any other.”

“Nationalism, ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests.”

The Franco-British Wall of Calais is set to overshadow the Gate of Calais immortalised in William Hogarth’s 1748 painting, the components of which can be seen in Calais today. The political leadership of the port City of Calais in northern France (population 126,395) believes that a wall extending a fence will effectually control the estimated 7000 plus refugee and migrant overflow concentrated in ‘The Jungle’ on its outskirts. Calais offers migrants a jumping off point in pursuit of the Great British dream, just a short hop of 33.1 km by tunnel or ferry across the English Channel. Her Majesty’s Home Office has decided to finance the cost of the wall to beef up security in Calais as a way of keeping the problem off “the shores of old Blighty.” The four meter high, one kilometre long, €2.7 to 3.2 million wall is an extension of the existing steel fences. It is an attempt to prevent migrants from stealing a truck ride into dreamland. There have also been media reports of vehicles attacked by gangs of migrants and some serious trespassing of farmland. Local residents have been uneasy and divided over the presence of migrants so close to their homes. With next year’s Presidential election looming over France, the centre-right city council of Calais cannot allow itself to be accused of appeasement or inaction. The wall is, therefore, both a dramatic statement of political intent and a conviction that it will work. The history of defensive walls, though, casts doubts on this belief. They are often better at keeping people in, rather than out and, tend to end up haunting their builders. The wall around Troy (12th century B.C.) was indirectly breached, by a deceptive manoeuvre. The success of the Great Wall of China (14 A.D.) has always been debatable. Much the same can be said of Hadrian’s Wall (128 A.D.) in the UK. The requirements of modern warfare changed defensive walls into defensive lines with the same dubious results. The German Hindenburg Line was pierced in World War I at bayonet point. A tad wiser in the Second World War, the Germans just bypassed the French Maginot Line, set up camp in Belgium and, chased the British off the continent. In 1973, the Egyptians breached the Israeli Bar Lev line and fractured their myth of military invincibility. The Berlin Wall merely showed up the Soviets, losing them the moral high ground Prime Minister Dame Margaret Thatcher had advised President Ronald Reagan to value more than the actual morality of an act – Mr Donald Trump, please take note. The under construction Wall of Calais, seeking to contain the migrant crisis, has divided liberals and conservatives within themselves although it has not yet spawned significant realignment. Most of the political opposition to the Wall comes from charities allied with the left and the right. The French liberal and establishment daily Le Monde carried an undercurrent of disapproval in comparing French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’ criticism of Hungary’s border fence with the Wall of Calais and the British Daily Mail announced “Theresa trumps Trump …” On a flying visit to Calais, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, a prospective presidential hopeful, strongly criticised the British for their inaction in the Calais migrant crisis and called for a revision of the 2003 Franco-British accords under which prospective migrants are retained on the French side. He also promised to close down ‘The Jungle’ migrant camp, were he to be president next year. The consummate politician is calculatingly echoing majority sentiment. Pollster ELABE’s survey for French news channel BFMTV, also carried by Reuters,  reveals that 76% of the French support the dismantling of ‘The Jungle’ while  57% of them oppose relocating their occupants across France, or admitting more migrants and refugees. Thus, opposition to The Wall of Calais is not centered on the end issue but the embarrassment of walling in refugees and migrants. No political party in a democracy can afford to circumvent public opinion in the pursuit of its ideology, and President François Hollande’s hard-pressed socialist government is no exception. ‘The Jungle’ and the Wall of Calais have made it to the election agenda. But they are only symptomatic of a deeper unease prematurely brought to the surface by leaving a 21^st century phenomenon in the closet. It is regrettable that European countries have to choose between the principles of liberty and their steep price in a stagnant economy targeted by terrorists. Formalising liberalism as a stand-alone philosophical tradition is generally attributed to the 17^th century thinker, John Locke. Finding common ground with humanism, it gained strength by shrinking the Catholic Church’s role in public life while appropriating Christian ideals for secularism. It thrived on the dominant Western prosperity accruing from industrialisation and colonial acquisition. Riding its roller coaster with loud noises, it eventually had to put its money where its mouth was and lead anti-colonial forces, especially in the aftermath of the Second World War. Decolonisation and the Cold War swung into their tango steps. The Soviets and the West struggled for the souls of the deprived and the dispossessed. The West succeeded and Francis Fukuyama shot to fame by crowing that it was The End of History. André Malraux, French author and statesperson, preceded Fukuyama in multiple ways when he said,

“The 21^st century will be spiritual or will not be.”

Seventeen years ago, for better and worse, The Blair Witch Project (1999) changed the horror genre forever. On the plus side, it brought a new meaning to the term “viral marketing” by turning a $600,000 movie into a $248 million global hit – thanks largely in part to those viral online ads.

On the other hand, it also gave birth to the found-footage genre, which represents just about the most uninspired and hackneyed conventions of filmmaking out there today.

