APRIL 17-23 2011
Welcome to the Jungle Unravelling the tangled web of Karachi’s target killings
FEATURE
REVIEWS
COMMENT
PEOPLE
THE HATER
APRIL 17-23 2011
Cover Story 22 Welcome to the Jungle Unravelling the tangled web of target killings
Portfolio 34 Dekh meray shehr ko A pictorial journey through the City of Lights
Feature 40 Amplify this Face to face with the ‘amplifier’ man himself
Fired Up With Frieha 46 The Stalker Fighting off the ‘frandshippers’
Politically Incorrect
34
44 Cricket Critic Empty vessels do make the most noise
Regulars 6 People & Parties: Out and about with Pakistan’s beautiful people 48 Reviews: What’s new in film 52 Horoscope: Shelley von Strunckel on your week ahead 54 Ten Things I Hate About: adulthood
22
40
4
Editor: Zarrar Khuhro. Sub-Editors: Batool Zehra, Hamna Zubair Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Anam Haleem, Tariq Alvi, S Asif Ali, Samad Siddiqui, Sukayna Sadik Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi. For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Tara Uzra Dawood held a “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” tea-party.
Maira Maryam and Saba
Sanober Moorad
Samia Jaffer, Khadija Hashmi and Emane Haque
Tasnim Darbar bib and Kamila Ha
6 APRIL 17-23 2011
Shelley Pirzada
Humaira Hayat, Shanaz Ramzi and Anila Weldon
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Sameera Merchant and Saman Shamsie
Sheema Kermani and T U Dawood
Yasmin Khurram
Neshmia Ahmed
Pomme Gohar, Ainee Shezad and Seema Suleman Nilofer Saeed and Seemi Tapal
8 APRIL 17-23 2011
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Turkish Rally Queen Burcu Cetinkaya came to Pakistan on a 10-day tour.
an, and Natty Ali, Burcu, Naum
At the Naval Complex in Karachi
PHOTOS: YASIR NISAR
Burcu with Maha
Nauman and Nomi
10 APRIL 17-23 2011
Burcu with a host morning show
Families at the Karachi Autocross
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
HSY launched it’s first print collection across the country.
and Waleed Deena, Maria
Iffat Umer
PHOTOS COURTESY LOTUS
Aasma Mumtaz, Tahir Saeed and Maria
az Sana and Safin
12 APRIL 17-23 2011
y and Adnan Pardes em le Sa a dh War
Anila Shah and Nuscie Jamil
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
in Hassan Sheheryar Yas with his mother
Zara Shahjahan and Jania
Alizeh Khalid & Munezee Khalid
Tara Mehmood
Fayezah Ansari, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin and Mohsin Sayeed
14 APRIL 17-23 2011
Nabeel and Aasifa
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Jimmy Khan, launched his debut single ‘Pehla Pyar’ at an intimate preview at Cosa Nostra in Lahore.
nam Tubah and Mah
Ali Zafar and Ayesha Fazli
er and Shehrbano Tase Asma Khan
16 APRIL 17-23 2011
hman
Shireen Re
Mahvish Waqar and Sarah Waqar
PHOTOS: THE VIDEOGRAPHERS AND USMAN NADEEM
Ali and Bonnie Sibtain Fazli
APRIL 17-23 2011
PEOPLE & PARTIES
Meesha Shafi and Mahmood Rahman
Ayesha Noon
Taimoor and Zofeen
Ali Sher
Selina, Tubby and Rizwan
18 APRIL 17-23 2011
Natasha Saigol
APRIL 17-23 2011
APRIL 17-23 2011
APRIL 17-23 2011
COVER STORY
welcome lence difficult, if not impossible.
“So is it a lost battle you are fighting?” I ask.
“No!” retorts Nasrullah, who battles target killing on a daily
There is no one reason behind Karachi’s seemingly endless spates of target killing, nore are there any quick fixes
BY SABIN AGHA PHOTOS: ATHAR HUSSAIN AND ATHAR KHAN
“Target killers are conspiring to make Karachi a no-go area,” says Nasrullah Khan, Station House Officer of Mauripur Police Station in the teeming, multiethnic metropolis of Karachi. It is a sentiment that many of Karachi’s residents share. The
city of lights seems more like a jungle full of predators: extortionists, drug lords, weapon dealers, the land mafia…the list goes
on. These criminals jealously guard their turf and have allegedly formed links with political parties, making controlling the vio-
basis and has himself survived numerous shootouts. “The police is combating crime efficiently,” he claims, “which is evident
from the numerous arrests and the seizure of illegal arms, the courts are overflowing with trials and the jails are overcrowded
with all the people we have arrested.” The statistics Nasrullah offers in support of his claim are impressive, but there are other numbers as well, and they tell a different story.
The official police website lists the numbers of target killings
for the month of March as 135. That’s twenty more than January, when ‘only’105 people were killed. According to the Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan, target killings in the city have risen by 175 per cent from 2009 to 2010. Last year 748 people lost
their lives on the violent streets of Karachi. Only 447 of them were political activists.
The causes of this violence are many: political rivalry, sectar-
ian tension, ethnic hatred, and a bloody scramble to get a bigger
to the
e l g n ju
slice of a multi-billion rupee pie.
step. Though he accepts that Karachi’s situation is “complex”, he
battle for drugs, for weapons, for confiscation of land, for extor-
litical dominance by both the MQM and his own party. The ANP
“This is indeed a turf war,” says Nasrullah Khan. “There is a
tion, for dominance — ultimately it’s a battle to own Karachi.”
Politics by other means The political dimension is, of course, undeniable. The Mutta-
rejects the view that the violence is because of the desire for pochief says that “elements” intending to destabilise the city were
feeding on political strife and that neither the MQM nor the ANP were solely responsible for target killing.
Significantly, Wali believes it was the May12th carnage that
hida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party share the
changed the political dynamics of the city. Post-May 12th, Kara-
Party. This means that they also share the responsibility of gov-
is an assumption that many analysts agree with: May 12th sent
coalition government in Sindh with the ruling Pakistan Peoples
ernance and maintenance of law and order. Unfortunately, the political tensions and recurring wars of words between these coalition partners very often lead to a surge in violence in Karachi.
At an informal gathering at Mardan House in Karachi, I met
ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan. This imposing Pashtun minced
chi has become far more polarised and vulnerable, says Wali. It
a signal to political parties to strengthen their militant wings or find themselves on the receiving end of political violence. Very
often, party workers chose to arm themselves or align with ‘sympathetic’ criminal groups for protection.
When asked to explain the criminal-political nexus, the pos-
no words about the situation in Karachi, saying that no single
session of weapons and the “settling of scores” in the lower tiers
sised that the Pashtun presence in Karachi was a reality, as was
Minister Zulfiqar Mirza’s presence, dramatically announcing
political party should be allowed to dominate the city. He emphathe existence of other ethnicities.
However, Wali seems reluctant to lay blame at any one door-
of each political party, Wali took advantage of then Sindh Home that he had allowed Mirza to arrest anyone from the ANP who was found involved in target killings.
COVER STORY Though they are often at daggers drawn, the ANP and MQM
now apparently seem to be in agreement that peaceful co-existence is the solution to Karachi’s problems. Sindh’s former advi-
sor on Home Affairs Waseem Akhter, during his recent visit to
Karachi, told me that the notion that every Pashtoon involved in criminal activities was an activist of the ANP and that every Urdu-speaking criminal was affiliated with the MQM, should be dispelled.
