The Express Tribune Magazine - January 2

january 2-8 2011

L O O K I N G

B A C K

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010

january 2-8 2011

Cover Story 14 The Year in Review A look back at some of the most pressing issues of 2010

Feature 26 The Year in Quotes Twelve of the year’s most captivating quotes

Portfolio 28 The year’s best and worst moments, captured on film

Comment

26

36 Twenty Five Things I Loved About 2010 Coke Studio and Twitter were two of the year’s favourites

Review 40 What’s new in books

Regulars

14

6 People & Parties: Out and about with beautiful people 12 Tribune Questionnaire: Aisam ul Haq on the scent of a woman 42 Horoscope: Shelley von Strunckel on your week ahead 46 Ten Things I Hate About: I hate lists

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Sub-Editors: Batool Zehra, Hamna Zubair Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Anam Haleem, Tariq Alvi, S Asif Ali, Sukayna Sadik Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Exchange for Change The Citizen’s Archive of Pakistan held a press conference in Karachi to announce its initiative “Exchange for

6

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy

Sherry Rehman and Sara Taher Khan

Sabeen Mahmud and Amean J

Amina Saiyid

january 2-8 2011

PHOTO CREDIT: KOHI MARRI

Change” in collaboration with Routes2Root in India.

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Sara Taher Khan and Uzra Dawood

Faizan Haque

8

Shazya Amir and Kausar Ahmad

Sarah

Ali Raza, Amber Rauf and Fahad Asadullah january 2-8 2011

Elahi

Swaleha Alam Shahzada

june 13-19 2010

PEOPLE & PARTIES

House proud Amina Saeed recently launched her furniture line, ‘The

10

Afsha and Khajista

Amna Saeed and Maria B

Amna Baber and Saim

Ali Sher

january 2-8 2011

PHOTO CREDIT: BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Furniture Gallery,’ in Lahore.

Atif, Tabinda and Asif

Zarmina

Sabina Pasha and Khalid Sulman

Hamza and Fia

Babloo

Khawar Riaz

11 january 2-8 2011

“Sports shouldn’t be mixed with debates on religion and culture.”

Tennis star Aisam ul Haq Qureshi on honesty, independence, and the scent of a woman.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

My most important aim in life is to make my parents proud of

She has to smell good. Beautiful women are often arrogant, so I

me. Nothing beats that.

What is your greatest fear?

prefer it when a woman knows she’s good looking but isn’t full of herself.

To do something that would damage my country, my parents, or

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

my family’s reputation.

‘Yaar’ and ‘never ever give up on your goals.’

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Which talent would you most like to have?

I trust people too easily.

Magic. I wish I could do some magic tricks on the side.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Back-biting. I hate that.

I think I’d like to be more independent because I’m always

What is your greatest extravagance?

depending on people.

I’m not an extravagant person and I’m not brand conscious. The

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

nephews, not for myself. I definitely spend the most on my sister.

country.

most expensive things I buy are meant for my family and my

Just being recognised as a tennis player in a cricket-loving

What is your current state of mind?

What is your most treasured possession?

Pretty confused.

My BlackBerry. I always have it with me and I can keep in touch

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

time every five to ten minutes.

I was actually discussing this with my brother and we decided

with everyone when I’m on the road. My watch, too — I check the

that it was honesty.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

On what occasion do you lie?

the easy way out by asking favours.

I do my level best not to lie — but I will lie when the truth is going to hurt somebody’s feelings. Not a big lie, though.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

When people aren’t willing to work for themselves and try to seek

If you didn’t do your current job, what would you choose to do?

I’d be a fighter pilot, fighting for my country.

My toe nails.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

When and where were you happiest?

lim, he was fighting the world and taking a stand. I believe I also

I’m happiest when I’m with my nephews. I have two nephews:

Hamdaan is four years old and Aryaan is eight months old. When I’m with them, my mind switches off and I’m just happy.

In sports I suppose it would be Mohammad Ali. He was a Mustook a stand when I decided to play doubles with a Jewish person

and then an Indian. I was trying to prove that sports shouldn’t be mixed with debates on religion and culture.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Who are your heroes in real life?

Confidence and the ability to accept his mistakes. It’s very hard

My dad, if I could be half the person he is then I would be satis-

it’s a good sign.

men I admire. a

for men to say ‘I’m sorry’ so when someone can admit he is wrong

fied. Besides him, Mohammad Ali and Jahangir Khan are sportsJanuary 2-8 2011

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YEAR IN REVIEW

a year in

review january 2-8 2011

Floods, clashes between the judiciary and the executive, cricketing scandals and bureaucratic scams — as the decade came to a close Pakistan saw a series of highs and lows in 2010. Some developments were horrific: the Airblue plane crash that left no survivors, the floods that displaced millions of people, the target killings that claimed lives in Sindh and Balochistan, the persecution of minorities on trumped up charges of blasphemy. However, the steady stream of depressing news hid some important achievements.

The passage of laws that restored power to the Parliament and put to rest the issue of the appointment of judges, redeemed Pakistan as a lively, if messy, democracy. The election of Asma Jahangir as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association may not have been highlighted as dramatically as instances of violence against women, but it was a significant milestone.

In showing us our resilience as a nation, 2010 was not as bad as some commentators made it out to be.

january 2-8 2011

YEAR IN REVIEW

2010 was characterised by a widening gulf between the people and the government.

the space

between

BY KAMILA HYAT

Politics should really be about the people. After all, it is the welfare of people that democracy ostensibly revolves around. Otherwise, politics remains nothing more than meaningless drivel.

In Pakistan, unfortunately, politics too often revolves around

politicians rather than people — it is all about the doings, or

rather, the wrongdoings of politicians from various camps. 2010 has been no different. This past year, we have been witness to

feuds between leaders; we have watched as allegations of corruption were flung back and forth, and we almost fell victim to a

16 january 2-8 2011

major clash between the country’s institutions.

is much disquiet. The government’s refusal to abide by court

kinds of tensions between the executive and the judiciary. For

stan’s leaders. Tales of doctoral degrees obtained from colleges

The year that has gone by was in fact dominated by various

ordinary people, a sense angst and anxiety was further height-

ened by media pundits who told us that the government would stumble and fall at any moment. The growing outreach and influence of these television anchors and talk show hosts has be-

come a marked feature of our polity — they continue to set the agenda, dictating what is newsworthy and what is not. As a consequence, when we look at our leaders, we see a cast of characters painted either in black or in sparkling white. Subtlety, nuance,

and shades of grey have all but been eliminated by this charac-

verdicts regarding the NRO did nothing to build respect for Pakiwhich do not exist made some ministers the subject of intense

derision. Indeed, disturbingly, there were few members of government who escaped charges of corruption, mismanagement or an indifference to the plight of people. At the same time, violence

in Karachi and in Balochistan, where target killings deprived us of some of the professionals we most need — doctors and teachers — offered another indication of the murky waters we stand in and the difficulties inherent in climbing out from them.

When less metaphorical waters actually swept away so much

terisation.

in the country during the floods in July, widespread disaster

ther. As the year ends we have been witness to a falling out of

good governance in Pakistan and triggering anger in millions of

The government did not fall, of course. But not all is rosy ei-

former allies. Relations between the MQM and the PPP remain

tense despite the President’s intervention, intended to sooth

tempers that were frayed after the Sindh Home Minister made

added to political complexities. It did so by exposing the lack of people in all four provinces who accused the government of doing too little to help them.

There have, however, been some encouraging developments

remarks about extortion mafias in Karachi and the question of

during the year. The passage of the 18th Amendment in April en-

This is a development that we should actually consider a bless-

least, according to the Constitution. And even if that move is, in

who ran them. The JUI-F has parted ways with the government.

ing, given the hard-line party’s stance against amending blasphemy laws and action against the Taliban in the north. The fact

that the PPP took the JUI-F on board as an ally of course demon-

strates how, in many democracies, games of power take precedence over principles.

The bloodied politics of militancy has continued too, despite

the loud slogans of victory over the extremists raised in February

and March by the army. Suicide bombings go on, claiming hun-

sures that the parliament is the key decision-making body — at many ways, a cosmetic one, it is important for the future. Lay-

ing down what is right in the Constitution is after all the first step to getting it right. After the 18th Amendment was passed, attention was focused on the issue of the appointment of judges,

and happily, the matter seems to have been settled with the 19th

Amendment, which lays out precise procedure for this, incorporating the Supreme Court’s recommendations.