I must say, I’ve never cared for The Blair Witch Project, but having said that, I do understand that the film really struck a chord with the people who saw the entire found-footage thing done for the first time back in ’99, and did in fact find it scary. But today, that gimmick has become as old and stale as Home Improvement reruns.

James Allen McCune
Photo: IMDb

Callie Hernandez
Photo: IMDb

Seventeen years on, and we have a sequel to The Blair Witch Project (Book of Shadows can be forgotten) simply titled: Blair Witch.

Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry
Photo: IMDb

The film also picks up in present day and follows the story of James (James Allan McCune), the brother of one of the original film’s victims, while he travels with a few friends to search for clues in the woods where his sister disappeared.

The film shows a friend of James making her own pseudo-documentary about his search to reinstate the found footage aspect. The cameras this time are far better – head-mounted mini cams and a lightweight flying drone – also serving to illustrate that it’s been 17 years since the original.

Callie Hernandez
Photo: IMDb

Corbin Reid
Photo: IMDb

Unfortunately, those, along with a handful of other aspects, are the only things that add a fresh or original feel to Blair Witch. And that’s exactly where most of the problems lie.

Director Adam Wingard has done some impressive work in recent years with You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014) – films which show he can do horror quite well. But he just doesn’t seem to be all that interested in treading new ground here. He offers a film that at times feels almost like a beat by beat remake of the original, but with a more polished look.

Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry, Corbin Reid, James Allen McCune
Photo: IMDb

The typically shaky found-footage camerawork is as annoying and nauseating as ever. It is never really stabilised so you can actually make sense of anything, and it gets shakier and even more incoherent when the supposedly ‘scary’ moments of the film kick in. Much of the film is quite hard to follow.

Valorie Curry
Photo: IMDb

Valorie Curry
Photo: IMDb

The characters don’t have any real personality to them either. They’re just like those generic teenagers from every other horrible horror movie ever made, who make sure they’re easily attacked by the evil they are trying to document.

They are so bland that they actually made me appreciate the characters from the original movie. As annoying as they were, at least they had some defining characteristics to them.

Wes Robinson, Brandon Scott, Corbin Reid, James Allen McCune, and Callie Hernandez
Photo: IMDb

Corbin Reid
Photo: IMDb

I suppose the biggest problem with Blair Witch is that it is barely scary. Most of the film revolves around the characters wandering around the woods, bumping into one irrelevant clue after another. The film holds out its biggest moments for the final act.

And when the time comes, they simply do not scare you the slightest, mostly because these moments come in cheap two second jump-scares that are not very easy to follow in the first place. It’s tired, it’s unoriginal and it’s been done before.

Wes Robinson, Brandon Scott, Valorie Curry, Corbin Reid, and James Allen McCune
Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

The found-footage sub-genre has acted like a cancer to the horror genre and films like Blair Witch continue to prove why. It seems studios have stopped caring about making films that evoke horror and dread from genuine suspense and build-up.

And as long as people continue to keep paying to see them, things are unlikely to change.

It’s safe to say that Coke Studio season nine ended with a lot of hype, grandeur, and lavishness. Similar to its previous seasons, this season was a bag of mixed flavours. Some episodes were brilliant; some were ordinary, while others were below average. Therefore, with a total of seven episodes and 30 songs, here is my pick of the five best creations of the season.

5. Tu Kuja Man Kuja

Finale

Artist: Shiraz Uppal and Rafaqat Ali Khan

Music Director: Shiraz Uppal

Shiraz Uppal and Rafaqat Ali created a soulful kalam with a mesmerising chorus – that managed to win my heart. Usually a male duet with similar voice quality fails to deliver, but that was not the case with this kalam. Shiraz Uppal’s alternative style, paired with Rafaqat Ali’s classical style, complemented each other extremely well, despite the odds.

Shiraz Uppal
Photo: Coke Studio

Rafaqat Ali Khan
Photo: Coke Studio

4. Uddi Ja 

Episode four

Artist: Mohsin Abbas Haider

Music Director: Jaffer Zaidi

This one was a hit. As we all know, this Sufi kalam took the nation by storm.

Although Mohsin Abbas was one of the more underrated artists of the season, he managed to deliver a song worth mentioning.

For a solo performance to leave an impact, the artist needs to be in full command of his craft, and this command and confidence was not expected from Mohsin Abbas. He owned his song and led a performance that left a great impact on the audience.

Mohsin Abbas Haider
Photo: Coke Studio

3. Maula e Kull

Episode three

Artist: Abida Parveen

Music Director: Shani Arshad

Abida Parveen has never gone wrong and this is something we continue to witness every time. A master in Sufi and mystic kalams, and with this kalam she proves her worth yet again.

Maula e Kull is Abida Parveen’s solo performance. It’s a slow prayer to God that has managed to enchant the listeners. It starts with minimal music that allows her voice to mesmerise the audience, and then, the music heightens taking the listeners on a journey of passion.