Unholy alliances That may be the official stance, but the situation on the ground is somewhat different. The ‘unofficial’ affiliations of these crim-
inals with the three major parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and the Awami
National Party (ANP) — which form the coalition government in Sindh, reinforce the criminal gangs. Police officials and analysts
will privately tell you that this is a give and take relationship:
the parties turn to these criminals when they need street pow-
er and weapons, and in turn the criminals demand protection
when the noose tightens around them. These links do not even have to happen on a higher level. Very often it is the local party organisations that create the links, without the consent or even
knowledge of the party leadership. But regardless of at what level
the links are made, this nexus is very much to the advantage of the criminals.
The arrest of Ajmal Pahari in late March was a real feather in
the cap of the Crime Investigation department (CID). Pahari —
whose real name is Shahnawaz — was wanted in over 100 murders, and was allegedly involved in extortion and land-grabbing as well as murder.
But this was the second time that Pahari had been arrested.
The notorious criminal was first charged with politically motivated killings across Karachi in 2000, but he was acquitted on all counts and walked free in 2005. Police claim that since then he has butchered over 50 more people.
A high-ranking police official I spoke with admitted, on con-
dition of anonymity, that Pahari’s political affiliations served as a protective net for him, “The law in Pakistan resembles a spider’s web, spun to catch only small prey, but too flimsy for the big quarry.”
When elephants fight…it is the grass that gets trampled Whatever the motive behind target killing, it is the average citizen who pays the price. Ordinary Karachiites are targeted for their ethnicity, their sect, their politics...and sometimes, just for being
in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s exactly what hap-
pened with 19-year-old Imran Hussain Katchi, a resident of Lyari.
24
The sole breadwinner of the family and the apple of his mother’s
eye, Imran was caught in the crossfire when an argument beAPRIL 17-23 2011
A high-ranking police official I spoke with admitted, on condition of anonymity, that Pahari’s political affiliations served as a protective net for him, “The law in Pakistan resembles a spider’s web, spun to catch only small prey, but too flimsy for the big quarry.”
TARGET KILLINGS - YEARS 2008 TO 2011 300
OTHERS
250
SSP
200
ANP 150 PPP 100
MQM-A
50
0
MQM-H SOURCE: HRCP
2008
2009
2010
25
2011 APRIL 17-23 2011
COVER STORY tween rival gangs over erecting barriers erupted into violence.
a victim of gang wars myself. My father was abducted in front
of the People’s Aman Committee (PAC) are responsible for the
Jahanabad in a sack. When I pursued his case, I was implicated
Imran’s father says he know exactly who to blame. “The thugs
murder of Imran,” declares a distraught Hussain Katchi. “These extortionists and murderers have made our lives miserable and
the government supports them. When I went to the police to reg-
ister Imran’s case, my brother, son and nephew were implicated in counter FIRs. The Katchi community is fed-up of the PAC and
has decided to gang up against them under the banner of the Katchi Rabta Committee.”
He shows me the KRC’s office in Lyari, the exterior of which is
riddled with bullet marks. I’m also shown an extortion slip with a name, cell number and the figure of Rs. 1000 inscribed on it.
These slips not only make the rounds in Lyari but also in other ar-
eas of the city including the Shershah Market and SITE. Refusal to pay in cash or kind means that you will likely pay with your
of my eyes, some fifteen years ago. His dead body was found in in false cases including murders. I courted arrest in 2006 and after serving two years in jail, I initiated the People’s Aman Committee in Lyari. I am a social activist and the Aman Committee
is a social welfare outfit,” claims Baloch. He says that he is a follower of Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch aka Rehman Dakait.
Often called the Robin Hood of Lyari, Rehman Dakait was a controversial figure who inspired both terror and reverence in equal
measure. After he was killed in a police ‘encounter’, thousands
of Lyari residents turned out for his funeral. Uzair Baloch says he is simply offering the residents of Lyari what Rehman Dakait once did, and what the public representatives of PPP never have: a better life.
To back up his claims, Uzair Baloch shows me three applica-
life instead.
tions from the residents of Lyari. One is a request for payment
Robbers or robin hoods?
for monetary help due to lack of income and the absence of a
The People’s Aman Committee is not only a thorn in the side
of the Katchi community, it also upsets the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. When the former Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza proclaimed that the PAC was a sister organisation of the
PPP, the MQM protested by boycotting the proceedings in the Senate, National Assembly and Sindh Assembly. “The PAC is notorious for engaging in gang wars,” claimed the MQM’s Raza Haroon.”While the MQM has never supported terrorists, the PAC is involved in extortion, kidnapping and target killings.”
of a student’s school fees in Australia, the other two also ask breadwinner. Baloch claims he took care of all three applications. While touring Lyari with Uzair Baloch and his battalion
of heavily-armed guards, I ponder over the reasons behind his larger-than-life image for the residents. Though he is accused of
being a criminal, Baloch is received by men, women, children and elderly alike with seemingly genuine enthusiasm. “You have showed up after so many days, I missed you, my son,” says an elderly woman as she kisses Baloch on his forehead.
Years of administrative neglect have left Lyari so impoverished
In what has become a frequent damage control exercise, the
that it is not surprising that people find their heroes and saviours
now Zulfiqar Mirza himself has been sent packing, apparently as
a peaceful area but after General Musharraf’s takeover, we were
PPP saved the coalition by officially disbanding the PAC. And a result of his animosity with the MQM.
Uzair Jan Baloch, chief of the now-defunct People’s Aman
Committee, refutes the allegations leveled against him. “I am
26 APRIL 17-23 2011
in people like Uzair Baloch or Rehman Dakait. “Lyari used to be
systematically targeted and pushed to the wall. Lyari would only
rattle with gun shots. The police operation in 2004 was also partisan, leaving us with nothing but dead bodies” says Uzair Baloch,
But when the Pakistan Army began pounding the militant hideouts in the north and successfully took over lost territory, another kind of refugee started to flee to the city. Extremists and militants, many affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, sought safe havens in Karachi. Some of them settled in Orangi town A Different Kind Of Target BY SALMAN SIDDIQI Orangi town. The name of this neighborhood is associated
to face with the same extremists who had forced them from their homes, they felt they had no option but to kill them off,” Waris said.
Member of National Assembly Muzaferul Mulk who won the
with ethnic strife, crime and target killing. Over the years, the
elections on the ANP ticket from Swat says the reaction one
witnessed political, ethnic and sectarian violence alike.
over our hometowns, many people who didn’t side with the
million plus lower-middle class inhabitants of this area have These days, however, a totally different kind of target-killing
is being observed in Orangi.
The Superintendent Police of Orangi, Khurram Waris, says
that at least a dozen murder cases have surfaced, where victims
hailing from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were being shot dead not
by activists of political parties, but by the people residing in the
now sees in Karachi is only ‘natural’. “When the Taliban took extremists couldn’t do anything when their houses were burnt down,” says Mulk. “But now the tables have turned and this
time, no matter where the Taliban go — whether it is Karachi or any other city — the people won’t
leave them alive if they get their hands on them.”
When asked whether people who were forced to leave their
neighborhoods themselves.
homes in the north because of the extremists feared repercus-
ing Mohajirs, Beharis and Punjabis. However, the town saw
militants in Karachi, Mulk said that it was a matter of tribal
Orangi houses people from all ethnic backgrounds, includ-
a huge surge in its Pashtun population when people from the northern areas fled their homes after the Taliban took over.
“Thousands from Swat poured into Karachi and settled in
Orangi,” says Waris.
sions from law enforcers for settling scores and murdering
codes and honour. “Taking revenge is part of the culture. And why wouldn’t it be? How can anyone let any criminal who has murdered their brothers or father live?”
