The Express Tribune Magazine - January 10

JANUARY 10-16 2016

High hopes

With a Disney-like theme park in the pipeline, Pakistan gears up forgo odtim es

Exploitation of contractual workers

Acom ic book series to guide the youth

JANUARY 10-16 2016

Portfolio

Karachi A view of the city of lights from a height

Cover Story

High hopes What it takes to keep an amusement park running in Pakistan

17

22

Feature

Labour pains Workers speak against denial of employee rights and benefits in contract work

30

Feature

Fine-tooning the young mind

A series of comic books carrying social messages for young adults

34

Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people

37 Review: Movie 38 Society: Surviving history

Magazine Editor: Dilaira Dubash. Subeditors: Komal Anwar & Manahyl Khan Shafi Creative Team: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Mohsin Alam, Talha Ahmed Khan, Hira Fareed, Maryam Rashid, Sobia Khan, Umar Waqas & Sanober Ahmed Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk 4 Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Atif Husain, Jahangir Khan, Younis Khan and Shoaib Feroz

PHOTOS COURTESY ANASTASIA PR

Fireball launches Chunky Monkey amusement park in Karachi Anushay Ashraf

Nazish, Sanober and Sadaf

Monica, Saima and Ekra

6 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Waseem Akram and Shaniera Thompson

PEOPLE & PARTIES Sarah Emmanuel and Mriam Chughti

Saadia Quraishy

PHOTOS COURTESY CATWALK PR

The Aman Foundation collaborates with Harvard South Asia Initiative to organise a conference on mental health in Karachi

Zeb Bakhtiar

Sohail Thobani, Sharmeen Khan and Shehryar Ahmad

Amer Dadabhoy, Usman Mujtaba and Mashal with a guest

8 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Jennifer Leaning

Shaja Sarfaraz

PEOPLE & PARTIES Uzma Baig, Iman Baig and Jamil Baig

Atiyya and Mahzer

Natasha Kamal launches her label in Karachi Anusheh Shahid

Mahwish, Natasha and Habiba

10 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Mina and Turab Ramzi

PHOTOS COURTESY IMPERIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Alifia

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Sonia, Samiha and Dania

Komal Malik and Nazneen Tariq

12 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Mariam, Ismat, Amna and Sumyra

Basra Rizvi and Sadaf Kamal

Amir Adnan and Huma Adnan

Sundas Tariq and Hina Bayat

PHOTOS COURTESY IMPERIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Hala Anjum Syed and Faria Sahar Syed

Hina and Shoaib Ahmed

PEOPLE & PARTIES Tamkeen and Nada Bangash

Farooq Owais launches Little Asia restaurant in Islamabad

PHOTOS COURTESY REZZ PR & EVENTS

Mr and Mrs Akbar

Nida and Amer Akhtar

Aqsa Ali, Dania Shaikh, Nadia Hussain and Kanwal Ilyas

Fahad, Atif, Jawad, Farooq, Akbar, Yaseer, Awaemer and Ahmed Bilour

14 JANUARY 10-16 2016

PEOPLE & PARTIES Nayaab, Samya and Shumaila

Samreen Bhatty, Abida Nauman and Sarah Raza

Sobia Nazir and Hamoon Shaikh

16 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Natasha Adil and Adil Zulfiqar

Novera, Laila Hasan and Ayesha

PHOTOS COURTESY REZZ PR & EVENTS

Nosheen Sultan and Sadia Khawaja

A top view of the city of lights

BY ALI HAIDER HABIB PHOTOS BY EESHA AZAM

I I Chundrigar Road

The world’s obsession with height will only escalate. Every country and every city in the world is competing to build the tallest this, tallest that. A city’s progress is measured by the number of floors of its proudest structure.

In poet Josh Malihabadi’s words, concrete kissing the clouds is a sign of the times — and no nation wants to lay low in this race to the top. So, we decided to get to the top and see for ourselves what the vantage point reveals about Karachi, the city next to the sea that seems to fall apart and put itself together every time the surf hits the sand.

Horse riding in Clifton

Mohatta Palace

The first thought that strikes one is: there’s order to this chaos. Even with all the pollution and smog clouding the city’s air, the sprawling infrastructure of bridges and colonial buildings exude a certain grandeur that’s all the more apparent when one looks at it from a bird’s eye view. In a city of over 20 million inhabitants, one is bound to find clutter — clutter of houses and high-rises through which peek sparsely spread trees. Yet, in all this clutter, one finds a beating heart, a pulse that defines the city’s pace. It’s racing. Cars align at traffic signals like a perpetual game of Tetris, sirens blare and honks shriek in a dizzying frenzy.

Karachi’s gritty glory is quite a spectacle from the sky. The city has a brand of commotion that is defined by the noise it creates. The commotion created by vehicles plying the city’s roads merges with the sound of commerce, such as hawkers screaming on top of their lungs or the whirring of industrial air conditioners. This aural assault, however, is greatly subdued when one stands atop high ground. The deafening cacophony turns into a muffled buzz. The aerial shots somehow capture this forced and temporary serenity, with only the illumination from streetlights giving testimony to the hoopla playing out below.