It’s powerful and that’s exactly what Abida Parveen is all about.

Abida Parveen
Photo: Coke Studio

2. Rang

Finale

Artist: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Amjad Sabri

Music Director: Shani Arshad

The entire nation was waiting for this performance since the beginning of the season. This kalam moved us as it was Amjad Sabri’s last performance before his sudden and tragic demise, hence it was a reminder of what we have lost.

The commanding duo of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Amjad Sabri performing Amir Khusro’s timeless kalam of Aaj Rang Hai couldn’t have been better. Both are masters of their crafts and created a magical illusion for the audience. They proved what a real qawwali means in today’s world and also, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice modulation was appreciated by all, whereas the brilliance of Amjad Sabri was acknowledged, celebrated, and mourned.

Amjad Sabri
Photo: Coke Studio

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Photo: Coke Studio

1. Paar Chanaa De

Episode four

Artist: Noori and Shilpa Rao

Music Director: Noori

Paar Chanaa De has been unanimously declared as the best by the majority following Coke Studio. Performed by Noori and the talented singer from across the border Shilpa Rao – this song brings together the unusual combination of Shipla’s rough vocals and Noori’s earthy ones. The emotion embedded in the song helped boost its popularity. The lyrics narrate a tragic love story, but the upbeat music makes its unique from the typical tragic love songs.

Ali Hamza
Photo: Screenshot

Shilpa Rao
Photo: Coke Studio

Ali Noor from Noori
Photo: Coke Studio

Although the season just ended, let’s admit, we cannot wait for season 10!

Dad That fact that the protagonist of today’s narrative happens to be dad doesn’t really surprise me. You see, he’s been quite unwell recently. He’s elderly – almost eighty, I believe, if you go by the date of birth on his passport.

“My date of birth is inaccurate on that passport”, dad told me several years ago, which basically meant that he didn’t know his exact birth year. Neither did others around him. “In those times, the exact date of birth was imprecisely documented”, the others said.

“But he’s been unwell before, so what’s different now”, you ask.

“Asad,” he says, when he can recall my name. “When will you get my blood tests done? It’s been a long time. Have you checked my sugar?”

“Doctor, shall I get the device to check.. ummm.. because you haven’t checked my.. ummm.. in a long time”, he asks me.

“What were you doing in the bathtub? Did you fall asleep?”

“Ummm. ahhh. errrrr”, he said.

“But is he really still all there?” asks a voice within.

It’s popularly said that times change and so do people, but sometimes after years of changes, a lot does not change at all. In classical warfare, the shrewd commander would keep a force at the front as a façade and keep a surprise for his enemy. The surprise could be an ambush from the side, moats prepared to drown the infantry, a fire hazard to cut one part of the infantry from the other and create a kill zone and so on. Modern warfare introduced more brazen tactics such Hitler’s blitzkrieg, which caused massive damage to the Allied forces. It also gave us the ‘shock and awe’ campaigns, which the Americans so amply demonstrated with their Daisy Cutters in Afghanistan and midnight bombing runs in Iraq. As time passed, governments started to realise that a military victory can be more costly than actually imagined. The land, which was won through the ‘shock and awe’, now needs to be policed from the looters and the masses need to be provided with basic amenities. If these issues are not met, the victorious army may end up fighting the hungry masses. Barack Obama changed all that when he decided to pull US forces from the conquered lands. Even when they had installed their puppet government in Afghanistan and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq, the US was dishing out heaps of dollars to control the ever-incontrollable territories. Once the forces were pulled out, the Taliban resurged and Daesh took root in Iraq. To be ‘fair and balanced’, these resurgences were imminent and in motion before Obama took office. To counter this Obama decided to revisit a classical warfare policy – black ops and proxies. In the world of open information and high tech surveillance, the real enemy is not lack of information but rather access to secret information. Therefore, no matter how much governments try to hide it, their underhanded and covert actions do end up seeing the light of day. Since an analytical look around the world can easily identify proxies fighting in conflict zones and their masters, governments have become shrewd in supporting indigenous groups more so as to avoid suspicion. Balochistan is a great example of this. No sooner than Pakistan and China signed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement, the hawks started to up the ante. In order to be factual, it would be incorrect to say that Balochistan does not have an insurgency problem. The Balochistan insurgencies have been a problem since 1971 onwards when the separation of East Pakistan sparked hopes in the hearts of some Baloch nationalists. The 70s saw the quelling of the first separatist movements in Balochistan carried out by none other than General Tikka Khan during the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto government. Balochistan came back on the international radar after 9/11, once military supplies started to move from Karachi to Afghanistan through Balochistan. It is rumored that well before 9/11, the province was a conduit for illegal arms and narcotics which were moved to and from the shoreline towards Afghanistan, Iran and beyond. The promulgation of CPEC caused numerous world actors to move the assets towards Balochistan, largely to create dissent and discord to hamper projects. I recently saw a newspaper article where the separatist Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) leader Brahamdagh Bugti announced that he would apply for a political asylum in India. For some reason the news made me laugh hysterically. Sometimes I cannot tell whether Narendra Modi is trying to reach out more than he can or if Brahamdagh Bugti is stupid enough to believe his banter. Modi’s government like some other world ‘governments’, has no real interests in the freedom of Balochistan. All he wanted to do was to give the Baloch the public impression that he is with them. It is highly likely that his visits to Afghanistan have given him the opportunity to speak to members from Baloch separatist movements. However, I cannot assert that without any proof. The porous border shared between Iran’s Sistan province, Afghanistan’s Helmand, Zabul, and Kandahar provinces and Pakistan’s Balochistan have been a hotbed of terrorist activity. Arms, ammunition, smuggled goods and narcotics pass through freely, making it a very strategically beneficial locale for those seeking to recruit mercenaries for personal gain. That said it almost becomes unnecessary to name any names since we all know who is going to benefit from the chaos in Balochistan. I am one for human rights, dignity and self-respect. However using these as slogans to defame Pakistan’s security forces is a game as old as time itself. I do urge ‘certain media houses’ who uphold these slogans to stop being hypocritical. How can they show the atrocities in Kashmir on their news and fill their entertainment channels with 24 hours of Indian programming? Balochistan is a province, which has been systematically ignored and relegated to the 20^th century, time and again by our politicians. As long as having a larger population passes of for receiving more funds from the State, which is how our National Finance Commission (NFC) awards are doled out, Balochistan and its people will continue to suffer. For people like Brahamdagh to stop rising and asking for help from our regional and international rivals, we need to address Balochistan’s issues rather than point our fingers outward. Balochistan deserves a fair share from the Sate and from its natural resources, which it graciously gives to other provinces such as gas and minerals. Modi can learn a thing or two from Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. Even after courting Ashraf Ghani’s rhetoric against Pakistan during his visit to India earlier this month, Rouhani proposed that Iran and Pakistan should work together and that Chabahar and Gwadar were complimentary. Everyone who understands any politics the world over knows that the time for the East to rise is nigh. Trying to delay or hamper this ominous politico-economic transition is a really stupid thing to do.