All in all, though, the most marked feature of 2010 was the

dreds of lives across the country. The optimism that we may have

widening gulf between the people and the government. Massive

more complex there has been ambiguity over whether the mili-

in subsidies on utilities, rising food prices and unemployment

felt at the beginning of the year has faded, and to make matters

tary and the elected government agree on all aspects of strategy regarding militancy. The Wikileaks documents have meanwhile exposed a childish tendency on the part of all players to rush to

the Americans with their problems, tell tales, and perhaps earn a pat on the head.

inflation triggered by repeated fuel price rises, IMF-ordained cuts

all placed unbearable burdens on people — and some families

fell through the cracks in unimaginably horrible ways: parents slaughtered children they could not feed, young men committed suicide and entire families entered into death pacts.

These events were under-reported, with the media’s focus di-

Though much of what determines events in Pakistan takes

rected towards infighting between politicians and the break-up

citizens, we have heard consistent rumours of tensions between

aware perhaps that it needed to offer opposition to a government

place in shadowy realms that lie beyond the gaze of ordinary the executive and army bosses. The extension given to the Chief

of Army Staff in July, and announced on television by the Prime Minister, enabling General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to stay in office

till 2013 is another of those compromise settlements that decide so much in our country.

The debate on the NRO issue seems to have calmed down after

reaching a fever pitch over the summer. But, for all this, there

of alliances. In the Punjab the PML-N pulled away from the PPP, fewer and fewer people have faith in. In the long run this trust

deficit could emerge as a crucial issue, determining our political future and the manner in which events unfold over the coming months and years.

Kamila Hyat is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor, based in Lahore.

17 january 2-8 2011

YEAR IN REVIEW

taken at the

floods The year of the floods saw a broken state put up a heroic effort to save its people.

BY ASAD SAYEED

On the 21st of December 2010, the British Prime Minister offered the help of the British Army to the Heathrow airport authorities after it was shut down for two days due to unusual snowfall in Europe. Compare the call to the armed forces by as resourceful

the floods in the media not only failed to provide perspective to

the summer 2010 floods in Pakistan that, according to the world

trospection. Nowhere was it mentioned that before the floods,

and efficient a state as Britain because of unusual snowfall to

Bank-ADB Floods Needs Assessment Report engulfed an area

“equal in dimension to the land mass of the United Kingdom”.

With 78 out of 130 odd districts of the country affected and 20 million people displaced, a large part of the country’s electronic media chose to politicise the natural disaster by creating a distinc-

18

tion between the ‘government’ and the ‘army’, with the former branded as villain and the latter a saviour. This politicisation of january 2-8 2011

the enormity of the disaster but has also jeopardized the reconstruction and rehabilitation effort.

To shout and shriek — as is the wont of TV anchors whose

self righteousness is only matched by their shallowness — that

nothing is being done by the government belies any serious in45 million Pakistanis suffered from severe food insecurity, 40% of children under five were underweight and more than two-thirds

of pregnant women in rural areas had never come across a trained

medical practitioner through the course of their pregnancy. Yet, months after the floods, this broken state, along with interna-

tional donors and local NGOs and philanthropists, has contained

the damage heroically across a number of areas. Obviously the

cameras are busy homing in on politicians and attempting to

which has thus far prevented the spread of epidemics? Seeing the

intel string-pullers.

beginning to understand this phenomenon.

find new ways to affect regime change wired to them by their This writer traveled across the flood-affected areas between Oc-

glass as half-empty as a default position prevents most from even Roughly half of the flood victims in the areas we visited had

tober and December to assess the magnitude of reconstruction

obtained the Watan Card. Chaos and corruption in the distri-

ed, one witnessed the Biblical proportion of the disaster — three

they had paid anywhere between Rs. 2000 to Rs. 5000 for the Rs.

work required. Across eight districts in the four provinces visitfeet of water standing as far as one could see in Qambat Shahdadkot and Dera Murad Jamali, brick structure literally cut in half

in Thatta and Charsadda, mud brick houses having collapsed in

a heap everywhere and thousands of people still in camps across Sindh — but the number of positives to take home were in fact more stunning.

Nowhere in the 40-odd flood-affected villages and 20 camps

bution of cards was evident — a number of people claimed that 20,000 benfit — but the government claims that 1.3 million cards had been distributed. Even if this is half true, this is a significant

benefit provided by a broken state and a government that the ur-

ban upper and middle classes love to hate. In fact, much of the home construction witnessed was being carried out with money provided through the Watan Cards.

Moving ahead, a lot of work needs to be done. Agricultural

visited, did one come across any trace of malnutrition or food

lands have to be leveled, water courses repaired, silt and debris

bags of wheat with World Food Program, USAID, Turkish, Irani-

and people’s livelihoods restored. While the help of NGOs, phi-

shortage. In every tent and every home we saw an average of two an or Italian government logos on them.

The ubiquitous blue toilets provided by UNICEF were not only

found in camps but were taken back to the villagers by the flood

affected people. Given the pre-flood state of hygiene in villages, this can only be the precursor to better hygiene practices in rural areas.

Perhaps the most remarkable observation was that in every

single village and camp we were told that there was some form

of medical attention provided to the flood victims. Virtually all

children born in camps were attended by medical practitioners.

A significant proportion of the people — particularly women and

children who had never seen a doctor — had access to them after

removed, schools, health centres, roads, bridges, culverts fixed lanthropists and international disaster relief organisations was

instrumental in relief work, the bulk of reconstruction is to be done by the state. International donors have already said, and rightly so, that unless Pakistanis do not contribute in the effort

through enhanced taxation, how can they compel tax-payers in other countries to cough up this money. Rather than pushing the government to come up with a plausible and transparent reconstruction plan, the ruckus has been around the need to tax. If

this naysayer mood continues, then the reconstruction work will falter and the political shape the urban-rural divide will then take can only be ominous.

the floods. Moreover, given the scale of the disaster it also needs to be adequately understood as to how the death toll has been contained to roughly 2200. Was it adequate warning that allowed

people to evacuate in time, reasonable provision of food, health-

Asad Sayeed is a senior economist at the Collective for Social Science Research.

care and hygiene in the camps and to the villages on their return,

january 2-8 2011

YEAR IN REVIEW

The Quran’s stance on blasphemy has been waylaid during the course of debates on 2010’s hottest issue.

the

real

blasphemers

BY KHALID ZAHEER

The issue of Aasiya Bibi’s alleged blasphemy became one of the hottest topics for debate in 2010.

At a very basic level, the question that everyone sought to answer is this: How are we, as Muslims, meant to deal with blasphemy?

This question has a simple answer: we should ignore people

who are accused of blasphemy and tell them that the great man

whom they are supposedly targeting in their acts of blasphemy

was the one who taught us to ignore their actions and focus on more positive things in life.

There are several passages in the Quran which mention acts of

blasphemy committed against the prophet and the message of Islam, three of which are more important than the others. None of these passages contains any indication that those found guilty of

blasphemy ought to be killed. If there was a punishment for blasphemy in Islam, it should have been clearly mentioned in the

Quran, especially in the passages where occurrences of it during the prophet’s lifetime are mentioned.

In the first passage that refers to blasphemy, the Quran informs

us that hypocrites used to attend the Prophet’s (PBUH) gatherjanuary 2-8 2011

ings intending to tease him. They used to say “ra‘ina” (please

ready arrived for the disbelievers of Makkah thirteen years after

‘I,’ so it sounded like they were saying a different word which

(PBUH) and his companions were forced to migrate from the city

say it again), twisting their tongue to prolong the vowel sound meant “our shepherd”. Instead of condemning the perpetrators

to a punishment, however, the Quran said: “Believers, don’t say ra’ina; instead say unzurna and listen carefully (so that you don’t need to ask the Prophet to repeat his statements),” (Quran; 2:104). The word unzurna, like ra’ina, served the same purpose.

Another passage says: “Believers, don’t make such individu-

als from amongst the people of the book and the disbelievers (of

Makkah) your friends, who tease and make fun of your religion.