Karachi Por

Indus Valley School of Art and

rt Trust

Even with all the pollution and smog clouding the city’s air, the sprawling infrastructure of bridges and colonial buildings exude a certain grandeur that’s all the more apparent when one looks at it from a bird’s eye view

Clifton Beach

The aerial shots also reveal the vastness of the city, its endless expanse of urban development punctuated by shanties and slums. But the distance from the ground not only eliminates noise pollution, it also cleans up the roads. The drifting polythene bags and mounds of trash dotting street corners are not as repulsive, perhaps lost in the very metropolitan vastness they are a product of. The stench, too, wanes. Seen from a lens up high, Karachi is a dapper doppelganger of itself. T Architecture

Ali Haider Habib is Features Editor at The Express Tribune. He tweets @haiderhabib

19 JANUARY 10-16 2016

High hopes

How to set up and run a successful theme park in Pakistan

BY FERYA ILYAS PHOTOS BY ARIF SOOMRO DESIGN BY SANOBER AHMED

For years, apart from a lucky few who have travelled to California and Hong Kong for their dream vacation with life-size Disney characters, many in Pakistan have grown up listening to stories of thrill rides at Universal Studios, Six Flags and Alton Towers. Though Pakistan has several amusement parks of its own, the country has never seen a full-scale theme park to the likes of Magic Kingdom — something the Punjab government is planning to bring to the entertainment-starved public. As Pakistan gets ready for this one-of-akind recreational space in the heart of Punjab, we take a look at what it takes to keep amusement parks open and running smoothly.

Investing in amusement With all the negative publicity Pakistan garners internationally, it is not surprising that foreign investors are reluctant to do business here. However, the situation has improved in the last few years. Sharing details of how the Punjab government roped in the Chinese company Golden Bean for the theme park project, Commissioner Lahore Abdullah Sumbal says, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) organised a seminar to draw foreign

investors on the instruction of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif during which international companies presented their business ideas. “A theme park is something the provincial government had been considering for a long time but was struggling to execute it in the public sector.

We were seeking private investment and felt Golden Bean’s proposal was worth looking into,” Sumbal states.

The government had several meetings with investors and did background checks to verify their claims. “They have built a theme park and an aquatic park in China and it’s a success story. We established they are credible and moved forward to signing an agreement,” explains Sumbal. The government has not invested any money in the project, including the purchase of 654 acres of land in Lahore and Sheikhupura districts, he reveals.

To be precise, the park will be situated between Kala Shah Kaku interchange of the Lahore-Islamabad motorway and Saggian Bridge, Lahore. However, making such a massive investment in its South Asian neighbour, the Chinese company had its concerns. “The investors were worried about power outages, security and revenue and we assured them our full cooperation,” the commissioner says. The provincial government has assured that they will either supply uninterrupted electricity to the theme park or help

them with their own power generation. For security, they will assign Punjab Police’s Special Protection Unit — a dedicated agency guarding foreign workers in Punjab — to them and let them have multiple options for revenue generation. The government intends to facilitate the private company throughout the process of building the theme park. “We gave them three to four options for land and they chose one keeping in mind their business model.

We will help them acquire that land as it has the capacity to draw visitors from Punjab and beyond,” he says.

Calling the theme park a guiding project for the company, Mingnan Jin, chairperson of board for Golden Bean, says, this investment in Pakistan will steer the business’ future cooperation in the country. “Pakistan and China have maintained friendly relations and successfully cooperated in various fields. With Chairman Xi Jinping referring to Pakistan as a 24-hour strategic partner, every responsible Chinese has an obligation towards the friendship,” he says, stating that agreement to build the China Pakistan Economic Corridor was enough to give confidence to Chinese investors to do business in Pakistan.

The company decided to begin their investments in Pakistan with the construction of a theme park after several visits and market surveys which showed a growing demand for recreational activities. “Right now, the facilities in Punjab fail to meet the market demand and large-scale cultural and amusement places are missing in the country,” says Jin. While the commercial return of investing in a Disney-type theme park is long-term and slow, more value is placed on the aspect of public welfare. “At this point we have oneness of mind and purpose with Pakistan in terms of bringing economic and social stability to the people and therefore hope the government can support us with preferential policy in every aspect,” he says.

A word of advice: stay on track Part of the recreation business for over two decades, Nadeem Riaz of Dolmen Group weighs in on how this venture can succeed in Pakistan. Riaz, who introduced Karachi to Sindbad’s Wonderland in 1991, thinks design, quality of attractions, maintenance and long-term management plans play an important role in how recreation projects perform. “In Pakistan, we start many mega projects but we don’t manage them very well,” he says.

Based on experience, Riaz says, though the country has a big population, the price has to be affordable — not very Thrill-seeking riders cling to their safety harness as Discovery — one of Aladin Amusement Park’s most popular attractions — takes them on an upside-down ride.