Strangely enough, the situation seems to suit the law en-
But when the Pakistan Army began pounding the militant
forcement agencies and security services operating in Karachi
another kind of refugee started to flee to the city. Extremists
not all, potentially dangerous and armed extremists. This sup-
hideouts in the north and successfully took over lost territory,
and militants, many affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Paki-
stan, sought safe havens in Karachi. Some of them settled in Orangi town.
“When the people who fled because of the Taliban came face
who see the backlash as an opportunity to get rid of some, if
position is strengthened by the fact that in almost all of the dozen murder cases cited by the police officer in Orangi, the First Information Report for such target killings always only mention ‘unknown’ killers. a
27 APRIL 17-23 2011
COVER STORY as he recalls the operation that was launched in Lyari.
men deployed for their protection, the policeman to VVIP ratio
nal activities. “Since the PPP has taken over in 2008, the people
power in one day,” was Mirza’s response to my question during
Baloch shrugs off all inquiries about his involvement in crimi-
of Lyari have heaved a sigh of relief. We are striving to make Lyari
livable. I am not running an extortion ring. On the contrary, I have personally caught many extortionists and target killers redhanded and handed them over to the police. I am making an effort to establish peace here,” claims Baloch.
When I ask him to clarify his position on the allegations lev-
elled against him by the MQM and KRC, Baloch smiles and says,
his first press conference after assuming office. “I am pursuing a one-point agenda, though — to apprehend target killers and bring them to justice.”
Mirza says that the Crime Investigation Department is tasked
with chasing target killers and extortionists. But though arrests have been made, dead bodies still keep turning up.
The clear up rate for violent crimes in Karachi is also not satis-
“You know that they are politically motivated”.
factory because of the sluggish judicial process. The police and
A melting pot for militants
before the court. Nine target killing suspects, despite their con-
The police official I spoke with admitted that the armed wings
of political parties are engaged in a bloody turf war to establish
their hold in Karachi. But they aren’t the only ones with a stake in Karachi. When I inquired about the nexus of religious extremists and criminal mafias taking advantage of the situation in Karachi, the official did not rule out the possibility.
“Karachi is a mega city and a commercial hub, generating bil-
lions of rupees in revenue. It definitely provides sanctuary to out-
prosecution lack the ability to produce evidence or witnesses fession of involvement in the Shershah scrap market carnage in October last year, in which 13 shopkeepers were killed by indis-
criminate firing, were acquitted by the court because of a lack of evidence and witness testimony. The SHC has now ordered the
counsel and the petitioner to include the names of the acquitted men as respondents in the title of the petition so that they are issued notices and then a verdict can be reached
laws, who are hell-bent on destabilising the city so that they can
Nature abhors a vacuum
and Orangi have become safe havens for Taliban renegades,
each others’ mandate is challenging Karachi’s peace. So long as po-
continue their activities unchecked. Lately, the towns of Gadap
Bad governance and the political coalition partners’ disrespect for
many of whom are simply hired mercenaries.
litical parties feel the need to maintain militant wings and ally them-
The Anti-Extremist Cell and Counter Terrorism Units of the Crime
Investigation Department are effectively hunting them down,” says the official. Indeed, the CID recently arrested two alleged TTP militants
from Sohrab Goth who were engaged in collecting extortion money from people who hailed from the Mohmand agency and were working in Karachi’s Pashtun-dominated transport business. CID (Opera-
tions) SSP Fayyaz Khan says that along with extortion, they were also involved in target killings, kidnapping for ransom, robberies and other
selves with criminals, the slightest spark will continue to set this city ablaze. The law enforcement agencies themselves suffer from en-
demic lawlessness and rampant corruption. On top of it, the police have lost credibility as it is perceived to be highly politicised. While the Paramilitary Rangers have shared the responsibility of maintaining the law with the police in Karachi for almost two decades now, even their performance has been sub-par.
The void left by the failure of law enforcing agencies, and the en-
heinous crimes. Coming just a few months after the arrests of two oth-
during insecurity of political parties offers space to criminal gangs to
yet another sign of just how many groups with different agendas are
they do. When the state abdicates its duties, others rise to fill the gap.
er alleged TTP militants and a member of the Laskhar-i-Jhangvi, it was operating in this city.
Of police paucity and judicial jams The buck of maintaining law and order in Karachi has now passed on to Saud Mirza, the new head of the Karachi Police. Amidst this
cycle of violence and police failure it is ironic that the slot of Ka-
rachi’s top cop has become a revolving door. The man on the top keeps changing, but the situation on the ground stays the same.
The official police website says that the sanctioned strength
of police in Karachi is 28, 964, out of which the current working strength stands at 26, 873. According to these figures, with
an estimated population of 18 million, this means there is one
30
is considerably better. “We cannot overcome a shortage of man-
policeman for every 670 number of citizens. Unless that citizen
happens to be a VVIP, of course; with approximately 5000 policeAPRIL 17-23 2011
penetrate into the system, gaining a kind of credibility and support as
Nature abhors a vacuum after all, and in such a vacuum, only the law of the jungle can prevail. a
When Raza Haider was murdered at a mosque in Nazimabad in Aug 2010, more than 50 people, mostly Pashtuns, were killed in the aftermath even though Interior minister Rehman Malik had clearly pointed out that the senior MQM leader had been receiving threats from extremist groups, specifically the anti-Shia SSP and its splinter group, the notorious Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Gray Areas BY SALMAN SIDDIQUI We tend to divide victims of target killing into neat categories: X was killed due to his ethnicity, Y was killed due to his sect. However, reality tends to be a lot more complicated. Emerging trends in target killings in Karachi point towards
an increasing overlap in political and sectarian violence. The city’s biggest and most powerful political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM-A), says it is being targeted not
only by militias with links to its rival mainstream political
be cautious in their movements,” says Jalil, before going on to request me not to name the individuals who were being threatened.
When Raza Haider was murdered at a mosque in Naz-
imabad in Aug 2010, more than 50 people, mostly Pashtuns,
were killed in the aftermath even though Interior minister Rehman Malik had clearly pointed out that the senior MQM
leader had been receiving threats from extremist groups, specifically the anti-Shia SSP and its splinter group, the notorious Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).
A notorious group of LeJ militants led by Waseem Barodi
parties, but also by anti-Shia militant groups. On the other
were eventually nabbed by the authorities from Orangi town
stan (SSP) claim that their workers are being targeted in Kara-
was himself elected to the Sindh Assembly seat from Orangi.
hand, proscribed organisations like the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakichi in record numbers by groups backed by some individuals with links to mainstream political parties.
A common misperception about target killings is that they
last year, and were was charged with Haider’s murder. Haider Wasay says the party is satisfied with the arrests made by the authorities and believes that the right people were caught.
But why would militant groups such as the SSP and LeJ spe-
are all political in nature. For example, when a Muttahida
cifically target Shia members of only the MQM, given that
tional Party (ANP) or the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-H)
have many workers who belong to that sect?
Qaumi Movement (MQM-A) man gets killed, the Awami Naalmost always gets blamed and vice versa. Many a time, this
other mainstream political parties like the PPP and ANP also
In response to that question, Wasay repeated his stance that
does indeed hold true.
unlike other parties, the MQM as the only one that truly spoke
ings have only gone to show how blurred the dividing lines
singled out.