And fear Allah if you are true believers. When you are called for

prayers, they make it an object of ridicule. This they do because they are a group of people who don’t know (the truth),” (Quran; 57-58). Had the intent of the divine law been to kill those who

made fun of religion, this passage would have been an appropriate occasion to make this fact unambiguously clear. Instead, the

the prophetic mission had started, at the time when the Prophet

to Madinah. The first phase of that punishment took care of the entire leadership of Quraish, the clan that ruled Makkah, two

years after the migration in the Battle of Badr. That process continued for different people on different occasions. When the people of the book, the Jews and the Christians, denied the Prophet’s

(PBUH) message, they too became eligible for the same punish-

ment. However, in their case the punishment was relaxed: they were forced to live the life of second-rate citizens and pay Jizya,

the non-Muslim tax (Quran; 9:29). Only those Jews and Chris-

tians who had not only denied the Prophet’s (PBUH) message but had also gone on to tease, insult, and threaten his life, were considered worthy of being killed like their counterpart polytheist disbelievers of Makkah.

Clearly, such punishments were meant to be applicable only

believers were asked to ignore ‘blasphemous remarks’ and were

to a certain group of people living in a particular era. Their

A third passage in the chapter titled “Hypocrites” talks about

mentioned in the Quran. Their punishment wasn’t based on a

told to refrain from befriending these people.

the designs of the leader of the hypocrites and his followers,

who, during one of the expeditions of Muslims beyond Madinah,

blasphemed against the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions in the following words: “They (the hypocrites) say ‘When we shall

return to Madinah, the honorable shall expel the mean from

crime and the rationale for their punishment have both been Shari’ah law; instead it was based on God’s own direct interven-

tion. For the rest of the people, the general rule mentioned in the

Quran states that blasphemers are meant to be ignored- this was meant to continue to remain applicable for all times to come.

According to the Quran, only two types of criminals can be sen-

there’, even though honour is for Allah and His messenger, and

tenced to capital punishment: those who are guilty of murder, or

(63:7-8). Indeed what Abdullah Ibn Ubai’i, the leader of the

another soul for reasons other than these two, according to the

believers, but these hypocrites are unaware,”

hypocrites, and his followers said was blasphemy. The message

of God, however, only clarified the truth in response to the blasphemy they had uttered. Abdullah Ibn Ubai’i later died a natural

death in Madinah. Despite the fact that he was living in the very

city that was ruled by the Prophet (PBUH), he wasn’t put to death

those who create mischief on earth. Anyone who took the life of Quran, would be as if he killed the entire mankind. (Quran; 5:32)

The law stipulating capital punishment for the act of blasphemy

therefore is clearly against the Quranic message of the verse referred to above.

Of course, one could say that blasphemy is a form of ‘creat-

nor did he suffer any lesser punishments in retribution for the

ing mischief on earth’ — but this argument is not valid because

ting.

this: “Those who wage a war against Allah and His messenger

act of blasphemy he and his companions were guilty of commit-

If the Quran does not sanction specific punishment for blas-

phemy, why then are Muslims bent upon demanding death for

blasphemy? The answer is that according to some Hadith, some disbelievers were killed for being guilty of blaspheming against the Prophet (PBUH) during his lifetime.

The reality is that, as has been clarified above, there is no

punishment for blasphemy in Islam. The only exception is this:

according to divine law, those people who directly received the

‘creating mischief on earth’ has been described in the Quran like and strive to create mischief on earth.” That crime is committed

when an individual or a group commit murders, burglaries, or rapes and cause the life, property, and honour of innocent citi-

zens to be harmed. Indeed, making profane remarks about the prophet is a crime, but the one committing it neither declares a

war against Allah and His messenger nor does he struggle to create mischief on earth.

Islam’s message is of peace and tolerance. Bigotry, aggression,

message of God through His messengers were destined to be

and extremism have nothing to do with it. Those who promote

specific to the direct addressees of the prophet only. It has been

propagation of its message.

killed if they rejected and condemned it. This was a law that was clarified in the Quran that such people were destined to receive the punishment of death, in one form or the other, after a cer-

tain God-ordained deadline was reached. That deadline had al-

the latter evils in the name of Islam are the real threat to the

The author is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sci21 ences, University of Central Punjab. january 2-8 2011

YEAR IN REVIEW This may seem like heresy to many fans, but 2010 was Pakistan’s best year in sports after a long fallow period. Sure, our cricket team flailed helplessly, lurching from one disaster to the other and cricket, for many sports fans, is the be-all and endall of our sporting year. But ignore the soap opera that is

our national cricket team and remember that this was the year

The year Pakistanis discovered they could play more than one sport...

we produced the fastest woman in South Asia, won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in hockey, women’s cricket and

squash, and even made our mark in tennis. This was the year we

not just cricket anymore

discovered that Pakistanis can play more than one sport.

Still, the giant shadow cast by cricket cannot be ignored. And

that’s where the year began, on a particularly depressing note, as the cricket team had just finished playing an ostensibly “home”

series in New Zealand. With the terrorists have ensured a halt to international cricket being played in Pakistan, we faced the

treacherous Kiwis in their own backyard and came out with a credible 1-1 drawn series.

BY NADIR HASSAN

Our very first Test match of the year, played against Australia

after we had lost the first Test of the series to them at the end of December, encapsulated our year in cricket. Inspired fast bowl-

ing from Mohammad Asif put Pakistan in a situation where victory seemed guaranteed. Then, horrendous captaincy from Mohammad Yousuf, pathetic wicket keeping by Kamran Akmal and an abject last-innings batting collapse handed the Aussies a

win that seemed unimaginable. Rumours of match-fixing and

in-fighting started doing the rounds and we lost all our remaining matches on tour.

Just as the cricket team was unravelling, we had something

to take our minds off the disaster Down Under. Sprinter Naseem Hameed won the gold medal in the 100 metres at the SAF Games

22

in Dhaka. Hameed became our newest hero for the manner in january 2-8 2011

which she handled the victory. She was feted by everyone from

UAE desert was a dull run-fest.

porations, all of whom wanted her to endorse their product.

spot-fixing saga? Quite a bit, as we found out on the morning

As holders of the T20 World Championships, we were hoping the

ca. Wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, claiming he had received

the President, who appointed her an Ambassador of Sport, to corMeanwhile, the cricket team was experiencing a false dawn.

team could repeat their heroics, and for a while it seemed as if they would do just that. After an iffy start, the team regrouped to make it to the semis. And for much of the semifinal against Australia we were in a dominating mood. Only a once-in-a-career

innings from Michael Hussey denied us victory. Still, it seemed

How much lower could the Pakistani team plunge after the

of the fifth and deciding One Day Innings against South Afrithreats to his life, fled the Emirates and sought refuge in Eng-

land. He hasn’t named any names yet but his hasty departure

showed just how corrupt — and possibly dangerous — Pakistani cricket has become.

While the cricket shenanigans played out, tennis player Aisam

as if we still had a knack for performing in our favourite format.

ul Haq was quietly putting together a stellar year with doubles

of England where we played Australia and the hosts. For much of

styled Indo-Pak Express burst to public attention, reaching the

Onwards the cricket team marched to its nadir: a summer tour

the tour, it looked like a typically unpredictable Pakistani tour.

Breathtaking fast bowling from the Mohammads Amir and Asif

kept Pakistan in matches they had no right to be winning. Soon,

oxymoronic though it may sound, there was a pattern to the unpredictability. Our batsman would collapse in an inept fashion

while our fast bowlers, despite having fielders that were seem-

partner Rohan Boppana. It was only at the US Open that the self-

finals before losing to the legendary Bryan brothers. Aisam also

reached the mixed doubles finals, making this by far his best performance at a grand slam. As much as his play, it was Aisam’s

demeanour that impressed, with his eloquent speeches after his two finals showing a man confident in himself and his mission.

Over at the Commonwealth Games, too, Pakistan was surpris-

ingly on the opposition batsmen’s side, would bring us back in

ingly successful. Its hockey team, for whom success has been

Australia and kept us in the hunt against England.

tion to the 2012 Olympics. There were gold medals in squash and

it. This formula allowed us to draw our two-Test series against What happened next is wearily familiar to all fans of sport

and it is territory too traumatic to retread. Suffice to say that a

sparing in recent year, took the gold and thus earned qualificawomen’s cricket too.

This last year may have been among the most exhilarating

sting operation by a British tabloid seemed to implicate captain

and depressing in Pakistan’s sporting history. The law of aver-

is heard in January 2011 will we have conclusive proof of their

cricketers have repeatedly shown, we have never followed laws

Salman Butt, Asif and Aamir in spot-fixing. Only after their case

guilt but that ruined whatever momentum the team had built up. The end of the English tour couldn’t come too soon for jaded fans and a subsequent two-Test series against South Africa in the

ages states that next year should be a serene one but, as Pakistani of any kind.