People ask why we cannot build a Disney in Pakistan. We can.

But the question is will people pay $150 for entrance?

Chief Operating Officer of Sindbad Sidra Nadeem

Timeline 1583 Bakken — world’s oldest operating amusement park — opened its doors to the public in Klampenborg, Denmark.

1600 Russian iceslides — dubbed ‘grandparents’ of all roller coasters — were constructed from icecovered wood.

1700 First wheeled rollercoaster cars were built.

1800 Rides with cars locked to their tracks were built.

1846 Lake Compounce in Connecticut — oldest theme park still operating in the US — was opened.

1893 First Ferris wheel was built for the 400th anniversary of Columbus landing in America.

1897 Viennese Giant Wheel — world’s oldest operating Ferris wheel — was constructed in Vienna, Austria.

1902 Leap-TheDips — world’s oldest operating roller coaster — was built in Lakemont Park, Pennsylvania.

SOURCE: IGLUCRUISE.COM

cheap nor too expensive. “Also, it has to be a profitable business otherwise you cannot run it for many years.

This government has interest in recreation but maybe the next government won’t, so it has to be a moneymaking venture, not at breakeven,” he believes. To add to the discussion, his daughter Sidra Nadeem, a certified attractions manager for outdoor parks who now looks after Sindbad’s affairs, says the success of an amusement park lies in the balance between investment and what is 24 charged to customers. “People ask why we cannot build a JANUARY 10-16 2016

Disney World in Pakistan. We can. But the question is will people pay $150 for entrance?” she asks.

A big fan of cleanliness at theme parks, Riaz vividly recalls his trip to Tokyo Disneyland where he felt the place was untouched by humans because it was spotless. “The ashtrays were cleaned on the spot in such a manner they appeared as if they were never used before. Garbage was not just picked up from the floor but the area was also disinfected to kill germs,” he recalls.

His daughter Sidra agrees hygiene and maintenance

Fun facts 223.5 million people visited top 25 amusement/theme parks worldwide in 2014.

122.5 million people visited top 20 amusement/theme parks in the AsiaPacific region in 2014.

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, USA, is the most visited theme park in the world with 19.33 million in attendance in 2014.

On average, a guest stays at a theme park for 2.7 hours.

SOURCE: GLOBAL ATTRACTIONS ATTENDANCE REPORT/INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AMUSEMENT PARKS AND ATTRACTIONS

Amusement parks are perfect for a one-day getaway for children, teenagers and adults alike.

take top priority when it comes to the recreation industry.

Speaking about general maintenance, she points out rides in Pakistan need more service than the ones abroad. “Our crowd doesn’t have respect for public spaces and is also critical if they are not well-maintained,” she laments.

On the bright side, the cost of upkeep is less in Pakistan because of cheap labour, she adds. “We can hire a staff of 100 for what parks abroad will be hiring a staff of 10.

Plus we have the spare parts and maintenance facilities available locally, including technicians who can find local solutions to maintain rides,” she elaborates.

Sharing her business experience with China, Sidra says the games they purchase for Sindbad indoor parks require a lot of maintenance. “But, I know of US companies

outsourcing their manufacturing to China because it’s cheaper and manage quality control themselves,” she says.

However, Sidra firmly stresses quality control is possible in China. “It is no rocket science that only the US or European countries can do it. It all depends on who you are purchasing from and how quality-conscious you yourself are.”

With safety being one of the major concerns of amusement park goers, Nadeem says park managers are supposed to maintain opening and closing checklists everyday to confirm all rides are in good condition. “I recently took a course on amusement parks and we were discussing how the idea of danger is attached to them.

25 The numbers showed there were far more injuries and JANUARY 10-16 2016

deaths by playing sports and car accidents than by rides, even in Pakistan,” she shares. Riaz adds rides should be maintained regularly as recommended by the suppliers.

“It is just like maintaining a car or an aircraft, the airline doesn’t wait for the plane to crash before they fix the problem,” he stresses.

With times rapidly changing, innovation also takes centre stage in the recreation business. “Kids these days get bored easily. I have been to Disney three times and the third time, I felt I wasted my money because I knew everything,” says Sidra. The main criteria for bringing changes are cost, profitability and space. Taking the example of Universal Studios, Sidra says they have something new coming in every year because they know visitors seek new attractions.

“I was recently at a show where the park’s creative director shared details about their Transformers ride. They made it in one year instead of three and the investment was almost as big as making a new shopping mall,” she shares. But eventually, it all boils down to how much money customers are willing to spend, she adds.

In terms of catering to different age groups, Sidra says the theme park must have something for everyone. “If there is something only a five-year-old will do, the family will want to leave soon,” she warns. Zoning is also important as it defines space in terms of age and height limitations, she highlights. “Many times, younger kids want to go to a section but there’s a limit and that motivates them to visit again.”