But reality is seldom black and white and recent target kill-
have become.
out about extremism in the country and was therefore being
Meanwhile, the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) chief Mau-
MQM leader Wasay Jalil says his party is under constant
lana Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi has a long list of his own
terrorism and extremism in the country. He said that the day-
claims that over 100 ASWJ workers were murdered in target
threat from extremists since the MQM has been vocal against light murder of MPA Raza Haider in 2010 and the recent slaying of the party’s joint sector in-charge in Nazimabad were
among dozens of other cases where an anti-Shia militant group targeted their members just because they belonged to a
grievances. (ASWJ is the new name for the SSP) Ludhianvi
killing incidents in Karachi last year. (According to police
records, a total of 39 ASWJ have been killed compared with MQM-A’s 122 zorkers since 2008.)
“I want to ask Rehman Malik that if he blames us for Raza
particular religious sect.
Haider’s murder, then who is responsible for the killing of a
death threats from these groups and we have advised them to
ing on to answer his own question. “There is no doubt that the
“Many of our senior leaders and workers continue to receive
hundred of our workers last year?” asks Ludhianvi, before go-
APRIL 17-23 2011
31
COVER STORY
murderers belong to the Shia sect and have taken refuge in the Muttahida Qaumi movement,” he said.
The ASWJ chief said that his organisation was on a war
path with Shia militant groups and Shia religious thought itself.
Referring to the recent busting of the ‘Mehdi force’ mili-
tant group, which operated under the banned Sipah-e-Mo-
hammad, Ludhianvi said that the authorities in Karachi recently nabbed nine suspects involved in the murder of his workers. “Why don’t you ask the authorities where these men get their support from?” he asked, adding that that the
labeling of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan as a terrorist organisation was mere propaganda.
A spokesperson for the ASWJ in Karachi sought to down-
play the comments by his chief. “There are no issues with the MQM. There may be some individual acts, but that
doesn’t mean that it is the official policy of any mainstream political party to target our workers,” he said.
Counterterrorism officials in the police and intelligence
community say they are well aware of the alarming situation. A senior official, who did not wish to be named, said
that he felt that the waters were being tested for another bloody round of confrontation this year since neither side was ready to step back. a
32 APRIL 17-23 2011
Qasim and Rehman were both residents of Shah Baig Lane in UC-6 of Lyari and worked in different shops in Saddar’s Bohra Pir market. Neither of them was affiliated with any political party nor were they related to anyone who belonged to one. Yet they were picked up and killed, their bodies dumped on Akbar Road near Radio Pakistan. “They shot him five times: one bullet pierced his eye, one his temple, one passed through his neck and two more shots were fired on his knees,” says Qasim’s uncle, Yar Mohammad. “Why would they kill him so brutally? What was my nephew’s fault?”
Aftermath BY AROOSA MASROOR The Shershah massacre sent Karachi into another spiral of violence. The perpetrators remain unpunished, and the sorrow of those who lost loved ones in the slaughter remains undiminished. Here are the stories of those who suffered in the aftermath of the killings. Mohammad Yousuf was looking forward to October 19, 2010. After months of searching for a job, the 18-year-old had finally
been employed at a soap factory in SITE town and it was his first day at work as a daily wage earner. But as he returned to his home in Lyari with his first pay of Rs150 in his pocket, You-
fault? His daily routine was going to his shop at 11:00 am and
returning home at 7:00 pm. He would just go to the mosque to say his prayers. He was a shy 17-year-old. What could he have done at this age to deserve such a death?”
Qasim and Rehman’s family are also bitter that none of the
sitting ministers paid a condolence visit or offered any compensation. “We have always been loyal to the PPP, but where
are their leaders when we need them? If they were too busy to visit, couldn’t they send a condolence message like they send
out those useless press statements every day to the media?” Rozatun asks.
However, for the likes of Qasim, their daily bread and butter
suf was kidnapped by unidentified men. Tortured for days, he
matters more than petty politics. But his brief experience with
“I was standing at the bus stop when two men in a hi-roof
leaving his family of eight members with no food on the table.
is now too traumatised to return to work now.
truck kidnapped me and two other Pakhtun men,” narrates
the kidnappers has left him too traumatised to resume work, “My dark complexion, this Afro-textured curly hair, is an in-
the young Baloch. “They pushed us in and blindfolded us. We
stant proof of my Baloch identity,” he says, staring hard at the
room where the men tortured us. They kept beating us until
the Shershah incident they will kill me… like my neighbour.”
didn’t know where we were being taken but landed up in a
we told them where we lived and which party we belonged to.” At first, Yousuf attempted to lie, saying that he was a resi-
dent of the Gul Bai mohallah nearby, but the men beat him until he told them that he lived in Lyari. On learning that he had
no affiliation with any political party, the kidnappers dropped
floor. “I was lucky they only tortured me this time. Now after “I don’t have the heart to see my son’s dead body,” says moth-
er who dreads that he could be the next victim of target killings in the city. “Pakistan is now turning into a qabristan…this needs to stop. We can’t bury more innocents.” a
him near the Government College of Technology in SITE Town.
Stories Behind The Statistics
he says.
Qurban, an Urdu-speaking office worker was returning home
family received his dead body in the middle of the night in a
throw away from Qasba Colony.
“I don’t know what happened to the other two men though,”
BY IRFAN ALIGI
Yousuf’s neighbour, Abdur Rehman, was not as lucky. His
from work when he was shot dead near Kati Pahari, a stone’s
police van because ambulances refused to enter Lyari. The
His three-year old daughter, Aqsa still believes that her fa-
neighbourhood is generally notorious for its gangsters but, on
ther will return home.
than 12 men had been gunned down in the Sher Shah scrap
to stay at the workplace. When he completes his work, my
a group of Baloch men, mostly from the People’s Aman Com-
And yes, a doll too.”
October 19 the police were particularly cautious because more
market. Rumours circulated that the attack was carried out by mittee, based in Lyari Town. The attack led to unrest in the entire city followed by a shutter-down strike the following day.
“My mother has told me that his boss has asked my father
father will come home and buy me candies and new clothes.
Shahid, a vegetable vendor in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, had been sick
“Why are they after us? What have we done to deserve this?”
for many days. With his family going hungry, he finally forced
with Rehman. Qasim and Rehman were both residents of
“When he was on his way to the vegetable market, some un-
asks Rozatun, whose son Mohammad Qasim was killed along
himself to go out with his push cart to earn some money.
Shah Baig Lane in UC-6 of Lyari and worked in different shops
identified armed men picked him up and took him to an un-
with any political party nor were they related to anyone who
was found by Chhipa.”
in Saddar’s Bohra Pir market. Neither of them was affiliated
belonged to one. Yet they were picked up and killed, their bod-
known place,” says his friend, Shadab. “Later, his dead body
Shahid, who was not affiliated with any political party,
ies dumped on Akbar Road near Radio Pakistan.
leaves behind four children, elderly parents and a wife. Ac-
his temple, one passed through his neck and two more shots
a part of any political party. “The government did not offer
“They shot him five times: one bullet pierced his eye, one
were fired on his knees,” says Qasim’s uncle, Yar Mohammad. “Why would they kill him so brutally? What was my nephew’s
cording to his wife, Shahid was ignored because he was not us any compensation,” says his wife. It has been more than a year since he was killed.
33 APRIL 17-23 2011
PORTFOLIO
dekh meray shehr ko PHOTOS & TEXT: RIZWAN QURESHI
(above) The photograph shows fishermen casting lines late into the evening, as this is a quieter time and fish move closer to the shore. Many fishermen have to work long hours to make ends meet, and to put food on the table. As a coastal city, Karachi has a large and active fishing industry that employs thousands of fishermen, and serves as the primary source of sustenance to several such fishermen. Karachi itself grew from a small fishing village just after the Mughal Era, to a vibrant metropolis and Pakistan’s largest city, situated in the southern province of Sindh.