I will be embarrassingly honest here. I actually do not remember exactly the last time I properly stood up while our national anthem was played. If I recall correctly, I am more the less left sidetracked by the juggling of placing my over-tipping popcorn into the holder and scouring the grubby cinema chair. Where else these days do we get to listen to our qaumi tarana (national anthem) other than the big screen? I for one am past the age of going to school and standing in an assembly every morning, loudly chanting Pak sar zameen shaad baad… So, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when a while back I read how a San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knowingly shrouded himself into a stormy controversy by not standing up to The Star-Spangled Banner. Why is he protesting? He is obviously not distracted by popcorn I bet! His kneeling down represented standing up for all the wrongdoings against the African Americans and other minorities in the United States of America (pun intended). His decision to not stand up during the anthem before the start of the game in late August sparked a national debate on racial and social inequality. More importantly, it highlighted the police’s brutality against the black Americans which indisputably has exposed the differences between forces and the coloured communities in the United States. In a country torn by racial violence between the so-called protectors of the innocent and the coloured public, this is not something totally new. The Americans and us Twitteratis are often used to waking up to the news of black men being shot by the law enforcement agents. It hasn’t been long since the shooting of unarmed Trayvon Martin in Florida. I distinctively recall how for weeks if not months, all I could hear and read on the American publications, was the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old kid by a neighbourhood watch volunteer. Couple of years down the road, the nation again went into frenzy after the Ferguson killing and the subsequent riots, when another teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by the police. And yes, let me tell you. Both the shooters were white. And the victims, black. The Americans had stirred up another civil rights movement. Kaepernick is not the only athlete who has voiced his opinions against the violent tendencies of the police force. In recent past, NBA’s LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul have all vociferously used their fame and eminence to bring to light the social injustice affecting the minorities in Unites States. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul
Photo: Zimbio[/caption] Similarly, former Denver Nuggets star Chris Johnson, whom we now know more as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf after his conversion to Islam, fuelled another wrangle when he candidly cited the American flag as a symbol of oppression. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Photo: Denver Nuggets Club[/caption] Right after the preseason game, which his side lost, Kaepernick explained his actions and said,

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”

“There’s people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable. That’s not right. That’s not right by anyone’s standards.”