With Lahore, Sialkot and Faisalabad airports close by, and the capital only an hour’s drive away, Sumbal believes the theme park will be a successful venture in terms of visitors. “If we make a world-class theme park, it will draw crowds,” he says firmly. The father-daughter duo behind Sindbad also agrees the catchment area will be all of Punjab or even the entire country. “New visitors are the lifeline of a theme park and since Pakistan doesn’t have the trend of hosting foreigners, locals will be the target,” explains Riaz.

Improving relations with neighbouring countries will also be beneficial. “Abroad, most tourists visit from regional countries; they shop and live there, but unfortunately, we don’t have stable relations with our neighbours.”

What’s in store: a joyride Despite improvement in living standards due to the recent economic progress in Pakistan, Jin says there are gaps in investment in the entertainment and recreation industry, leaving a huge market underserved. To, therefore, give locals an experience of a lifetime, Golden Bean is taking all

A theme park is something the provincial government had been considering for a long time but was struggling to execute it in the public sector Commissioner Lahore Abdullah Sumbal

the necessary measures. “From site construction, subject establishment and operation management, we strive to adjust measures to local conditions so residents can enjoy the top Disney-style service without going aboard,” says Jin. According to the Lahore commissioner, the theme park will include roller coasters and other indoor and outdoor rides, an aquarium, water slides and sports, food courts, shopping areas, a hotel, resorts and allied facilities including parking, security, first aid and community centres. “Visitors should expect world-class entertainment and nothing short of that. We intend to compete with amusement parks in the region,” Sumbal claims.

The project will be completed in 18 months from the start of civil work, which Sumbal expects to begin in the next two to three months. Since this will be Pakistan’s first full-scale theme park, there are concerns if it will work in the long run. But Sidra says there’s always a first time.

“Theme parks are working all over the world so there’s no reason why they shouldn’t work over here; if there’s something good, people will spend on it but it will take time to convince them that it is worth their money and time,” she believes.

Sidra fears people are not ready to spend a big sum — Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 at entrance — on amusement parks at

the moment. “Right now, people are not in that frame of mind but we have to see how it goes in the future; maybe because customers don’t have the right product, they are not paying much and maybe they will when they get something outstanding,” she hopes. Explaining the spending habits of most Pakistanis, Sidra says people are fine with buying food but don’t want to spend on entertainment. “Maybe it is a concept of tangible and intangible; we don’t see what we get from rides, it is just a feeling, but if we buy food, we can see it,” she says.

Payment, please Recreational spaces require money to run and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) Senior Director for Culture, Sports and Recreation, Raza Abbas Rizvi, says since government funds are

Free Fall is another well-liked thrill ride at Aladin Amusement Park.

elusive, public places end up being substandard. However, generating funds is equally challenging for private companies. Lahore Commissioner Sumbal says even Golden Bean expressed concerns about earning profits. “While the government and the private company understand Pakistan is an entertainment-starved country, we both agreed the theme park cannot be expensive. That’s why the company will be building a five-star hotel, malls for both high-end and less-expensive shopping and food courts to broaden their revenue base,” he says.

Worldover theme parks earn money through entrance fee and ride tickets, food and beverages, merchandise, marketing sponsorships and sometimes parking.

“Essentially, there should be a balance between these options; if you feel customers are not willing to pay a lot at the entrance then charge for food and merchandise and all that together will contribute to your revenue generation,” says Nadeem. “If nothing, get advertising sponsorship from big companies and multi-nationals.”

Riaz agrees, “Take the example of movie theatres; they make more profit from their popcorn business than from the tickets because everyone buys something to munch on and the prices are four times more expensive than what is available outside,” he explains, adding that is the reason why theatre owners are very keen on having the food and beverage section under their domain. “People visiting the theme park will spend the day there and will definitely eat something. It will be very expensive but not a compulsion and they will buy it willingly.”

The bigger picture With governments struggling to offer good quality recreational spaces to the public, KMC’s Rizvi says

An invention of the 1890s, Ferris wheels are always at the heart of amusement and theme parks across the world.

If we take the Karachi Zoo, Safari Park and Aladin out of the city, there will be nothing left for the public.

And we should support these spaces KMC’s Senior Director for Culture, Sports and Recreation Raza Abbas Rizvi authorities must not become a victim of their limitations and be creative. He shares how public zoos abroad have animal adoption programmes through which private companies agree to take care of animals for a certain number of years in return for marketing opportunities.

This is one of the many ways governments collaborate with private investors. Aladin Amusement Park, the biggest such facility in Pakistan, comes under Rizvi’s department and pays Rs28 million in land rent to the government. “This is a huge amount. If we were running it, we would have hardly collected 8 million,” he quips, stressing the importance of public-private partnership.