34 APRIL 17-23 2011
(right) Frere hall is one of the historical landmarks of Karachi and a well preserved English building that still remains in relatively mint condition. Frere Hall was built in honour of Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere (1815-1884), who was known for promoting economic development in the city during the British Raj. Out of twelve designs submitted, the one by Lt. Col St. Clair Wilson was chosen and construction started in 1863. It was built at a cost of 180,000 Rupees. It was opened by Samuel Mansfield, the Commissioner of Sindh in 1865. The building is built in the Venetian Gothic style in yellow sandstone which supposedly came from the surrounding hills of Karachi. Although it’s a public place and was a venue for various types of functions, book exhibtions and family recreation, the US consulate in the neighbourhood turned the vicinity into a security zone, and the public lost all access to Frere Hall. No one was allowed to visit it or even take picture of the hall. Frere Hall currently hosts the Sadquain Art Gallery too, and now that it is open to the public (following the relocation of the consulate to Mai Kolachi), is planned to be used as a venue for cultural events in Karachi.
35 APRIL 17-23 2011
PORTFOLIO
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, is situated on Shahrah-e-Iraq, formerly known as Clarke Street, located near the Empress Market in Karachi, Pakistan. The first church in Sindh (except for possibly one in Thatta) was initially built on the grounds of this cathedral in 1845, and was called St. Patrick’s Church. It was in April 1881 that the present cathedral was opened, since the Christian community grew in number, and
36 APRIL 17-23 2011
the need for a larger place of worship became apparent. Despite the construction of the new building, the little church continued to function until it was destroyed by a storm in 1885. The present-day cathedral is built in Gothic style; it measures 52 metres by 22 metres, and has the capacity to accommodate at least 1,500 worshippers at the same time. It was designed by three members of the Society of Jesus: Father Wagner, Brother Kluver and
Brother Lau. In 1978 the cathedral celebrated its centenary. The Pakistan Post Office issued special commorative stamps on the occasion. Pope John Paul I sent special greetings and blessings on the occasion. Today, the cathedral’s grounds are adorned with a marble monument of Christ, which was constructed in 1931 to commemorate the memory of the Jesuit Mission in Sindh.
37 APRIL 17-23 2011
PORTFOLIO
Sea View, the harbourfront of Karachi, is a large expanse of sand. It has recently been developed a little, in terms of facilities for the hundreds of families that come here each day for recreation. It’s a good place to come sit and be humbled by the Arabian Sea.
38 APRIL 17-23 2011
39 APRIL 17-23 2011
FEATURE
amplify this BY ANEALLA SAFDAR
The Pakistani-origin singer, whose successive smash hits have taken the desi world by storm, spills all.
On a warm Friday morning in Doha’s Corniche, a car is blasting out Imran Khan’s Bhangra-meetsDancehall anthem “Amplifier”. It must be, I think, a Qatar-based Punjabi, excited that Eu-
rope’s successful young singer is due to perform that very evening. I have an interview booked with the Dutch-Pakistani, the
Khan who has brought us those now famous lyrics: “Kaaliyan
bariyaan ve gadiyaan nu main lawaan, Speed main do so vee di challan” (I’ll add black tinted windows to my cars, I’ll ride at a speed of 220).
On hearing the tune, I call the promoter, Saf. Indeed, it is Saf’s
car which was blasting the record, having picked up the singer from the airport.
“Can you be at the venue in five minutes?” he asks. And so, I
head to the Marriott, a relatively low-key five-star hotel.
40 APRIL 17-23 2011
PHOTOS: RAYMOND BOBAR
to the beat of his own drum Imran Khan performs for a small but joyful crowd in Doha. The singer has left the record label Prestige and now represents himself.
The Gujranwala native is slumped in the lobby, accompanied
by his manager who looks no older than 25, and, I suspect, is a
relative or a friend. Dressed in a pink Ralph Lauren sweater, grey
Nike jogging bottoms, embellished with a neon green tick, a baby-pink baseball cap and adorned with a beaded necklace, Khan
looks every inch the Pakistani Rudeboy. His left eyebrow is styled with a set of shaved lines and he keeps his iPhone 4 and white
there,” Khan tells me, accusing Aslam of hogging the stage. “I
met him in the afternoon. He was trying to be nice but I could see through him.”
This bitter streak keeps revealing itself throughout our inter-
view, from his beef with his record label and Aslam to his low expectations of a Doha-crowd and an acute defensiveness of his style.
After the frosty beginning, though, he orders a drink and set-
Blackberry close by on the table.
tles down. In just two minutes he has gone from precious pop
forming in Dubai last night,” he replies to my chirpy greeting.
ange juice cocktail (he has two during the interview). I try it. It
“How long will this take? I am tired. I haven’t slept since per-
“Too much partying?” I joke, desperate to break the ice. “I don’t party; I work too hard.” We agree on ten minutes.
Khan’s biggest hit, “Amplifier”, has been viewed over 14.5 mil-
lion times on YouTube. It’s his favourite to perform and he says
he wrote the lyrics, as for all of his songs, himself. He has recently left Prestige — the British record label that helped him rise to
star to loveable cousin. He offers me a sip of his Red Bull and ortastes like medicine.
“That’s why Pakistan will never be on that level, we will never
get to that stage,” he says cryptically, still talking about the pre-
vious night’s Aslam drama. “I am out of the box, I am not from the UK and I am not from Pakistan. I am from Holland and we are very neutral, straight to the point.”
Despite his Dutch pride, he shows patriotism towards Pakistan
fame — because of money problems. Now he represents himself.
too. He’s the only one of his siblings to speak his mother-tongue,
ration with the American rapper T Pain. They are set to work to-
Pakistan over India and claims that though he has received sev-
His biggest coup since leaving the label is an upcoming collabo-
gether in the next couple of months. Khan has also started work on a second album, in which he will sing, partly in English. For
the past couple of years, he has been touring Europe, the Gulf,
Punjabi, and he rejects the idea of learning Urdu. He also favours eral offers to record for Bollywood and even star in films, he is unlikely to take them up anytime soon.
“I launched my first single in Britain because there is such a
Asia and even South America. The night before we meet, he has
big Bhangra scene, more people listen to it there. Straight away,
“Atif Aslam is very arrogant, he didn’t want me to perform
Juggy D doing stuff and where have they ended up?” he asks, rhe-
performed in Dubai alongside Atif Aslam.
the Bollywood offers came. I just rejected them. I saw RDB and APRIL 17-23 2011
41
torically. I assume he means they have ended up nowhere. “I will do Bollywood, but on my own terms.”
It’s now been over forty minutes and I am ready to leave. “I can go on all day,” Khan tells me.
I remind him that it was not that long ago he told me I was
lucky to get an exclusive interview because usually he is so wary
Yeah, it’s full of Punjabis here. It’s like Pakistan but way more advanced.
Do you play at weddings in Pakistan?
of the press.
No, I never do weddings. Last summer I played 30 times in
one. A good energy.”
globally, I played 375 times, sometimes four or five times a
“Yeah, I know,” he replies. “But I have a good feeling about this I regret having told him I am also Punjabi. I fear he thinks this
relationship could go another way. A question on religion, that should bring us back.
“So, what do you say to people who say music is haram?” I ask. “I’m a very religious person but I am not that strict. Everyone
one month in Pakistan, proper concerts. In one year alone, day.
Who’s your favourite artist? Snow. (Of “Informer” fame)
will think you are mental if you are,” he replies. “People say to
Is your sound traditional?
with it that counts. A computer is not haram, but if you watch
are following me.
me that I am Muslim and singing is haram, but it is what you do porn on it, it is.”