Udaari grabbed the audiences’ attention from the very first episode. It has managed to highlight aspects which have been ignored for far too long – and it has also challenged various stereotypes which plague our society. The drama relates the story of individuals who have suffered at the hands of society. The awe-inspiring acting, along with the story-line, gave the audience a sneak peek into the struggle of these individuals, whilst breaking all kinds of barriers at the same time. 1. Rape victims should be ashamed of themselves Whether it is sexual assault or harassment on the streets, victims are shushed by their families in order to protect their ‘honour’. Victims are forced to believe that it is their own fault for dressing too provocatively or giving the wrong sign, because apparently the rapist has no control over his/her instincts. Udaari addressed this issue through evocative dialogues, especially in the scene where Arsh helps boost Zebu’s confidence through mirroring (a technique used to boost morale by saying positive things about oneself in front of a mirror). Moreover, the campaign of this case showed that there were numerous people who supported the cause. 2. Transgenders do not belong in our society Transgenders are ridiculed and kicked out of their homes in our country. Udaari challenges these norms by portraying a strong transgender character through a positive role. The abandonment of these individuals forces them to resort to flesh trade or begging in order to survive. Baala was a transgender who was loyal to his family and was respected in return. In other words, he did not face any discrimination. He proved to be the support system for Zebu and the family in times of need. 3. Professional female dancers/singers are corrupted The unspoken caste system is still being practiced in our country, many professions are looked down upon and these individuals are ostracised from their families. Women who indulge in singing or dancing as a profession are deemed unfit for marriage. This drama contradicts this belief by, a) The hospitable and positive portrayal of the ‘marasan family’. b) Through the love story of Arsh and Meera. 4. It is wrong to discuss bold topics Words such as ‘rape’ and ‘paedophilia’ were barely ever discussed in the media so directly. This has undermined myths about the shame associated with such topics, and hence many individuals will be encouraged to speak up. In Pakistan, this hideous crime is being practiced abundantly, but turning a blind eye to the situation is not the solution. The topic was thoroughly discussed in Udaari. 5. Defending evil is not evil Various people choose to remain silent regardless of the power they have to stop evil doings – staying silent about evil acts is in itself a crime. The reason why many crimes remain unpunished within Pakistan is largely due to the ignorance of people. In the last episode of the show, Jamshaid shares his story about how karma gets back at him as his family was burnt to death in front of his eyes. The police officers who helped the rapist were also targeted and insulted. 6. Women cannot survive on their own Many women choose to remain in abusive relationships because they believe that they cannot survive on their own. Divorced, single, or widowed women face numerous hardships and become a burden on their family. Detailed information about Kashf Foundation was given in the drama, along with guidelines about how women can start their independent businesses. The success of the drama is proof that we are progressing as a nation and people are becoming more aware about social ills.  Finally, our drama industry is stepping out of the ‘saas-bahu’ monotonous spectacle and tragic love stories, and are now showcasing critical social matters. Pakistani people have the habit of staying silent in regard to the tragedies they face, and hopefully Udaari will encourage them to speak up, no matter what the consequences are. May we continue to break stereotypes and rid ourselves of the silence that haunts every corner of our nation.

 “Beta! Mehmanon kai liye bakery sai plain cake lao!” (Grab a plain cake from the bakery for the guests.)

Filmmaker and screenwriter, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, waited a couple of years after the release of his award winning biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), to entice filmgoers with another mystic drama film.

This time, Mehra has placed the genre of the socio-political story in the form of a charismatic folklore to present a war-action filled romantic anecdote – Mirzya.

Photo: IMDb

Mirzya is based on the epic love story of Mirza Sahibaan, one of the most poignant Punjabi folktales. It is about the courage and distress of a woman who sacrificed her love to avoid bloodshed. The idea is touching and has attracted numerous filmmakers throughout the sub-continent, but Mehra’s adaptation is unusual as it presents a modern-day, as well as fantasy aspect of the folktale, while exploring the reasons behind betrayal and self-destruction.

Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

As per the trailer, the story is mainly set against a rural backdrop showing couples falling in love in different time frames, but facing the same consequences and destiny. The short snippet shows that the story is inspired by the legendary folklore, but it has been crafted with a diverse approach by adding some dark and passionate elements.

Saiyami Kher and Harshvardhan Kapoor
Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

The film will feature Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor as well as Saiyami Kher, the niece of the celebrated actress Tanvi Azmi, as Bollywood’s freshest debutantes. The trailer has not revealed the characters of both performers though.

Harshvardhan Kapoor
Photo: IMDb

Photo: IMDb

There are various cinematic versions of Mirza Sahibaan’s folklore, both in Pakistan and India, namely Mirza Sahiban (1947), Mirza Sahiban (1957) and Mirza Jutt (1967). If you are a fan of highly emotional romantic yet tragic love stories, then you should opt to watch these till Mehra’s latest experiment hits cinemas on October 7, 2016.

Photo: IMDb

When the Indus Water Treaty was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Ayub Khan in September 1960, President Eisenhower described it as the,

“One bright spot…in a very depressing world picture.”