The Aladin Amusement Park is independent in how it runs the facility but Rizvi has a monitoring team stationed at the park to ensure smooth operation. “We annually check the machinery to make sure it is 100% secure and if our team encounters a violation of any kind, they notify us and we take immediate action.” Aladin may not be the best amusement park but Rizvi thinks they are serving the general public. “If we take the Karachi Zoo, Safari Park and Aladin out of the city, there will be nothing left for the public. And we should support these spaces,” he says. AA Joy Land — the company which runs Aladin — refused to be interviewed for the story.

Money makes the world go round and the reason why Pakistan has low-stardard recreation options is that there’s not enough and timely funding, says Riaz. “But if we start charging more to generate revenue, where will the poor of Pakistan go?” he asks.

Rizvi’s words cannot be truer. A trip to one of Karachi’s amusement parks on a weekend is testament to the large number of people from low-income neighbourhoods who head to the park for entertainment. Donning their best dresses, they hire Suzuki pickups and arrive at the venue

for a fun night out with family and friends. Children dash between the rides and ticket booths while parents relax on the poorly trimmed grass, enjoying homemade tea or a kebab-roll from the nearby food kiosk.

In order to retain such recreational options for lowincome communities, Riaz says he has a plan. “We don’t have the right to snatch these recreational options from them,” Rizvi says. “What we can do is have both cheap and expensive recreational facilities and use profits from the expensive facilities to make less-expensive spaces better.”

Therefore, in order to facilitate the public, some projects will have to be given to private investors. “That is how it is done everywhere in the world; experts manage these spaces and the government takes a share from the revenue to enhance public spaces,” he says.

Pursuit of profits is an important goal for any enterprise, but Jin says that is not the company’s only target. The theme park will improve people’s well-being and livelihood and enrich recreational life, he says. “With an investment of nearly $300 million, it will be a distinct project and a proof of what Pakistan-China cooperation can achieve,” Jin adds. T Ferya Ilyas is a senior subeditor at The Express Tribune. She tweets @ ferya_ilyas

FEATURE

Labour PAINS Contract workers protest against the injustices inherent in contract work

BY AMEL GHANI & MUHAMMAD SHAHZAD

Contractual labour prevents unionisation which, in turn, curtails the labourers’ power to bargain collectively.

22 JANUARY 10-16 2016

Four days after the collapse of Rajput Polymers at Sundar Industrial Estate, as rescue workers wrapped up the operation, Ishfaq sat outside still looking for his brother. “We have been to all the hospitals and morgues but there is no sign of him,” he says.

His older brother Muhammad Naveed came to work at the factory over a year ago with their maternal uncle Muhammad Mustafa. Mustafa was a contractor at the factory and had recruited 12 boys from their village near Lodhran. “They were like his sons and he would never want anything bad to happen to them,” he says. Ishfaq is accompanied by other people from the village as well, who have come to help him locate the boys. They found his uncle earlier in the hospital. “One of his eyes has been wounded and he is unconscious due to a head wound,” he informs.

When the factory collapsed there were almost 200 people working in it.

The government estimated it to be 150.

The exact number is unknown since only 40 employees were registered with the labour department and were given social security protection. Unregistered employees, such as the 12 boys from Lodhran, were brought there through contractors and no formal record of their presence is available other than registers found amongst the debris.

Among them were children, as old as 12, whose bodies were also recovered from the rubble.

The collapse of the factory has laid bare the exploitation of workers that takes place at industrial estates established by the government. The factory building was unsafe to work in and ledgers revealed workers on contract were being paid Rs200 per day, violating minimum wage, and had no set working hours.

Muhammad Hanif, who had two cousins working in the factory, says the columns supporting the building had been sinking since before the earthquake and the workers had been afraid the columns would not be able to support its weight anymore. He adds each day before sleeping the workers would mark the pillars, and each morning the mark would recede

The columns of Rajput Polymers at the Sundar Industrial Estate gave away on November 4 and the roof of the dilapidated building collapsed. PHOTO: AFP

The employer does not give any proof of employment to contract labourers or labour hired through a third party. Such labour is not registered and are therefore practically devoid of all labour rights Labour rights activist Niaz Khan

further into the ground.

“The workers protested three days before the collapse, they had even asked their friends in surrounding factories to look for other jobs in the area,” says Hanif. They had gone to the Sundar Industrial Management Board to lodge a complaint with authorities, he reveals. “This is all they could do,” he says.

This sentiment is voiced by workers for whom the factory collapse site has

become a gathering point. Collecting there during breaks they say it is unjust that the poor and down trodden working class suffers due to ignorance of officers. “There is no law here,” says Feroze Ahmed Baloch, a worker at one of the factories in the Sundar Industrial Estate.

“The Sundar industrial management office is right next to it (collapse site). Did they not see what was going on?” he questions.

The workers point largely to the system of contractual labour, which they believe is exploitative.“The workers are not given any proof of employment and can be fired at any time,” says Hanif. This becomes a hindrance for them to demand for rights to unionise, they say. If a factory owner finds out, they will fire the worker and no one wants to risk unemployment, adds Hanif.