23

The writer is a journalist based in Karachi. january 2-8 2011

YEAR IN REVIEW In 2010 Pakistani blogs have been used to break news, share unconventional story angles and as a medium to project Pakistan’s image to a global audience. However, much like a revolution in its nascent stages, the Pakistani blogosphere is an upstart with its fair share of fits and starts, yet to gain real momentum.

Despite growing in number, vocalness, diversity, reputation,

range and expertise, Pakistan’s bloggers and micro-bloggers (aka twitterati) have suffered shutdowns, bans and, in some cases,

general lethargy. The Don’t Block the Blog movement showcased crackdowns such as the banning of sites like makepakistanbet-

ter.com which were purportedly writing anti-government articles.

Internet censorship by the PTA hit an all time low in May when

building a base on their websites.

The Facebook-ban controversy nearly overshadowed Pakistan’s

first-ever Blog Awards and New Media Conference organized by

Google and the CIO Pakistan team in May. This celebrated some of the best blogs in Pakistan and attempted to showcase non-

techie blogs for the first time. Blogs such as naveenaqvi.com marked the successful transition of a news media anchor into the

blogging and tweeting arena. An e-zine blog guppu.com shot to fame when it broke the news story of a Pakistani man killed in

a reality show competition sponsored by one of Pakistan’s largest multinational corporations. With over 207 entries in 30 blogging categories, the blog awards encouraged would-be bloggers to start blogging and existing bloggers to step up their game in anticipation of growing competition.

In August and September, the Pakistan flood relief campaign

the government banned Facebook, YouTube and other websites

was in full swing with a very active and vocal contribution from

huge setback for local businesses that had increasingly started to

ments of the country to a worldwide audience. Celeb tweets from

following the Draw Mohammad Day controversy. This was a

use Facebook and social networks as their marketing and engage-

ment platform. The ban was eventually lifted in the first week of June. Since then small businesses have realised the danger

of putting all their eggs in the Facebook basket and are instead

The Facebook ban and flood relief helped the Pakistani blogosphere’s voice emerge over the static this year.

bloggers. Pakistan’s bloggers and tweeters conveyed the senti-

Alyssa Milano and Tom Cruise mentioning the floods crises, and donation initiatives from Angelina Jolie and Naomi Campbell brought much-needed awareness of the issue.

on a (blo

january 2-8 2011

BY SALMA JAFRI

Blogging Demographics And Psychographics The blog search engine Technorati published an annual State

of the Blogosphere 2010 report which estimated that more than 7% of the world’s blogs originate from Asia Pacific. Although

there is no hard data specific to them, Pakistani blogs have made

Twitter. From early adopters such as Pervaiz Musharraf, Imran Khan and Marvi Memon to more recent entrants such as Rehman

Malik and Salmaan Taseer, Twitter has become the digital medium of choice for our net-savvy politicians.

Pakistan’s bloggers are also making forays into international

strides in projecting their voice over the static.

blogs such as Huffington Post, Foreign Policy and Global Voices.

ty, openness and growth. Most of Pakistan’s established bloggers

Janjua’s features in Global Voices and Mosharraf Zaidi’s opinion

The general vibe in the blogging community is one of positivi-

— such as activist blog sanasaleem.com and political news and

satire blog cafepyala.com — have gained a respectable number

Of note are Naveen Naqvi’s articles for Huffington Post, Farhan pieces in Foreign Policy.

News media blogs, such as those of The Express Tribune and Dawn

of followers thanks to social media integration with Facebook,

have grown by leaps and bounds in the past year, with the major

ing out safe with free hosting on WordPress.com, Blogger or

from guests and celebrities and expertly tying them in with so-

Twitter, Digg and YouTube. New bloggers are generally startPosterous while those in it to make money use advanced tools and sites such as WordPress.org.

news organisations maintaining online blogs with contributions cial media for greater outreach and discussion.

Though options for receiving payment are limited for Pakistani

Technorati typically divides blogger demographics in terms

bloggers, blogging for money has experienced growth. Money is

employed bloggers. Pakistan’s bloggers have a predilection for

tem, first established in 2007, is still the only way for AdSense

of hobbyist bloggers, part-timers, corporate bloggers and selfhobby blogs. Eat ‘n Travel Pakistan and Tazeen’s humor blog have

quite a following and have won awards in their respective categories.

Part-time bloggers are those individuals who, despite having

full time jobs, spend considerable amounts of time on their blogs

and take them seriously. These bloggers typically have very loy-

al followings and blog in niche topics relevant to their readers.

g)roll

Teeth Maestro, run by dentist-activist-blogger Dr Awab Alvi, is quite popular in this category.

Individual or self-employed bloggers, are one of the most vi-

typically sent from Google via Western Union Fast Cash. This syspublishers to be paid in Pakistan. More people are now exposed to Google AdSense and other ad revenue sources such as Text Link

Ads and Chitika. Those able to successfully monetize their blogs

are typically students with an understanding of technology and trends as well as self-employed professionals with a background in internet marketing.

The Future Of Blogging Blogging is still considered more of an entertainment outlet

in Pakistan than a corporate or business function. As blogs ma-

ture and bloggers begin to realise their reach and clout, the real voice of Pakistan will be conveyed via this digital medium. Already people are turning to Twitter as their main source of local news, and this trend will continue with responsible and accurate citizen journalism.

Corporate bloggers are negligible in Pakistan, with no major

corporation hosting an interaction platform but hopefully Pakistan’s mainstream businesses will realise their potential and ex-

plore this marketing medium in interesting ways. Already we’re seeing the odd company or two interested in making viral campaigns for YouTube and Facebook.

In 2011, Pakistan’s bloggers will not stay restricted to textual

brantly growing community, with examples ranging from musi-

blogging, but will include photo-blogging and video blogging

gers such as Ali Zafar, Bina Khan and Saad Hamid rule this roost.

content in multiple mediums and realise that doing so leads to

cians to freelancers. Blogs such as koolmuzone.com, and blogThe most popular blogging niche in Pakistan, however, is the

political commentary blog. Kala Kawa (www.kalakawa.word-

press.com) and All Things Pakistan (www.pakistaniat.com) appear to get an equal amount of support and hate mail. Blog

readers get commentary not just from activists, but from the politicians themselves. While full-fledged blogging is too time-intensive for them, politicians have resorted to micro-blogging on

in their arsenal. As they understand the value of repurposing better positioning in search engines and higher traffic, you can expect to see much more variety and richness in the quality and content of Pakistan’s blogs. a

Salma Jafri is founder and CEO of WordPL.net and co-owner 25 and Content Director of CustomSocialPages.com. january 2-8 2011

feature

I have defeated elements who, in the name of the rule of law, are trying to pursue their vested interests.

One hundred people times 11,000 terror attacks equals 1,100,000 people, but Glenn Beck’s figure is 157 times higher than that. If in fact there are 157 million Muslim terrorists in the world, what were the other 155,900,000 of them doing last year?

Lawyer and activist Asma Jahangir, speaking on the eve of her election as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s talk show GPS, responding to Beck’s’ ‘fuzzy math.’

It’s a big decision which underscores the fact that state institutions should respect other.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani after the National Assembly approved the 19th constitutional amendment which settles the mechanism for the appointment of top judges.

year

in

Corruption this year has been comparatively less than previous years.

Former Religious Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Kazmi, commenting on the Hajj scam that countless pilgrims fell victim to in 2010.

26 January 2-8 2011

quotes It was nothing personal.

My statement was based on intelligence reports, which comprised facts.

Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, defending his earlier statement that targeted the MQM.

What is the number of Islamic terrorists?

One per cent? I think it’s closer to ten per cent but the rest of the Politically Correct world will tell you, ‘oh no, it’s miniscule.’

Glenn Beck, right wing American talk show host.

A degree is a degree, whether it is fake or genuine.

Chief minister of Balochistan, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, commenting after several parliamentarians were found to be holding falsified degreed.

I don’t know why I played that shot.

Shahid Afridi, after playing an abysmal shot in a test match.

What does censorship reveal?

It reveals fear.

Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks.

You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan.

US Special Representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke’s last words.

Forgive everybody in my case, please… and also forgive Judge Berman.

Aafia Siddiqui after US Judge Richard Berman sentenced her to incarceration for 86 years.

The 18th constitutional amendment retains many provisions that were introduced by the dictator.

Chief Justice Ifitikhar Muhammad Chaudhary after the passage of the 18th Amendment, referring to 27 former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

January 2-8 2011

COVER STORY

28

the year in pictures

January 2-8 2011

1. One-fifth of the country was puportedly underwater following the floods, which struck parts of Pakistan in July and continued to wreak havoc across the country for the next few months. PHOTO: AFP. 2.