It seems just like yesterday when a far-right Republican, who I had the misfortune of knowing, told me that he’d rather vote for a donkey than vote for President Barack Obama. That was back in 2012 when the president was running for his second term against Mitt Romney. Now, Romney may not have been as eloquent or academically gifted as Obama, but he certainly was not dope. He was a former governor, an established businessman and the backbone of the Mormon faith. Donkey he certainly was not. Fast forward to today’s campaign season, it appears that the Republican prayers have been answered. Thanks to the millions of the poorly educated, they’ve been bestowed with a candidate who not only happens to be as silly as a donkey but one who has the potential to ruin this great country and bring it down on its knees because of his stubbornness, brashness, recklessness, unapologetic behaviour and being a policy illiterate coupled with his inability to understand politics and the realities that entail global leadership. I can keep trashing Donald Trump forever but that’s not the intent of writing this piece. I’m not building a case against him today for I don’t really need to worry about that anymore. Trump shot himself in the foot multiple times with his impulsiveness, sniffling, non-stop blabbering and amateurish behaviour in the recent presidential debate and as his graph went from bad to worse, I relished every moment of the circus that he put up! Monday night’s inconsistent Trump performance proved beyond doubt that he is the guy who has befooled America for far too long. He is a filthy rat who has evaded taxes, worked the system to his own advantage, fleeced money from people by either running businesses to the ground and declaring bankruptcies or utterly damning human existence on account of his bigotry and racist actions. This is crunch time. This is the stage of the election process where reason starts taking over rhetoric and candidates must elevate their game from the kiddy table to develop and deliver a more mature message and present hard policy roadmaps to the public-at-large. On the night of September 26, 2016, Trump couldn’t deliver. By being interruptive, he showed that he certainly wasn’t the adult in the room. That role was played by his determined opponent who came out well-prepared and with a clear plan to counter and decimate Trump’s loud-mouthed belligerence. While Hillary Clinton may be a typical politician with “all talk, no action” demeanour, she showed that she has a plan, will work the plan and will get the job done. As Trump fumbled and fiddled with the mic, Hillary talked substance and presented her case to the people in an effective manner. The several days that she took off from the campaign trail to prepare for the debate certainly paid off and proved beyond doubt as to who was the better of the two candidates. Trump’s much touted off the cuff and impromptu approach only ended up in him flinching, twitching and sweating throughout the night. His words failed him and he choked ‘bigly.’ It seemed that being on a presidential-debate-stage was far tougher than addressing a small-town, rural American rally. Those farmers and blue-collared workers, who Trump weaved his magic around in the recent past, were all missing in action. This was a real world fight in front of a hard core, highly critical, politically aware and unforgiving audience. The debate night saw the two conflicting candidates at daggers drawn in terms of policies and issues like immigration, trade, racism, fiscal responsibility, fighting ISIS and, of course, Obama’s place of birth. The difference in gesturing and delivery starkly contrasted one another, with Trump acting like a five-year-old drama queen and Hillary staying on point and laying out her proposals and plans bare and often catching Trump on the wrong foot. To my mind, the highlights of Hillary’s performance were exposing Trump’s Alicia Machado story, her remark “Trumped-Up, Trickle Down” and her questioning of Trump’s lack of transparency in terms of releasing his tax returns. Trump came across as a delusional megalomaniac – a fact pointed out so often by folks like Tony Schwartz and Rob Reiner. As we all wait anxiously for the next debate, it is quite evident that based on his September 26^th goofiness, Trump may turn the White House into a funny farm instead of making America great again. He ashamed his supporters so much so one frustrated street worker was mad enough to say that,

“If he (Trump) was born not right, they should’ve simply tossed him off the cliff.”