No. I sing smoothly. I changed the whole scene and people
And with that I ask him the final question, the one 14.5 million
Did you dream of being a singer as a child?
“I am single. But girls are more into the Imran Khan hype than
I did Thai boxing and I was selected by the NBA juniors for
girls have been waiting for — is he single?
No, I just gave it a try at 23. As a child, I was more into sport.
in me. That’s not the right girl, it’s very difficult for me because
basketball.
you don’t know who to believe.”
If he stays single for much longer, a more traditional approach
might be needed.
“If I can’t find anything, then I will ask my Mum to find a nice
sharif girl. I like eating nice food.” How romantic.
The concert itself is a typical desi event in the Gulf: terrible or-
ganisation, bad dress sense and, thankfully, a very joyful, albeit tiny, crowd.
No more than 200 people come to the night organised by Saf,
where the ticket price starts at 200 Qatari Riyals (Rs4,640). The
capacity is for 5,000. Children, as young as one, bop around to Khan’s set, which is mostly mimed. Halfway through, in a desperate attempt to squeeze more money out of the audience, the
music stops and Khan stomps off stage. Dozens of regular ticket holders had made their way to the VIP section (the tiny area near
to the stage) and those without the VIP band are being asked to move back to their section. After fifteen minutes of cajoling, they finally move back.
The organisers had hoped that people would be so keen to re-
main in the elite section that they would fork out more for a better ticket. They don’t; they are Pakistani after all.
As soon as Khan returns, they jump back and continue to en-
joy the Bhangra beats. This, I reckon, sums Khan up. No matter how distasteful it may be to enjoy his music, you just can’t help
42
Do you think the Gulf has a good scene for Punjabi culture?
yourself. a APRIL 17-23 2011
APRIL 17-23 2011
POLITICALLY INCORRECT
cricket critic
So what if we couldn’t land the Cup itself; we unearthed, instead, a cornucopia of cricketing expertise other countries can only dream of. BY AA SHEIKH
Okay, so we didn’t win the World Cup. But during the six-week long, topsyturvy roller-coaster ride through cricket’s most prized and hyped extravaganza, we managed to discover an abundance of cricketing talent. No, I’m not talking of players. I’m referring to the glut of sagacious, incisive and highly competent
cricket
experts
who descended on us during the
mega-event.
discarded
Has-been,
cricketers
regaled
us with their profound crick-
eting know-how during the
brief pauses between ceaseless commercials
swaddling
all
ILLUSTRATION: S JAMAL K
world cup live telecasts. They
also hogged the sports pages
of most major dailies, offering pearls of cricketing wisdom
in (mostly) ghost-written col-
umns. We should be glad. So what if we couldn’t land the Cup itself; we unearthed, instead, a cornucopia of cricket-
ing expertise other countries can only dream of. Let’s recap some of the gems these commentators the Cup.
44 APRIL APRIL 17-23 17-23 20112011
scattered
during
• “To make a big score,” one wise ex-captain remarked, “you
need big partnerships.” Ah, and we thought we could get away with smaller ones! If only the team had heeded the expert’s advice.
• “We should play to our strengths,” another advised. Given the imminent possibility of playing to our weaknesses, or to our opponents’ strengths, it’s very valid advice indeed.
• “The back-lift of Unique Khan is not high enough. He should bring his bat down at 89⁰ instead of 94.5⁰ and try to hit the ball
on the volley with a high back-lift using the front foot without moving his back foot more than 15 cm away to from front one,
and of course with the toes firmly grounded at the edge of the popping crease and both knees bent at 67⁰.” Poor Unique Khan. No wonder he failed miserably.
• “Shabby Akhtar is way past his prime. He can’t bowl more
“What is Whacky Younis thinking? That’s no way to coach a team. He should impose strict discipline: training from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm followed by a strict curfew and of course no booze, soft drinks, women or drag queens. And regular prayers, five times a day! Only then can you win the Cup.”
than two overs without losing his breath, his control, and
sometimes his mind. He really should shorten his run-up to
less than 1 metre and shine the white ball with sweat on one side and scuff it up some 3 mm beside the seam on the other side and bend his right elbow at 38⁰ while bowling, making sure his right foot lands flat and hard halfway across the crease and the left foot remains no farther than 21 cm away from it. He should do all that or just retire!”
Shabby, guess you made the right choice.
• “What is Whacky Younis thinking? That’s no way to coach a team. He should impose strict discipline: training from
6:00 am to 6:00 pm followed by a strict curfew and of course no booze, soft drinks, women or drag queens. And regular prayers, five times a day! Only then can you win the Cup.”
Well, coach, maybe you should consider growing that beard back.
• “Shoddy Afridi is a good captain but he doesn’t attack enough. And when he attacks he doesn’t defend enough. And when he
does both, he does neither enough. He should play according
to the situation. He should attack when he’s attacking, and de-
fend when he’s not. Also, he should defend when defending, and attack when he’s not. He should always bring in the close
ring fielders, except when he pulls them back. And he should
always pull them back except when he’s bringing them in. If
he can’t follow these simple rules, he’s a really shoddy skipper and should step down. Unless he wants to step up to the challenge and...”
Shoddy, no wonder you lost, man.
• “Of course we’ll win the Cup,” an upbeat expert enthused. “All we have to do is to work really hard and beat everyone in the competition. It’s simple. The Cup is ours!”
If it were a competition for the cleverest cricket critics, the Cup would’ve indeed been ours.
45 APRIL 17-23 2011
FIRED UP WITH FRIEHA
the
stalker
Being showered with attention is Have you ever found yourself being harassed by flattering...bethe dreaded Texter? Yes, this is the guy (or girl) who incessantly texts you stupid ‘sher-o-shairi’ or ing stalked is just ‘happy donut day’ messages. They call at all hours — you plain scary could be on a business call and the ‘creep’, ‘idiot’, ‘dumbo’, ‘sleaze-
bucket’ or whatever you have named him, will continuously call
you. God forbid you forget to leave your phone on silent, the stalker will ring you up at 3:00 am when you are fast asleep.
Most celebrities have stalkers. There is nothing more unnerv-
ing than a faceless, nameless someone who knows all about who
you are, where you live, who your friends are, what your likes and
dislikes are. The ones that hold vigils outside your home are the scariest since they force you to get extra security to just calm those nerves.
Then there is the ex who can’t let go. S/he is convinced the two
46
of you are meant to be and can’t take “No, its over!” for an answer. APRIL 17-23 2011
BY FRIEHA ALTAF
If they get bitter, you’re in trouble: your secrets are out, you’re the
I asked her if she was a lesbian and told her that even though I had nothing against homosexuals I was not going to tolerate being hit on by an employee
biggest monster on the face of the planet, you’re the ‘wife-beater’
the ‘gold-digger’, the ‘slut’. It gets to the point that even your friends start questioning your noble nature.
I was talking to Atif Aslam about his stalker, who started to sit
outside his house for 4 hours every day. He got so tired of the harass-
ment, he found out who she was and got in touch with her father
to tell him what his daughter was doing. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop her. She called him one day and told him to come outside, and he found the windshield of his car smashed. Now that’s fatal at-
traction. We hope that this freaky fan was grounded, forbidden to listen to FM 89 or watch TV and married off to some distant cousin! Sometimes, you have to become a detective and do some investiga-
tion yourself to stalk the stalker. My dear friend, model and pre-
senter Natasha, had a stalker who followed her around and sent her unnerving messages like “I like that lilac colour on you”, “Who are you having dinner with?” and “Look up and you’ll see me”.