Child labour is also rampant in the estate. Feroze says, “Come here at any time and you will see a lot of children in the area.” Children work in smaller units on the estate since nobody monitors them, he shares.

The estate is rife with workers suffering due to a lack of implementation of laws. Amongst 31 JANUARY 10-16 2016

FEATURE them are Muhammad Boota and Ghulam Farid, two people who have spent their lives working as contract labourers. “I spent 15 years working in a factory but when I was given the final letter it said 14 years and 10 months,” says Boota.

He cannot claim any pension through Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution until he can show 15 years of experience.

“I have pleaded my case to the owner of the factory and to government officials as well but no one is ready to listen,” he says.

For Farid, the situation is different. He worked for three months at a factory in the estate that was shut down. The workers were not paid for the work they did during this time and have no formal letters or paperwork to prove they worked there.

“Who should we ask for the money? The factory owner locked the place and is not around anymore,” says Farid. He roams the area every day on a bicycle looking for work, but so far has not been able to find any. “I don’t even have the money to go to Lahore,” he says. The estate is roughly 37km from the city centre.

Labour rights activists agree that contractual labour is the root of such problems; it prevents unionisation, which in turn curtails the labourers’ power to bargain collectively or have access to institutions that will provide them with legal aid. “This is a loophole in the system through which employers have disorganised workers and taken away their rights,” says Niaz Khan, a veteran labour rights activist and general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation.

The government also stood with the mill owners and contributed fully in the oppression of the workers, says Khan.

“The employer does not give any proof of employment to contract labourers or labour hired through a third party. Such labour is not registered and are, therefore, practically devoid of all labour rights, such as job security, social security, medical allowances, pension, minimum wage and overtime,” explains Khan, sighting numerous examples from his 32 time as a union leader where employers had JANUARY 10-16 2016

A rescuer uses an excavator to remove rubble of the collapsed factory. PHOTO: AFP

Worker Woes Since 1950 contract labour had been discussed in various ILO sessions. When the draft Convention on Contract Labour was proposed by the ILO in 1998, it was not accepted by any country in the world. In 2006, the ILO shelved the idea of the Convention on Contract Labour and instead came up with the Employment Relationship Recommendation, or R198, avoiding the word contract labour in the text.

No country has as yet ratified R198. used contract labour to manipulate workers.

“Unions educated the workers about their rights, acted as watchdogs of workers and as pressure groups. But the factory owners in connivance with the government have made them dysfunctional and introduced pocket unions,” adds Khan. He believes contract labourers are deprived of union rights, such as the right to vote in Collective Bargaining Agent elections.“Any worker who participated in union activities was awarded an exemplary punishment,” says Khan.

Rescue workers remove a victim from the rub on November 4, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

bble

Army officials and rescue workers give water to the survivor pulled out from under the debris. PHOTO: PPI

The factory building was unsafe to work in and ledgers revealed workers on contract were being paid Rs200 per day, violating the minimum wage, and had no set working hours In the last two months alone, more than five industrial accidents have taken place in which more than 100 workers died in Punjab, says Khan. On September 4, five workers died when the roof of a jeans factory collapsed in Lahore. On September 5, 28 workers died in an explosion in a ghee factory in Gujranwala.

Five workers died when a boiler exploded in a factory in Faisalabad. Three more were killed working in mines. More than 50 people died in Rajput Poly on November 5. Five laborers were burnt alive in an explosion of an oil tank in Haidri Steel Mill in Braki, Lahore. And more than 150 people were harmed when ammonia gas leaked in a cold storage facility.

“These incidents clearly show that there is a lack of implementation of policy,” he says.

The 2013 Supreme Court decision, however,

directing Fauji Fertilizer to reinstate 112 labourers sacked 22 years ago and to pay them their outstanding dues, was the first decisive victory for contractual labourers. Abid Hassan Minto, a senior Supreme Court advocate and Central President of Awami Workers Party, was one of the lawyers in the case. “Before this, there were various other decisions, some on the side of the workers while others sided with employees,” says Minto. In all future cases though, this decision will hold, he says.

Despite this, Minto says, a large number of violations still take place.

“This is largely because of social perceptions that continue to exist despite legal structures.” The labour department through standing orders also clearly specify time period for inspections, he says. “These differ for industries; so, a standard time limit is not set,” he adds.

The labour department accepts this responsibility. Javed says, contractual workers have the same rights as registered employees. “However, the industry over the past few years has seen a mushroom growth with small factories opening up in houses as well.”

This, he says, has become a hindrance.

“We have a limited capacity and most of these unregistered units cannot be monitored. From the outside, it looks like a house but when you go inside, it turns out to be a small industrial unit producing something like shoes,” he adds. According to Javed, this is where violations of the law are most rampant.

The picture painted by workers though shows exploitation at all levels and in all places, be it smaller units or larger factories. In the words of Baloch, “This government does not think of us; no one cares about the poor man on the street.” T Amel Ghani is a Lahore-based reporter for The Express Tribune.