To ask a Pakistani actor to go back to his country when there has allegedly been a terrorist attack on Indian soil by Pakistanis, is both stupid and understandable. The citizens ask for quick retaliation and, as always, people in the world of arts, culture and film are the softest targets. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), sensing the public pulse, cashed in on the anger and gave Pakistani actors and artists a 48-hour ultimatum to leave India. And mind you, a lot of Indians are irate with the presence of the Pakistani artists in India. That does not make them right or wrong, but that is true. The question is why. On the other hand, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan has a huge fan following among women. Unlike Indian men, Indian women are not that gung-ho about sending the Kapoor & Sons star back home. Are Indian women less patriotic? Nobody knows, nobody is inside their head. The MNS has threatened Karan Johar that the party will halt the release of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which stars Fawad Khan. If one goes through the comments section of news posts regarding Pakistani actors versus MNS fracas, you will find that it is mostly men who are clamouring for the actor to move out. Why so? Actually, Indian men hate Fawad Khan for the same reason they hate Shoaib Malik. How dare this Pakistani man enter the hearts (and homes) of our Indian girls? Well, he did. There is no going back from that. Fawad was destined to become a star in the subcontinent. He did not enter India with ‘I’m Karan Johar’s boy’ plastered on his forehead. He came to India with the hit Pakistani TV show Zindagi Gulzar Hai (ZGH) on Zindagi channel. Suddenly, Indian housewives, tired with the saas-bahu-kavach-daayan nonsense, were watching a sombre, polite TV serial about what appeared to be ‘real people’. And in the middle of it was a very handsome, accessible man who behaved like a normal human being, unlike the ordinary-looking, ordinary male actors one would find in Indian TV shows. Zindagi Gulzar Hai ran for only 25 episodes. By that time, Indian women had found their drug. But their Fawad-fix was not satiated. So Zindagi offered Fawad in measured doses. After ZGH ended, the channel ran the promo of Fawad’s telefilm Behadd on loop, teasing the audience and gauging their response. Then, as Khoobsurat (Fawad’s Bollywood debut) was about to release, the channel started airing the promos of Fawad’s highly popular show Humsafar. So, in a way, Fawad Khan has been in the Indian woman’s heart for a long, long time. Indian women have a lot more at stake, emotionally and sentimentally, in Fawad Khan. Indian men look at this sudden anomaly as a threat. And indeed, his uniqueness and exoticness was furthered propelled by the kind of roles he did in Bollywood. In Khoobsurat, Fawad played a Rajasthani prince, a distant, inaccessible, hard-to-reach and hard-to-get man. In that film, neither did he dance nor did he stalk the heroine. He did not get naked and bare his entire torso. He was dignified, stoic, spartan, the ultimate ‘Complete Man’ Raymond suiting and shirting could get. And, well, Indian girls had found their new crush, so very different from the chhichhoda (cheap) heroes they had been subjected to for years, and Indian moms found their template for the perfect son-in-law. Fawad’s next film Kapoor & Sons had him play a gay man. Again, he got the ‘mature guy’ role as opposed to his co-star Sidharth Malhotra who had to shake a leg to Badshah’s song. Most importantly, his gay character was not an effeminate stereotype. He appeared ‘human’. This ‘humanness’ has been the key to Fawad’s popularity. He is both accessible and inaccessible (he is from across the border, guys). The Indian man cannot understand this. So, either he tries to ignore him. Or hate him. And what better opportunity than a Pak attack for these men to publicly outrage against Fawad? Or, perhaps, there is more to it. It is indeed a fact that Fawad has still not publicly condemned the Uri attacks. This is truly unlike him, as he did express grievance during the November 2015 Paris attacks on Twitter. So did the Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar and VJ-turned-actor Mahira Khan who will soon be seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees. Mahira went on to criticise the Orlando club shooting as well. But, somehow, when there has been a terrorist attack in India, the country that has given them stardom, fame, and money beyond what Pakistan could possibly give, they are strangely silent. And this has not gone down well with ‘patriotic Indians’, both the polite kind and the kind to vilify any secular commentator on social media as a ‘Porkistani’ who needs to be deported. In all likelihood, neither Fawad nor Mahira or Ali Zafar will be sent back to Pakistan. Money is more important than religion or nationality in India, and when crores are at stake, power players will ensure that nothing as absurd as Fawad’s expulsion happens. Be that as it may, the question remains: After all this, will Indian men ever warm up to Fawad Khan? Will Indian men ever cosy up to him as they have to, say a Ranveer or a Varun? Time will tell. This post originally appeared on IndiaToday.in.

Muslims have it hard living in the West. Nowadays it is perfectly acceptable to sling all kinds of vitriolic, hate-filled misinformation towards Muslims that simply would never be thrown at adherents of other religions. So it is natural for Muslims, who fight hard against these stereotypes every day, to want to make a huge impact in trying to rid themselves of all the negativity that they become shrouded in.

Unfortunately, sometimes in the quest for shaking off the adverse image, no real progress is made. This comes as a hijab-laden Muslim lady, Noor Tagouri, appeared in Playboy magazine as a journalist aspiring to be ‘America’s first hijabi anchor’ on commercial television.

Playboy magazine is usually connoted with sexual frivolity, bunnies and Hugh Hefner’s promotion of unabashed hedonism. How could a Muslim woman possibly use Playboy as a platform to launch her career? Could this move be classed as absurd or highly ingenious? The news definitely raised eyebrows and spearheaded Noor’s intentions into the fast lane. It has also started a raging debate (which spilled over into Twitter) about Islamic morality and contemporary culture.

I don’t agree with @NTagouri appearing in a magazine that has unapologetically profited off the sexualisation and objectification of women.

— Lina – سيرين (@Lina_Serene) September 25, 2016

So apparently some so-called Islamic "scholars" are appreciating a woman for appearing in the #Playboy magazine.#GheerahLost

— أبو بحر (@KaleemBhat) September 25, 2016

Last year Playboy announced that it would no longer feature nude women in its publication because online pornography had rendered such a purpose rather pointless. Instead, the magazine would focus on articles about various topics like politics, history and even hijab-laden women. Noor’s presence in Playboy has been met with a mixture of reactions, ranging from abhorrence to acceptance. Many Muslims still find it difficult to disassociate themselves from Playboy’s image of being a magazine which shows images of naked women. A hijabi in Playboy just doesn’t bode well.