Recently, I got so tired of the entire messy stalker caller that I even
contemplated changing my cell number. However, I resorted to the easier method of just using customer service. Luckily for me, when you’re in the event management business you know a few high ups
in telecom companies. Still, there was this one fellow in Muzzafar-
abad who was not swayed. Yours truly had to get the PTA to shut his mobile down, as he would not respond to warnings. Hence came to an end the ‘I want to fraandship you’ story.
What if your stalker is gay or lesbian? Being stalked is bad enough
but being stalked by the same sex is crazy! A couple of years ago my
company employed a girl who was super-efficient at her work and would text me at all hours with business plans. I was excited about having her on the team but felt her only drawback was that she was
grungy. I had her cleaned up with a complete makeover: hair colour and cut, nails, clothes — she was brand new. However, soon the
crazy in her started to emerge. She wanted to undermine others in my office. She wanted to be my pet and was totally jealous of any competition. On New Year’s, whilst I was with a significant other
she sent me a text ‘One day you shall be mine’. I was taken aback. I called her and asked her straight away what she meant by this or whether it meant for someone else. I asked her if she was a lesbian
and told her that even though I had nothing against homosexuals I
was not going to tolerate being hit on by an employee, regardless of said employee’s sexual orientation.
The lady in question did not say much. When I investigated her
background, I found that she had stalked another ‘Frieha’ and camped outside her house. I got calls from people about the lady’s
idiosyncrasies and behavioural pattern. Luckily, I did not have to fire her on these grounds. She refused to do some work and I sent
her packing within days for disobedience. When she refused to
leave, I got security to escort her out. She eventually went away but
the fear that she or someone else will return didn’t go. So, the stalker never really leaves your cell phone. a
APRIL 17-23 2011
47
REVIEW
a life in review
author me & mrs jones BY MAHVESH MURAD
If you think JK Rowling is the best in young adult fantasy fiction, you’ve been misled far too long. Few writers of young adult fiction have the power to completely mould the future tastes of their readers in the way Diana Wynne Jones did. Her recent death has left a gaping chasm in the world of young adult (YA) fiction and to even the mildest DWJ fan, it is unbelievable that anyone could fill this. It is shocking how so many readers know little about DWJ’s work because her sheer skill in weaving fascinating stories simply can not be matched. While all of her work can stand strong, there are a few books that always garner more interest — the Chrestomanci series for instance, is a set of books and short stories about an enchanter with nine lives who has to develop his skills in order to be the most powerful wizard in a multidimensional universe. Witch Week (1982) is about a set of students dealing with their magical abilities at a school in a world like ours, but with witchcraft. The Lives of Christopher Chant (1988) is about a young boy who, on discovering he has magical powers, is sent away to help develop them and must learn to use them against some of the most powerful magic in all the worlds around him. This must all seem familiar to anyone who has read even a single Harry Potter books — sadly not as many people would have read DWJ’s work, although fans of her writing will all happily accuse JK Rowling of being heavily ‘inspired’ by the Chrestomanci series. DWJ herself was more gracious, stating in 2003 that perhaps JK Rowling had read her work when she was younger and brought some of it to the Harry Potter stories unintentionally. DWJ died on March 26, at the age of 76, leaving behind a vast treasure of young adult fiction. She began writing stories at a very young age when she and her sisters were simply ignored by their cold, distant parents who, in true fairytale style, often forgot to feed them. They were doled out a single book a year and so DWJ 48 began writing stories to entertain her sisters. Many years later in APRIL 17-23 2011
Diana Wynne Jones died on March 26, 2011, at the age of 76.
a bolt of inspiration Responding to a fan who commented on the pointed similarities between Harry Potter and the Worlds of Chrestomanci, DWJ said, “I think Ms Rowling did get quite a few of her ideas from my books — though I have never met her, so I have never been able to ask her.“
the 1970s, she started writing again when she found her husband falling asleep as he read bedtime stories to their children. She wanted to create something more exciting than what was available. Of course, she had a horrific childhood to draw from, and her fantasy often features some glaring realities. Wilkin’s Tooth was published in 1973 and was DWJ’s first YA novel. From then she went on to write dozens of books, all technically in the YA genre, but if there is one thing that sets DWJ’s work apart from other YA writers, it’s that her books probably attract as many adults as children. This, of course, is because DWJ was a master of her craft — not only did she write brilliantly constructed fantasy, she also addressed a great many concerns children have in real life. She wove together tales of magic, fantasy and adventure with stories about ordinary children who hoped to one day be extraordinary, children with absentee parents, with problems at school, children with the horrifying feeling that they were ultimately alone. Of course children connected with her stories — but what adult wouldn’t do the same? Her narrative style itself added a great deal to her clever plots and intriguing characters. She wrote fluidly, simply and yet was subversive, flippant and always, always entertaining. Never did she leave a spare word or a loose thread in her stories, never did she let go of her subtle dark humour that held fast to reality, no
matter what fantastic tale she had created. DWJ gleaned heavily from mythology, something that made her a mentor to the likes of writers like Neil Gaiman. She believed in forming a connection to the mythosphere, stating, “It’s made up of all the stories, theories and beliefs, legends, myths and hopes that are generated here on Earth. As you can see, it’s constantly growing and moving as people invent new tales to tell or find new things to believe. The older strands move out to become these spirals, where things tend to become quite crude and dangerous. They’ve hardened off, you see.” DWJ was never afraid to explore these spirals. The very first book I bought myself, at the age of 11, was The Lives of Christopher Chant. It is still the one book I am never bored re-reading; no matter how well I have come to know it. DWJ changed my life. She changed the lives of many other young people who will always be indebted to her work for a deeper, more meaningful understanding of fiction. Her books live between Angela Carter’s and Neil Gaiman’s, and much as I love both of those writers, DWJ has been the reason I have read either of them. If it weren’t for her incredible storytelling, imagination and humour, a great many readers of YA fiction would never have developed a taste for the stuff at all. As DWJ wrote in Fire and Hemlock (1985), “Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories. Each one has a true, strange fact hidden in it, which you can find if you look.” APRIL 17-23 2011
49
REVIEW
film where there’s a will BY NADIR HASSAN
The age-old philosophical debate between free will and destiny has seen a recurrence in pop culture in recent years with television shows like “Lost” and “Heroes”, with varying degrees of success, exploring if its characters are mere pawns of unseen powers or agents of their destiny. What Socrates couldn’t answer, Hollywood has no trouble with. Free will and destiny both co-exist and whichever happens to be in charge depends on plot mechanics. For the first 10 of its 100-minute running time, it looks like The Adjustment Bureau is going to ask the same question throughout the movie; then it suddenly provides the answer in the crudest way possible. That happens when fledgling politician David Norris (Matt Damon) ambles into his office and finds an un-conscious colleague having his head scanned by an unknown man. Norris, too, is captured and the philosophy of the movie is laid open in a burst of clumsy exposition. The unknown man tells Norris that he is working for the unseen Chairman to ensure that a never-revealed plan stays on track. What seems like an intriguing science fiction film that wasn’t particularly artful in how it handled its concept soon descends into mush. The plan, as it turns out, will veer off course if Damon ends up with the woman he loves, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). This is the entirety of the film. Norris tries to defeat the machinations of the Chairman’s minions but Sellas is always just out of his reach. Since the viewer is never told what the plan is, we can never be sure exactly what the ramifications would be were the two to end up together. A little hint of menace could have come from Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie), an agent of the Chairman, but he is exceedingly sympathetic to Damon and so provides him with as many answers as he can. Adding to the bizarrely surreal touch of the movie is the fact that the New York City of The Adjustment Bureau seems to exist outsides the rules of space and time. Doors seem to open up into 50 random worlds and the city seems to be filled with portals. All APRIL 17-23 2011
running in circles The philosophy of the movie is crystal clear but it’s the plot that’s murky the sci-fi elements, though, are not treated with any seriousness. These tropes exist only to surprise the audience not to enlighten them or make them think. Science fiction is the hook with which to reel audiences in; what they’re really getting is a tongue-in-cheek thriller with romance at its heart. Director George Nofli, who has based the movie on a short story by legendary science-fiction writer Philip K Dick, doesn’t quite have the courage of Dick’s convictions. The Adjustment Plan, which Nofli has very loosely adapted, was suffused with paranoia and was far murkier with its philosophy. Nofli is more interested in directing a romantic movie. That could have worked given the exceptional chemistry between Damon and Blunt. However, since the plot is predicated on keeping the two apart, we don’t actually get to see much of that sizzling chemistry. What you do see, unfortunately, is a lot of people running around without actually getting anywhere, an image that sums up the experience of watching The Adjustment Bureau.