The road to nowhere: experts estimated that infrastructure amounting to almost $10 billion was washed away in the floods. PHOTO: AFP 3. A girl displaced from flooded areas reacts as she leaves her home for higher grounds, onboard a Pakistani Army boat, following fresh flood warnings in Mehar village in Dadu district, Sindh, on September 7, 2010. PHOTO: EPA.

2

3

1

Some of the most arresting images of the year, for better or for worse.

January 2-8 2011

COVER STORY

4

5

6

January 2-8 2011

4. An aerial view of tent camps for flood victims in Dadu, Sindh on December 6, 2010. Weeks of floods devastated large areas of the country, displacing more than 18 million people and damaging crops, orchards and livestock. PHOTO: EPA. 5. Relatives gather at Jinnah International Airport, checking passenger lists as they wait for updates on the fate of their relatives who were travelling on an Airblue plane that crashed into the Margalla hills in Islamabad. The flight took off from Karachi on the morning of July 28, 2010.

The Airblue plane was carrying 159 passengers. It was the deadliest plane crash in Pakistan to date. PHOTO: EPA. 6. Rescuers, photographers, and journalists gather at the site Airblue flight 202 crashed on the morning of July 28, 2010. The crash was initially blamed on poor visibility. Rescue efforts were hampered by rain and the steepness of the slope onto which the plane crashed. The victims’ remains were identified with the help of DNA testing. PHOTO: EPA.

31 January 2-8 2011

COVER STORY

7

8

7. People being evacuated after a lake caused by a landslide in Attabad village in Hunza district expanded and swallowed several villages. The water level in the lake continued to rise until a spillway was created to ease the pressure on the lake’s banks and drain it. PHOTO: EPA 8. Rescue workers search for bodies amid debris at the scene of a suicide car bomb blast, in Karachi on November 11, 2010. A massive explosion targeting the office of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), killed at least 20 people and injured more than 50 others. PHOTO: EPA. 9. Dr Fouzia Siddiqui (L), sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, comforts her mother at their house in Karachi on September 24, 2010, after a federal court in Manhattan sentenced Aafia to 86 years in prison on charges of firing at US troops in Afghanistan. PHOTO: EPA. 10 Faisal Shahzad’s face flashes across TV screens worldwide as 10

32 January 2-8 2011

9 he is arrested as the main suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing incident in New York, on May 1, 2010. Shahzad, a naturalised American citizen, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on October 5, 2010, by a court in the US. Shahzad pleaded guilty to a 10-count indictment, including charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting an act of terrorism. PHOTO: FILE. 11. Family members of Aasia Bibi wait to speak to Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti. Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman, was sentenced to death by a local court for blasphemy, sparking debates on whether the blasphemy law ought to be repealed or not. PHOTO: EPA. 12. A family member holds up pictures of Muneeb and Mughees Butt, brothers who were brutally killed by a mob in Sialkot as police officers looked on. PHOTO: FILE.

11

12

33 January 2-8 2011

COVER STORY 14 15

13

13. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (L) shakes hands with Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during a ceremony at the Supreme Court in Islamabad on February 16, 2010. The Prime Minister helped diffuse tension between the executive and the judiciary in February over the appointments of judges in higher courts, making a surprise visit to a farewell ceremony of a senior judge. PHOTO: EPA. 14. The panel arranged by the United Nations to investigate Benazir Bhutto’s assasination hands over its findings to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. The report cast suspicions on current members of the federal cabinet, the police, Pakistan’s intelligence agencies, and the army. PHOTO: FILE. 15. As international interest in flooding across Pakistan increased, celebrities and dignitaries including Angelina Jolie visited Pakistan to assess the situation. Jolie donated $100,000 to aid flood victims in Pakistan. PHOTO: EPA. 16. Members of the Pakistani women’s cricket team rejoice after defeating Bangladesh in the Asian Games. 17. The success of Pakistani sportswomen dominated the news in 2010, as runner Naseem Hameed was dubbed the fastest woman in South Asia following her win at the South Asian Games in Dhaka on February 9, 2010. PHOTO: FILE. 18. The Pakistani men’s cricket team was embroiled in scandal yet again as players Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt were accused of accepting bribes from agent and bookmaker Mazhar Majeed. Majeed was interviewed by News of the World, which broke the story as the team was playing a Test match in England. PHOTO: FILE. 19. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna leave a joint press conference in Islamabad on July 15, 2010. The much-awaited talks between the two counterparts did not produce any concrete results nor a roadmap for the future, as terrorism appeared to dominated the discussion.

PHOTO: FILE.

19

January 2-8 2011

16

18

17 20. Other attempts at developing closer India-Pakistan ties were more succesful, as Pakistani tennis star Aisam ul Haq teamed up with Indian player Rohan Bopanna and won the men’s doubles semifinal at the US Open in September 2010. PHOTO: EPA. 21. Aisam ul Haq delivered a rousing speech at the final of the US open, saying: “Every time I come here, there’s a wrong perception about the people of Pakistan. They [Pakistanis] are very friendly, very loving people. We want peace in this world as much as you guys.” PHOTO: EPA.

20

21

January 2-8 2011

COMMENT

25 things I loved about

...2010

1 2 3 4 5 36

By NADIR HASSAN

COKE STUDIO Even in a hit-and-miss fourth season — for every Arif Lohar there was an Aunty Disco Project — Coke Studio was the only

Pakistani television show you would want to schedule your day around. During the course of the show Zeb and Haniya cemented their reputation while Meesha Shafi created a brand new one for herself.

THE FINAL SCENE OF LOST In its final 15 minutes, “Lost” went from a mind-bending sci-fi epic to a religious allegory about love. The

transcendent ending, unfairly criticised by so many, showed that when we die all that really matters is that we are with the ones we truly love.

THE 18TH AMENDMENT It took months of political bickering but the passage of

the 18th Amendment showed us that democracy works.

Seeing the most egregious perversions of the constitu-

tion rectified at a time when many were sounding the marital law drumbeat was the most satisfying political development of the year.

THE LAUNCH OF NEW NEWSPAPERS Many argue that Pakistan has too many English-

language newspapers. Rubbish. There can never be too many newspapers. The launch of The Express Tribune and Pakistan Today added more choice, more views and more information to the market.

AISAM UL HAQ AT THE US OPEN What I enjoyed most about Aisam ul Haq and Rohan Bopanna’s run at the US Open was that it brought the athleticism and teamwork of doubles’ tennis to so

many new fans. But I can’t deny that patriotism played its part too. Even if Aisam didn’t win any titles this

year, seeing a Pakistani sportsman speak for a cause greater than his own personal enrichment was a joy.

January 2-8 2011

6 7 8 9

MOHAMMAD AAMIR IN ENGLAND I was too young to see a teenaged Wasim Akram burst onto the scene. Mohammad Aamir’s superb bowling

against Australia was a close consolation. Let’s just ignore what came after that.

CONAN O’BRIEN LOSING “THE TONIGHT SHOW” When NBC announced that Conan O’Brien would be

replaced by his predecessor Jay Leno on “The Tonight

Show”, despite Leno’s earlier promise that he would gracefully stand down, a hero was born. As Conan wound down his show, he took potshots at the

network, spent as much of their money as he could and just had a blast. So did we.

VEENA MALIK Anyone willing to denounce Mohammad Asif on live

television has already contributed to an awesome 2010.

By ignoring all the haters and flaunting her wit and

personality on Bigg Boss, Veena Malik brightened up the year.

IFTIKHAR HUSSAIN’S BRAVERY Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s

information

minister

lost

his son and very nearly his own life to terrorists. The

day after the attack on his family he was as feisty

as ever, denouncing the Taliban vehemently. Even disillusioned, cynical hacks could see that some politicians have soul, integrity and commitment.

10

14

11

15

JON STEWART’S SANITY

TWITTER

Barack Obama’s election was supposed to end Jon

Like Facebook, but without all those annoying friends

around, Stewart was as hilarious as ever, skewering hy-

but don’t drone on and on. Twitter is ugly, often

Stewart’s career. Even without George W Bush to kick pocrisy and stupidity.

NASEEM HAMEED’S POISE

and photographs and words. Say what you want,

illiterate and usually unenlightening. But it’s also very addictive.