Can we just appreciate the fact that @NTagouri is the EPITOME of feminism? Unapologetically muslim. Unapologetically female. #LEGENDARY.

— tooba warraich (@toobawarraich_) September 26, 2016

If this girl is not the coolest, then I don't know who is. #playboy #letNoorshine #badass https://t.co/l9s4bqGsYE

— Kimia Ramezani (@KimiaRamezani) September 22, 2016

Disagree with what our sis @NTagouri decided to do re interview, BUT the attack against her character & language being used is APPALLING!

— AbdelRahman Murphy (@AbdelRahmanM) September 24, 2016

Although Noor has an appealing goal, the platform she has used to reach that goal is questionable. But on the other hand, she may never have gotten the requisite attention she needed to accomplish her goal had she remained on the straight and narrow path.

It’s a murky world out there and the lines between morality and licentiousness are increasingly becoming blurred. Muslims have to be original in how they get their message out there albeit in a manner which minimises offence in their community.

It will be interesting to see how far Noor Tabouri goes in challenging stereotypes that people hold against Muslim women, but this stint definitely challenged a spectacular amount.  If anything, it definitely made me see Playboy in a different light.

This year has been quite an unlucky year for the Pakistan ODI team. There have only been a couple of times in the last eight ODIs that the Pakistan team has left the stadium celebrating. Pakistan has won eight out of 15 T20 matches and two out of four Tests played this year. This in turn has made Azhar Ali look like that child in the family who everyone is always scolding and pushing to learn from his friends (Sarfraz Ahmed and Misbahul Haq), who are doing exceptionally well. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pakistan drew the Test series against England after winning the 4th Test at the Oval by 10 wickets. Photo: AFP[/caption] Even though Misbah did make a statement a few days back saying that it was wrong to blame only the captain for the team’s defeat, it did not ease Azhar’s pressure. After all, captains do bask in the glory of their team performing well. Sarfraz and Misbah are examples of when captains are given credit for the team doing well. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Even though Misbah did make a statement a few days back saying that it was wrong to blame only the captain for the team’s defeat, it did not ease Azhar’s pressure. Photo: AFP[/caption] After their poor performance in the last ODI series against England, Pakistan is facing a potential oust from the next ODI World Cup. This is a crucial situation for our team, and while Azhar Ali has miraculously been able to retain his captaincy and his place on the team, he needs to take desperate measures to bring about a much needed improvement to the team’s performance in the 50 over format. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] After their poor performance in the last ODI series against England, Pakistan are facing a potential oust from the next ODI World Cup. Photo: AFP[/caption] I have never been a fan of the concept of having three different captains for the three different formats of the game. I feel this somehow impacts the team mentally since they have to keep switching to whom they consider a leader. The fact that different teams have been selected for all three formats of the game is another problem altogether. Especially when selection for one particular format is decided based on the domestic performance of a player in an entirely different format. Asad Shafiq is a recent example of this. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pakistan cricketer Asad Shafiq (L) plays a shot as the Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim looks on. Photo: AFP[/caption] What was hilarious though was that Asad made it to the ODI squad for the series against West Indies based on his performance in the recently concluded National T20 Cup. What’s more hysterical is that the Karachi Whites’ batsman wasn’t picked for the T20 series. Coming back to Pakistan’s ODI woes, the series against West Indies should be taken as an ideal opportunity to get back into the nick. Not that West Indies will prove to be easy opponents, it’s currently a rank higher than Pakistan. The T20 whitewash should definitely be a confidence booster for our team. This, along with memories of the last ODI against England will definitely act as motivating factors. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Pakistani players celebrate the dismissal of a West Indies batsman during the second T20 match on Saturday. Photo: AFP[/caption] On the other hand, West Indies will also be eager to bag a series win in order to further strengthen their position in the starting line-up of the teams playing for the 2019 World Cup. Even though their ODI record in 2016 has been slightly better than Pakistan, it is still something that the West Indian Cricket Board would want to improve upon. West Indies has played 10 ODI matches in the last 12 months, out of which they secured only three wins. These facts paint a bleak picture for the former two time world champions. The competition between West Indies and Pakistan has always been exciting to watch, primarily because of the inconsistent and unpredictable nature of both sides. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The competition between West Indies and Pakistan has always been exciting to watch, primarily because of the inconsistent and unpredictable nature of both sides. Photo: AFP[/caption] This ODI series (it starts today) will be no exception. The only difference is that this time, both teams are fighting a battle of survival. Upcoming talents such as Imad Wasim and Carlos Brathwaite are expected to shine, but to sum it up quite frankly; it’s not Richie Richardson versus Imran Khan – it’s just Jason Holder versus Azhar Ali.