APRIL 17-23 2011
HOROSCOPE BY SHELLEY VON STRUNCKEL
Aries March 20 – April 19 Irritating as recent obstacles were, they
forced you to examine persistent dilemmas from an unaccustomed angle. This may have slowed progress, but with Mercury
remaining retrograde in Aries until the 23rd, there’s no better
time to address such issues, and in depth. This especially applies to those from the past. What you learn will influence your thinking now and your views about your future.
Taurus April 20 – May 20 Others have taken over decisions which,
mostly, is a relief. However, they’re asking worryingly few questions, so you’re concerned problems will surface later. They might. Shelley von Strunckel is an internationally acclaimed astrologer who created the first horoscope column for the London Sunday Times in 1992.
But with Mercury retrograde until the 23rd, confusion and minor
errors are inevitable anyway. Do the minimum. While not your usual approach to organisation, you’ll be surprised how many of the arrangements that worried you most turn out brilliantly.
A frequent lecturer, she writes daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes in publications around the world including South China Morning Post, The Gulf News, Tatler, French and Chinese Vogue and now The Express Tribune Magazine.
Gemini May 21 – June 20 Usually when making plans, you regard
them as a work in progress. But others have so little imagination that they consider these obviously tentative arrangements
as fixed. This is complicated by your ruler Mercury remaining retrograde until the end of next week. Make it clear that any ar-
rangements are still in transition and get others involved, and you’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish.
Cancer June 21 – July 22 You feel every Full Moon intensely. However, because tomorrow’s accents elements of your work and lifestyle, even simple issues could seem very worrying, and chang-
es may throw you into a spin. If so, urgent as things seem, do nothing. Once you’re calmer, your perspective will shift. But as importantly, with the actual situations evolving swiftly, those appear overwhelming problems could soon resolve themselves.
Leo July 23 – August 22 Obviously sooner or later you’ll have to make decisions about potential changes in where and how you
live and work. Try to organise things now, however, and you’ll only run into obstacles. What’s more, with Mercury retrograde
until the 23rd, things aren’t as they seem. Instead of struggling
to impose order, explore. Ironically, what’s currently least appealing could, ultimately, turn out best.
Virgo August 23 – September 22 Yet again you’ve been left amazed at others’ lack of concern about whether the things they’re planning will work. But you’ve little responsibility for those plans,
so had best busy yourself elsewhere. The wider you explore, the more you’ll learn, often about matters that are intriguing but seem of little significance. Now, perhaps. In a week or so, how-
52
ever, those facts could be pivotal. APRIL 17-23 2011
Libra September 23 – October 22 After weeks of struggling to keep
everybody happy, you’re somewhat overwhelmed. Consequently, the heightened feelings triggered by tomorrow’s Libra Full
Moon could seem overwhelming. Rather than address issues or
act decisively, discuss various options always carefully steering
clear of commitments. By the week’s close, your perspective and circumstances themselves will have changed considerably.
Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Sometimes obsessing about
tricky dilemmas until you find a solution achieves wonders. But with the actual situations in question evolving every day,
such intensive analysis would only be exhausting. Instead, get regular updates from those who’re also involved but avoid all but
essential effort. This may seem unwise now, but in retrospect you’ll realise how much simpler you made your life.
Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Thrilling as recent developments were, and remain, you feel uneasy. This may be because
you can’t control certain matters or are more emotionally vulnerable than you’re accustomed to. What’s most challenging is there’s no quick fix for the situations, which means living with
this combination of excitement and confusion. Actually, that’s
as it should be. What you learn will benefit you for years to come.
Capricorn December 22 – January 19 Circumstances may require
a decisive approach but that doesn’t mean this is the last time
you’ll be dealing with these situations. Knowing that, do only what’s appropriate now, leaving the rest for later. Ordinarily you’d worry this will cause problems but actually, it’s the reverse. The less you’ve organised, the better it will be when changes need to be made.
Aquarius January 20 – February 18 Some situations respond well to analysis. But what you’re currently facing is both still in transition and requires intuition more than decisiveness. Instead of
dwelling on plans or others’ views, consider carefully whether you really care about certain arrangements or, perhaps, it’s time to say farewell to them. Initially this might seem a wrench but gradually you’ll feel an amazing sense of freedom and relief.
Pisces February 19 – March 19 Early this month your ruler Nep-
tune returned to Pisces for the first time in 150 years. Although initially its influence will be subtle, during its four-month stay
your confidence and ideals will blossom. Still, you can’t ignore the current intense focus on your neighbouring sign, Aries, and
For more information, to order personal charts and to download & listen to detailed audiocasts, visit www.shelleyvonstrunckel.com
the sudden changes it’s triggering. Balance these two and you’ll
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be amazed how much you achieve.
APRIL 17-23 2011
THE HATER
10 things I hate about ...adulthood
1 2 3 4 5
BY NADIR HASSAN
The need to make money. I’m used to having my self-
worth measured by the number of ‘A’ grades on my report card, not the size of my bank balance. Also, see below.
The need to spend money. Internet bills, mobile phone
bills, wedding presents, birthday gifts. Adulthood may force me into bankruptcy.
6 7 8 9 10
Having friends who are also adults. Isn’t it just great that every one you know can only talks about finding spouses, having found a spouse and complaining about the spouse once he/she has been reeled in?
Learning small talk. When I run into acquaintances at a coffee shop I can no longer ask “What’s up?” and walk away. I have to go through the excruciating stop-and-
chat ritual and find out how many more kids they’ve dropped into the world since I last saw them.
Vague feeling of guilt. Six years into my career, I still
can’t afford to move out of my parents’ home and I may soon need tape to hold my decomposing laptop together. Where did I go wrong?
Buying things I used to assume just existed in nature.
When I was a teenager, things like toilet paper, soap and soft drinks just miraculously turned up at my house. Now I have to seek them out, compare brands
and part with my hard-earned money for things that used to be free.
The need to be semi-respectable. I don’t like wearing collars, long sleeves, socks and shoes. This doesn’t make me immature. Really, it doesn’t.
Trying to figure out how to drive. Yes, I’m a 27-year-old
who could never figure out this driving thing. I have friends who drive me around and taxis and rickshaws
are wonderfully convenient. Why then am I made to feel so ashamed about this?
54 APRIL 17-23 2011
Being asked what I “do”. I don’t “do” anything. If I’m having a bad day I just say I’m between jobs. On a slightly better day I’ll explain the concept of freelancing and working from home.
Taxes. This isn’t a normal rite of passage for adults in
Pakistan since most of them just dodge the damned things. a
THE HATER
10 things I hate about
1 2 3 4 5 54 APRIL 3-9 2011
6 7 8 9 10