UTH OYE!’S T-SHIRTS

That sprinter Naseem Hameed became the fastest

Here’s how to excel at do-gooderism. Follow all fash-

al games is a big enough achievement. Her winning

all that but also have a kick-ass sense of humour. In-

woman in South Asia after winning gold at the regionsmile, which never wavered even after being besieged by the media, made her our newest hero.

12

THE SLACKISTAN TRAILER

ionable lefty causes and donate proceeds to charity and stead of yet another “Give Peace a Chance” t-shirt this was the year to pick up something from Uth Oye!’s latest line.

16

A MINI-RESTAURANT STREET

Filmmakers’ obsession with showing the ‘real’ Pakistan

Since the elitist Zamzama trope is now so ingrained in

elite. The trailer of Hammad Khan’s Slackistan showed

end dining. With Café Flo, Koel and Patio all in one

has left one class unrepresented in cinema: the ultraa bunch of young Islooites doing what they do best: nothing.

13

MUSHARRAF’S RETURN TO POLITICS

us, we need to go somewhere less clichéd for our high-

street we have somewhere to go for tamarind drinks, French food and thalis without walking more than 100 yards.

17

SALMAAN TASEER’S SENSE OF HUMOUR

No, we don’t want him to ever rule the country again.

Whether sounding off on Twitter or embarrassing

made us want to gouge out our eyeballs, Mush lifted

jab governor’s only job seems to be to make us laugh.

But when insipid speeches by deadly-dull politicians our spirits by boasting of his Facebook fandom.

the PML-N at impromptu press conferences, the PunSample quote: “In May I will complete two years as gov-

ernor Punjab. Please send your flowers, gifts etc to Raiwind to thank the Sharifs for their love and support.”

January 2-8 2011

37

comment

18

22

19

23

ROGER FEDERER AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN’S CONTINUED GREATNESS

In the twilight of his career, the greatest tennis play-

Scottish band Belle and Sebastian burst onto the music

through the first grand slam of the year. Despite los-

about love and books. As their latest album, Write

er of all time (that is a fact, not an opinion) cruised

ing a tiny bit of speed and control, the Swiss maestro

was in command throughout, showing he is far from a spent force. Shame about the rest of the year.

THE ASHES

scene nearly a decade-and-a-half ago with geeky songs about Love, shows, they just get better with age.

NAKED TYRANT

At a time when Test cricket’s popularity is waning,

Pakistani society is often so ridiculous that it can be

two reasons. It shows that Tests produce cricket that

rant Productions, a trio of satirists, posted hilarious on-

the Ashes have come as a delight to cricket purists for is exciting, high-quality and unpredictable. More importantly, it provides evidence that fans will still turn out for five-day matches given sporting wickets and

hard to distinguish spoof from reality. Yet Naked Tyline videos mocking society magazines, our difficulty in procuring contraceptives and much else besides.

impassioned players.

20

JAMES FRANCO’S CAREER

24

THE RISE OF MATHIRA

Franco turned in two of the year’s most devastating

Equal parts reviled and lusted after; VJ Mathira does

wrote short stories and studied at an Ivy League

and mores. When so many others are happy to self-cen-

performances in 127 Hours and Howl. He also painted, university. The Renaissance Man is alive and well and is

trapped in the body of a twenty-something Hollywood heartthrob.

21

sor to appease the moral scolds, that alone is enough to make Mathira one of the bright spots this year.

25

CO SHAHID AFRIDI’S RETIREMENT PRESS CONFERENCE

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

When Pakistan’s then-Test captain was asked when

Lets admit it: we live in the Facebook age. Most movies

“When I got out” (playing a ridiculous shot).

ing dated as soon as they are released. As realistic as our

he had decided to retire from Test cricket, he replied

The

comic masterpiece of the year belonged to Boom Boom. He showed that his talking is as extemporous

as his batting. In a year where there were few laughs

38

what she wants without regard for society’s niceties

for Pakistani cricket fans, Afridi was the only source of amusement.

January 2-8 2011

that seek to ride on the crest of the zeitgeist end up be-

online personas, The Social Network, which purports to show the founding of Facebook, was the movie event of the year. a

feature

faulty

forecasts A round-up of some of the wackiest predictions made in the last 100 years or more.

1. “Load shedding will be over by August 14, 2009.”

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, on May 26, 2008, and again on January 2, 2009: “Load shedding will be over by December 31, 2009.”

2. “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil?

You’re crazy.” Drillers who Edwin L Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

3. “Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” Pierre Pachet, professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872.

4. “It doesn’t matter what he does, he will never amount to anything.” Albert Einstein’s teacher to his father, 1895.

5. “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre, 1901.

6. “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” Grover Cleveland, US President, 1905.

7. “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” H M Warner of Warner Brothers, 1927.

9. “ That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done [research on]... The bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in

explosives.” Admiral William D Leahy, US Admiral working in

the US Atomic Bomb Project, advising President Truman on atomic weaponry, 1944.

10. “ Television won’t last because people will soon get tired of

staring at a plywood box every night.” Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946.

11. “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”

Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949.

12. “Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality

in 10 years.” Alex Lewyt, president of vacuum cleaner company Lewyt Corporation, in the New York Times in 1955.

13. “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” Decca Recording Company rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

14. “ That virus is a pussycat.” Dr Peter Duesberg, molecular-biol-

39

ogy professor at UC Berkeley, on HIV, 1988. a

January 2-8 2011

REVIEW

featured review of the week

book back to the future

BY Zarrar Khuhro

Prediction is, by definition, an inexact science. Inherent biases, an unpredictable environment and chaos theory all conspire to turn even the most succinct analysis into utter drivel. In the hands of an amateur, the risk of things going horribly wrong is even greater. Luckily, George Friedman is no amateur; as the founder and CEO of Stratfor, a private ‘global intelligence company’ once referred to as the ‘shadow CIA’, Friedman’s counsel is sought by the world’s top corporations, analysts and government organisations. In fact, Stratfor was one of the organisations targeted for infiltration by Russian spies earlier this year. In attempting to provide a forecast for the 21st century, Friedman is aware of the pitfalls, and at the very outset cautions readers that he does not have a crystal ball. What he does have, however, is a determination to see the pattern beneath the disorder of history and to then ‘anticipate what events, trends and technology that order will bring forth.’

Reading The Next 100 Years, the first thing that strikes you is that Friedman goes completely against the conventional wisdom of the day. To him, China is not so much a roaring dragon as a paper tiger. Friedman argues that while Chinese accomplishments of the past few decades are staggering in their own right, they are not enough. To him, the only way China can control the inevitable political fallout of rising disparities and a massive migrant population is by indefinite economic growth — which is of course an impossibility. He sees the China of 2020 as a state more concerned with trying to avoid breaking up than as one seeking to cement its position as a new superpower.

Friedman is equally dismissive of Russia. He sees the successor state of the USSR as having a minor revival in the 2020s as well as a renewed stand-off with the USA. However, Russia is, in his view, unable to sustain this new confrontation and disintegrates under the pressures of a defiant stance and unfavourable demographics. The 40 collapse of Russia soon after the 2020’s is the central assumption January 2-8 2011

crystal ball Friedman forsees a war in 2050 with the USA and Poland on one side and Japan and Turkey on the other.

Pakistan is ruled out of the race for leadership of the Muslim world due to its being hemmed in geographically and being too riven by internal disputes.

from which the rest of Friedman’s anaylsis stems. The fall of Russia and the weakening of China clear the field for the countries Friedman speculates will be the world powers of the future: Japan, Turkey and, surprisingly, Poland. Turkey, by virtue of its economy and geographical position takes leadership of the Muslim world. It is in this section of the book that Pakistan is ruled out of the race for leadership of the Muslim world due to its being hemmed in geographically and being too riven by internal disputes. The India-centric amongst us may take cold comfort in the fact that India too gets little attention in Friedman’s book. Likewise, Iran is considered too ‘controversial’ by virtue of its Persian/ Shia heritage to be a far-reaching power in the Muslim world. With the eyes of the US constantly on it, Iran is too preoccupied to make a serious bid. In fact, the entire War on Terror is written off as a distraction from the USA’s real strategic goals, and Friedman sees the Islamists of the future as fighting mostly

against their own governments rather than with the US. The US-Japan confrontation of World War II also renews itself, with control of the Pacific contested between the two countries.