Muhammad Shahzad is a Lahore-based reporter for The Express Tribune.

JANUARY 10-16 2016

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FEATURE

Fine-tooning the young mind Team Muhafiz lets teenagers do the teaching through comics on inclusivity and social justice

BY HURMAT MAJID | PHOTO BY ARIF SOOMRO

All the characters in the comic book belong to different religions and ethnic backgrounds.

Boys can cook and ride motorbikes, while girls can dance and play football, and they can belong to any religion or ethnic background; it’s all possible in Team Muhafiz — a series of comic books, carrying social messages for young, impressionable adults.

The comic is based on the fictional story of eight teenagers — four girls and four boys. Their aim is to fight the wrongs of society with a superpower unlike those featured in 34 most superhero comics, one that is available to all but JANUARY 10-16 2016

exercised by a few: acceptance and the will to bring about a positive change in society. Imran Azhar, the CEO of Azcorp Entertainment and the brains behind the project, says, “The idea is to engage the leaders of tomorrow today and to redefine villains as mere mortals amongst us. Make them (villains) people who can be dealt with without any super powers.” The comics, produced in both Urdu and English, look to educate the younger population about social issues and problems, such as illegal cutting of trees or child

Team Muhafiz: Imran Azhar, Zain Awan, Rabiya Waheed and Babrus Khan.

These issues we tap into are not just Pakistan’s issues, they exist globally and it would be a good idea to show the world that they can be tackled The CEO of Azcorp Entertainment Imran Azhar

marriages, which plague our society.

A comic book geek himself, Azhar decided to give the venture a shot when he moved back to Pakistan after spending a number of years in the hospitality industry abroad. “When I came back, I was set upon providing meaningful entertainment to our young adults,” he says.

Azhar first hired Roy Soumyadipta, an art and animation graduate from India, to work remotely on the venture.

Taking to The Express Tribune, Soumyadipta says, “During my school and college days, we had students from different

cultures and nationalities amongst us. Petty fights and arguments stopped us from breaking the ice. Team Muhafiz is a group of young people from varying cultures working together to guide young minds,” he continues. “I really wish we had something like this back in our time. I felt like I could use my little drawing skills to illustrate these stories and perhaps be a part of that ‘something’ for today’s generation.”

Additionally, Babrus Khan, the comic’s illustrator, says, “When you’re a young artist in Pakistan and you get a phone call asking you if you’d be interested in drawing comics, you are bound to say yes. The same happened with me and I have loved every moment of this experience.”

The most recent installment of the comic, Team Muhafiz and the Child Raiders, deals with the controversial topic of child marriage. In Pakistan, instances of child marriage are not uncommon and educating children about it is necessary. The volume is co-written by Samar Minallah Khan, who shares her experience and says, “Imran shared the comic books with me and I instantly agreed to be part of this venture. It’s new and innovative. We need to think of new strategies to break the silence around issues like 35 JANUARY 10-16 2016

FEATURE

The upcoming installments . of the comic

During my school and college days, we had students from different cultures and nationalities amongst us. Petty fights and arguments stopped us from breaking the ice. Team Muhafiz is a group of young people from varying cultures working together to guide young minds Animator Roy Soumyadipta

child marriages, acid crimes, etcetera. This comic book is going to help change the mindsets of the youth. In the long run, it can be used as a tool for advocacy in schools all over Pakistan.”

The response to the comic has been overwhelming, with a new outreach programme in full swing, the comic is becoming popular amongst young adults and school-going children. “The Comic Cons here in Pakistan have really given us an insight into the minds of young adults. It is amazing when they come to our booth and say they’d want to cosplay one of our characters in the future,” says Khan, recalling their time at a recent Comic Con in Islamabad.

“Most kids already had our volumes and came to get them signed,” Azhar pitches in.

With a good response from fans in Pakistan and generally applicable social justice messages for young adults, the question of publishing in other countries comes to mind.

Azhar thinks along similar lines. “These issues we tap 36 into are not just Pakistan’s issues; they exist globally and JANUARY 10-16 2016

it would be a good idea to show the world that they can be tackled.” It will also help depict a positive image of Pakistan, he adds.

According to Azhar, Team Muhafiz received a warm welcome at a recent Comic Con in Dubai, and plans to collaborate with a local university there to translate the comic books in Arabic. The comic has also found an audience in India. “The most common feedback [we have gotten] is that they really encourage the motif behind the story. The idea of unity and how we can ‘stand stronger when united’ is being highly appreciated,” says Soumyadipta.

All good on the print side of things, the team also plans to launch a series of action figurines for their young fans to collect, along with a mobile/tablet app for those who prefer to read the comic online. With just a handful of comics coming out of Pakistan, Team Muhafiz is a welcome page in history. T Hurmat Majid is a subeditor at The Express Tribune.