Poland, fortified by its western alliances expands to fill the void left by Russia. Up until this part of the book, you can disagree with Friedman’s conclusions, but may find it hard to criticise his methodology. But as he moves further into the future, the book starts to read less like an impartial analysis and more like science fiction, especially when he errs in providing far too much detail of a war in 2050 with Turkey and Japan on one side and the USA and Poland on the other — a war the US wins. In the end, even though Friedman says the book is not meant as a celebration of American power, that’s exactly what it ends up as. Nevertheless, for all its shortcomings, The Next 100 Years is a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in geopolitics. a

41 January 2-8 2011

Horoscope 2011

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

The coming year divides neatly into

You make the best of 2011 by moving

When you look back on 2011, you’ll

two parts. During the first five months,

swiftly, especially in response to develop-

BY SHELLEY VON STRUNCKEL recognise its amazing events for what

it seems that you’ve little control, even

ments early in the year. Some say you’re

Shelley von Strunckel is an

they are. As you’re living out its days,

over important matters. But you needn’t

being impulsive, but with ongoing tran-

developments will have you on a roller

worry, because events are disentangling

sition, thorough investigation achieves

coaster. With the expansive Jupiter in Ar-

you from restrictive arrangements in

little. Instead pursue offers and make

ies, from January to June, opportunities

several areas of your life. Mostly, this is

plans, but ensure they’re flexible enough

in 1992. A frequent lectur-

appear from numerous quarters. But it’s

a relief. If it is upsetting, it’s not for long.

to accommodate frequent changes in

er, she writes daily, weekly

the move by Uranus, planet of the un-

Once you begin to benefit from the ex-

both circumstances and your own ob-

and monthly horoscopes

expected, into your sign in March that

citing, and often unexpected, changes,

jectives. Also, focus on exploration, ide-

in publications around

shakes up both circumstances and, as

the world including South

offers and opportunities triggered by Ju-

ally with those who’re also eager to break

a result, your objectives. Consequently,

piter’s presence in Taurus, from June 4,

away from restrictive thinking or situa-

your biggest challenge could be letting go

you’ll be relieved the way’s been cleared.

tions. This, alone, is rewarding. Finances

of old and sensible goals or relinquishing

Explore absolutely everything, knowing

take longer to organise. Still, by late in

now The Express Tribune

long cherished plans. Do so, however, and

that what offers most may seem unset-

the year, you should have lined up activi-

Magazine.

you clear the way for happiness, personal

tling initially. And what’s best about this

ties you enjoy, exciting people to pursue

fulfilment and material gain beyond any-

promising cycle remains unclear until

them with and the kind of compensation

thing you’d imagined possible. 108

November. 107

you’ve been hoping for. 109

internationally acclaimed astrologer who created the first horoscope column for the London Sunday Times

China Morning Post, The Gulf News, Tatler, French and Chinese Vogue and

40 42 December 12-18 2010

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

With so much going on, it’s easy to for-

Unsettling events draw you closer to

With eclipses in June and during the

get about others, even those closest. This

those you rely on. However, because this

year’s final months shaking up your life

could lead to tensions. However, not only

is a year of change for everybody, they’ll

and those of others, understanding and

is it vital you include them, their support

need your support, too. Be prepared for

a generosity of spirit is essential. Be open

and guidance will lend essential perspec-

shifts in those alliances, whatever their

with those who matter most, but give

tive during this period of remarkable

nature. The more flexible your attitude,

them plenty of space to explore. You’ll

personal growth.

the better. 42

need it, too. 45

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

Ordinarily you’d ensure you’ve details

View the unexpected and occasionally

How you live and make money will shift,

about practical or financial matters

costly events of the year’s first half as

perhaps frequently. While unsettling,

before furthering even the most intrigu-

an investment in your future. By May’s

this opens your world in wonderful way.

ing ideas. But between the swift pace

Taurus New Moon, it will be clear where

It may take until 2012 for you to receive

and lack of solid facts, you’ll have to trust

there’s promise, and by late in the year,

payoff for these efforts, but it will be

your instincts. By November you should

you’ll be thriving. 39

worth waiting for. 39

know exactly where you stand.

Health and Well Being

Health and Well Being

Health and Well Being

As with all unsettling periods, you could

You may thrive on change, but with so

As an Aries, you thrive on a demanding

either overindulge or not get enough

much of your life being unpredictable,

schedule. But this year is so demanding

exercise. Or say you’re too busy to pay

your health could be your last priority. If

that even you could overdo it. The trick

attention to such matters. Eating wisely

so, you’ll pay for it. Consistent effort at

is to dive in, tackle all those thrilling

and living well is literally an investment

eating well and resting well, too, keeps

opportunities, then pause, rest and catch

in yourself, especially during such a

you in top

up on the rest of your life.

pivotal year. 42

Leo

Cancer

During the year past, your life’s been

Virgo

After an informative but unsettling

influenced by others, far more than you

The year’s theme is the wise use of

2010, you’re eager to turn at least some

like. While some events have been wel-

your resources. While you, as a canny

of the ideas, plans and alliances you’ve

come, others haven’t - and a few have

Virgo and an earth sign, are usually the

been discussing into action. You will, but

seemed disastrous. After one more

one who guides others, constant chang-

first pay close attention early January’s

shake-up in early January, you realise

es in both circumstances and the situa-

amazing events. These shake up existing

that what seemed most worrying was

tion of others leaves you feeling unsure,

arrangements but can’t be ignored. The

actually breaking up old patterns and

yet demands fast action and creative

same goes for the exciting yet disruptive

forcing you to view your activities and

thinking. You’ve no time to do your usual

developments that a place between April

relationships from a fresh perspective.

analysis. Initially this makes you anxious,

and July. By August, when courageous

This makes you feel inquisitive. So during

but you’re soon trusting your instincts.

Mars moves into Cancer for six weeks,

the year’s first half, explore every option.

Enough that by midyear, you’re exploring

you know what you want to achieve and,

Then, when events force you to narrow

new ideas and activities solely because

happily, events suit you perfectly. Get-

your focus, during its second half, you’ll

they inspire you. Thus, you’re ready to

ting support, emotional or otherwise,

know exactly what you want to pursue,

act when Mars’ move into Virgo, on No-

takes until late in the year, but is worth

and what will be in your best interests.

vember 11, begins a seven month cycle of

waiting for. 100

106

exploration and achievement. 105

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

You’re always conscious of links with

Don’t misinterpret the word ‘unstable’

Profound changes in the lives of those

others, exciting yet unsettling develop-

as meaning you’ve reason to worry.

around you complicate planning. But

ments during 2011 make this skill all the

Rather, you and those closest, at home

they lead to new ideas, activities and

more vital. The challenge is ensuring

or at work, will be busily exploring new

pursuits which are as exciting as, in

you live or work in harmony with oth-

ideas. Consequently, you’ll be feeling

some cases, they’re rewarding. Since

ers, while also looking after your own

unsettled. This isn’t just good, it creates a

such things can’t be planned, take each

interests. 40

new understanding between you. 43

day as it comes. 41

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

What once made sense may no longer

The more flexible and inquisitive you

With sensible Saturn focusing your

be in your best interests. The remedy?

are, the better. View any financial jug-

mind on what’s worth your while, you’ll

Explore your options. Changes in the

gling you must do during the year’s first

recognise sudden and often unsettling

financial world around you, your own

half as an education. Similarly, what

developments in your own life and

income sources and your requirements,

you learn, even just for fun, could soon

around you as holding the promise they

fiscal and otherwise, demand both flex-

become part of your working life. 40

do. Still, you must be flexible, often

ibility and a creative approach. 41

Health and Well Being

uncharacteristically so. 38

Health and Well Being

Change and uncertainty could make

Health and Well Being

With eclipses accenting such matters,

you anxious, which then leads to being

You may have the best instincts of the

it’s clear you’re in a period of experimen-

self-indulgent. That’s OK, as long as you

zodiac for what’s right for you in terms

tation and change. This includes discov-

have a routine in place that makes up for

of both diet and exercise. However,

ering new ways of looking after yourself.

those lapses. Ensure this fun and you’ll

learning to manage stress is your chal-

Treats are important, so any programme

do it out of joy, not duty. 42

lenge. At minimum long walks help, but

you adopt must balance discipline with

meditation is superb, too. 39

life’s luxuries. 37

41 43 December 12-18 2010

Horoscope 2011

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

During this rather chaotic year,

The year of 2011 is about creating

Over the past year, with your ruler

you’ll be grateful for the stabilising influ-

balance in several areas of your life –

Jupiter next to adventuresome Uranus,

ence of Saturn, which remains in Libra all

between its obligations and pleasures,

you’ve explored a huge range of ideas and

casts, visit

year. When sudden events, exciting ideas

between sticking with the familiar and

options, and had some adventures. Their

www.shelleyvon-

or offers cause confusion, in your life or

venturing into the unknown. Events par-

final encounter is on January 4, which

strunckel.com

in others’, you’ll focus on practicalities.

ticularly encourage this variety of inquis-

means it’s time to capitalise on some

This means that when promising devel-

itiveness. While you’ll respond positive

opportunities and forget about others.

opments arise in early January and June,

to potentially intriguing ideas or offers,

True, this may mean giving up on certain

you’ll be prepared to ask the right ques-

initially, others will seem uninteresting

dreams. If so, events during the year’s

tions. Similarly, you’ll handle tensions,

or, perhaps, it seems events are forcing

first half offer something even better -

especially those midyear, with amazing

you to get involved. If so, take a chance.

personally, creatively and romantically.

ease. Most important, when potential

Or, when changes in the actual circum-

Some are for fun, others instructive but

changes in your work or lifestyle arise,

stances you’re dealing with corner you

brief, while a few are lasting. Then, with

instead of debating the pros and cons

into getting involved, don’t do battle -

ruler Jupiter accenting life’s practicalities

forever, you’ll investigate, then make a

explore. The sooner you begin, the more

from June onward, you’ll focus on exactly

decision, confident you’re doing what’s

swiftly you’ll spot the promise these new

what needs to be done to achieve their

best – for you and for others. 103

activities and alliances hold. 104

potential. 107

For more information, to order personal charts and to download & listen to detailed audio-

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

Obviously, others’ ups and downs con-

Patience is essential, with others and in

Rarely have the planets indicated greater

cern you. And so many are undergoing

your own life. Changes may upset plans

potential for happiness, fulfilment and

dramatic change. They may complain,

or cause tensions. Instead of trying to

creative rewards. Opportunities this

but things really can’t stay the same.

remedy these, take it slowly and believe

splendid appear infrequently. The trick is

Which means encouraging them to

others want things to turn out well as

to take chances but, at the same time, be

proceed. Meanwhile, focus on tough

much as you do. 40

discriminating about what – and who –

personal tasks, then adjourn together to

Finances and Work

is worth your while. 39

discuss and reflect. 43

Regard this is a period during which

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

you’re cultivating a garden. Knowing

With the solid, precise and canny Pluto

Being a Libra, you know the importance

that, you won’t expect too much, too

continuing to accent finances, as well as

of working closely with others, espe-

swiftly. Rather, you’ll work closely with

your time and even your ideas, you’re

cially when new ideas or ventures are

others, and learn from them. The result-

being unusually cautious, or paying for

involved. True, this means talking out

ing exchange of ideas is informative and

past unwise decisions. Similarly, you’re

differences, some intense. But what you

builds a real trust. 42

reviewing how well you’re compensated

learn in the process is informative and

Health and Well Being

for what you do. 40

solidifies these vital relationships. 42

Even if you’re convinced you’re looking

Health and Well Being

Health and Well Being

after yourself well, this is the year to

Times of growth require extra strength

Caring about others’ well being doesn’t

explore new options. You’ve changed

and endurance. So instead of putting fun and practicalities first, and looking after

justify ignoring your own. Challenging

and so have your needs. But you won’t

as developing a regular habit of healthful

know that until you begin to experience

yourself later, it’s essential you make

activity may be, it’s exactly what you’ll

what’s there and learn from it. 40

your well being as much of a priority as

need this year. Looking after yourself could even become a pleasure. 36

40 44 December 12-18 2010

everything else. 36

Capricorn The Capricorn solar eclipse on Janu-

Aquarius

Pisces

ary 4 ends one chapter and begins anoth-

Tempting as it is to put off respond-

Because early January’s encounter be-

er. It also alters both circumstances and

ing to the extraordinary but disruptive

tween bountiful Jupiter and Uranus in Pi-

your perspective, which quickly make it

ideas or offers that appear during the

sces marks the conclusion of a year-long

clear that all plans should be viewed as

year’s first two months, it’s now or never.

cycle of growth, you’ll need to act swiftly

tentative. Approaching things from this

In March your ruler Uranus moves into a

in response to exciting developments,

angle may be unlike you, but it means

new sign, and to accent new ideas, and

even if it means putting yourself first and

you can explore intriguing ideas, then

those options vanish. However, because

others second. Just as significant is your

make changes as yet more options arise.

you’re in a period of intense growth,

ruler Neptune’s move into your sign in

As they will, in great numbers, until mid-

even seemingly solid commitments will

April, and you’ll be rethinking numerous

year. By then you could also be consider-

evolve. Also, as one thing leads to anoth-

elements of your life. These questions are

ing alterations in your work or lifestyle.

er, what seems a social opportunity could

important. If unsure, take a chance. You’ll

If so, begin, knowing the year’s second

turn romantic or, equally, lead to new and

learn a great deal. But also, since what’s

half is as exciting, although the changes

exciting activities. In most cases, it’s best

on offer won’t appear again, if things

it brings involve who or what you most

to say yes first, knowing you can deal

don’t work, you can move on. Aim high.

adore in life. 105

with the details later. 103

Your dreams really could come true. 102

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

As you evolve so, too, must the closest

This area of your life is rich with wonder-

Being both intuitive and deeply caring,

of relationships in your life. While most

ful experiences. The only caution is get-

you consider the impact of decisions on

easily withstand these changes, dealing

ting overly involved with others’ dramas

others before own, and yours without a thought. During 2011, the balance shifts.

with them requires a lot of talk, and

when this is a time of tremendous

perhaps a shake-up of some variety. The

personal growth. Yes, this means put-

Don’t worry. Everybody will be eager for

resulting discussions are astonishingly

ting yourself first, even when you find it

you to take advantage of the remarkable opportunities coming your way. 44

informative. 40

difficult. 39

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

Finances and Work

Ordinarily frequent changes are reason

Don’t misinterpret changes as reason for

It isn’t always easy to say what you want. You can be unsure, feel shy or

to worry. But now they stimulate

concern. Equally, trust your own posi-

thinking and, better yet, broaden your

tive instincts over those of certain well

worry you’ll upset others. However,

horizons. Explore everything. You’ll

meaning but overly cautious individuals.

what’s in the air is so exciting you’ll over-

learn, even from what you decide not to

What you begin now could profit your

come all those concerns. If in doubt, aim

pursue. However, what initially seems

substantially – financially and otherwise

high. This is a life-changing year. 42

least promising could turn out best. 40

– for years to come. 38

Health and Well Being

Health and Well Being

Health and Well Being

With so much going on, you could easily

There’s a difference between simply

It’s time to learn something new. This is

feel overwhelmed, or forget to eat. Or

exercising and genuinely looking after

a year of growth, which means breaking

not get enough sleep. But this new era

yourself. Now, with eclipses in June and

even healthy habit patterns. Why? You

of your life’s also about balance, which

December shifting your routine, and

won’t really understand until you’ve

means investing as much time in you as

your thinking, you begin exploring new

done it. But here’s a hint. What’s good for

in those thrilling developments. 42

and better ways to take good care of your

you is no longer much of a joy. 42

body. 38

41 45 December 12-18 2010

THE HATER

10 things I hate about ...i hate lists

1 2 3 4 5

By Ayesha Siddiqi

The judgement implicit in the ‘H’ word. Then again,

‘10 traits that one could stereotype a certain genre of people as having’ isn’t as catchy.

The wild generalisations: fat people snore, thin people whine about their weight, gamers have no friends.

The undeniable truth that slaps you in the face when you realise that you do, as a smoker, incessantly fantasise about quitting one day.

The number 10. Why not 8, or 15? Everything can’t tie up into a neat number ten.

Oh, and by the way, making the same point twice in slightly different words is just cheating.

46 January 2-8 2011

6 7 8 9 10

The awful negativity of it all: aren’t there more than enough people complaining in the rest of the

newspaper/magazine? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to read a ‘10 things I love about’ list?

The feeble attempts at humour made through the use

of wild stereotypes that can leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, akin to the lingering effect of a racist joke.

The personal issues that appear to be vented in each of these lists.

The comments, ranging from delighted to offended to hateful to mildly amused, many of which are five times as long and just as badly thought out as the list itself.

The feeling at the end of the list that you’ve just

wasted a few minutes of your life, and the subsequent realisation that, oh well, while you’re at it, might as well leave a pithy comment. a

june 13-19 2010

june 13-19 2010