She tweets @bhandprogramme

Not a force to reckon with Star Wars: The Force Awakens borrows elements from previous George Lucas movies on more than one occasion

BY SAMEEN AMER

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then George Lucas must be very flattered by JJ Abrams’ Star Wars sequel The Force Awakens. The film enthusiastically rehashes plot points and thematic elements from the original trilogy to create an energetic, entertaining space opera designed to please ardent fans of the franchise.

Marking the cinematic return of one of the biggest series in the known universe, the movie serves as the first installment in a planned trilogy that takes place nearly three decades after the events of its chronological predecessor, Return of the Jedi (1983). Threatened by the sinister plans of the First Order, which has risen from the remnants of the Galactic Empire, the Republic wants to find and seek the help of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last Jedi, who has disappeared. The map that specifies his whereabouts falls in possession of a droid called BB-8, resulting in him being targeted by the enemies. As he tries to evade capture, BB-8 runs into a scavenger (Daisy Ridley) and a defecting stormtrooper (John Boyega), who then — with the help of a few familiar faces — try to get the droid to the Resistance so that he can lead them to Luke and help them save the galaxy.

JJ Abrams has already demonstrated his prowess as a franchise reviver by helming the successful return of Star Trek, and he doesn’t disappoint with The Force Awakens either. The plot at its core may be standard goodversus-evil fare, but

the non-stop action makes sure that the journey remains enjoyable.

The cast, too, is impressive. Abrams seamlessly brings the old and new generations together; the newcomers deliver solid performances, and it is wonderful to see the actors from the original trilogy reprise their roles.

The movie retains the spirit of the original but sticks to the formula a little too closely by revisiting many of the plot points and character tropes from the Lucas films, and even mirroring a few arcs from A New Hope. The film-makers don’t attempt anything particularly distinctive in this chapter, which is why the movie isn’t as exciting as it should be.

Their decision to revel in nostalgia instead of trying something different keeps them from expanding this imaginative universe and taking the story in a truly innovative direction.

Ultimately, while it may not be a cinematic masterpiece, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a well-made offering that, despite being derivative, makes sure it entertains its audience for two hours. The film does learn from the mistakes of the prequels, avoiding the traits that earned the latter adventures much derision. It is a promising start to the new trilogy as it sets things off on the right foot, and will leave viewers looking forward to the next installment, which is expected to be released in 2017, and is being directed by Rian Johnson.

Sameen Amer is a Lahorebased freelance writer and critic. She tweets @Sameen

Rating:

More from director JJ Abrams Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Cloverfield (2008)

Super 8 (2011)

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) plays the role of a retired agent who trains new recruits for the Impossible Mission Force. Hunt has to face his biggest foe yet — Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who is an international arms dealer — as his love and life is hanging by a thread.

In New York City, anything is possible; even a monster attack. The film follows six New Yorkers as they head out for a party on a seemingly ordinary night.

The footage of the attack and the race for survival is later found on tape by the United States Department of Defence.

Set in 1979, Ohio, the film follows the events taking place after a horrific accident involving some friends on a film-making project. Though the characters were lucky to escape with their lives, they soon realise nothing was a coincidence as more disappearances and mysterious circumstances follow.

Surviving history

Hingorani Maariyon is a long-forgotten historical treasure trove in Sindh TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ZAHIDA REHMAN JATT DESIGN BY UMAR WAQAS

First structure: A larger mosque with an accomanying smaller, domed structure.

H

ingorani Maariyon, an old site near Tando Fazal, nearly 20 kilometres from Hyderabad, Sindh, was built in a prosperous, agricultural town inhabited by the Hingorani Syeds in the 18th Century during the early years of the Kalhora rule in Sindh. Today, nearly three centuries later, parts of the structure still stand tall.

According to accounts published in the 1920 Gazetteer of Hyderabad, the site was attacked and destroyed by an Afghan invader, Madad Ali Khan, around 1775 AD. Three of its structures, however, have survived years of neglect and stand amongst the remains of the once flourishing city. The first structure is a mosque with three entrances built on a raised platform. It is accompanied by another smaller, domed structure with an open courtyard. This 38 second component of the JANUARY 10-16 2016

Second structure: A tomb

mosque served as a madrassa or seminary for students from remote areas to study theology and other subjects.

The second structure is a tomb with a single entrance and dome. According to a local, the tomb is of one of the local rulers and is venerated even today by locals. The beautiful structure combines ornate stone carvings on the ceiling with arched and pointed niches, finished with floral and geometric

patterns. Unfortunately, all the decorative elements are now in poor condition due to weathering and vandalism.

The third structure is also

that of a mosque, though comparatively smaller. It stands on a raised podium, almost 30 feet high, with approximately 17 to 20 steep stairs leading to the main entrance. The lower level of walls is adorned with large, yellow stone slabs, and the structure is decorated with intricate floral designs, consisting of stars and zigzag patterns. In its original form, thick walls encircled the mosque but they have collapsed over time.

Zahida Rehman Jatt is a lecturer at the department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Sindh in Jamshoro.

Third structure: A smaller mosque