The Express Tribune Magazine - July 28

JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Messing Around hostel t n e d Stu akistan P n i e lif uide to g r u o and isely w g n i s choo

JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Feature

Cover Story

Over the top Misreporting on the location of the Nanga Parbat attack hits Fairy Meadows tourism

Messing Around Student hostel life in Pakistan and our guide to choosing wisely

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Feature

Resurrecting an old Raja’s palace The Khaplu palace in Skardu has been restored as a boutique hotel

24

38 Regulars

6 People & Parties: Out and about with the beautiful people

40 Review: Assault on Wall Street 42 Tech: The latest smart stuff

Magazine Editor: Mahim Maher and Sub-Editor: Dilaira Mondegarian.

Creative Team: Amna Iqbal, Jamal Khurshid, Anam Haleem, Essa Malik, Maha Haider, Faizan Dawood, Samra Aamir, Kiran Shahid and Asif Ali. Publisher: Bilal A Lakhani. Executive Editor: Muhammad Ziauddin. Editor: Kamal Siddiqi.

For feedback and submissions: magazine@tribune.com.pk Twitter: @ETribuneMag & Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ETribuneMag 4 Printed: uniprint@unigraph.com

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Shazia and Hasnat

Ahmad Sheikh and Mehreen Syed

Atif and Sarah

Juggan Kazim ties the knot with Tribune columnist Feisal Naqvi in Lahore

Faisel Naqvi and Juggun Kazim

Savail and Mina

Shirin Natasha, Nilofer, Zara, Femi and Noor

6 JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Uzma

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Onaza and Ali

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Shabo, Mubassara and Timmy

Nabiha

Shan Taseer and Zehra

Iman, Natasha and Ridah Sara

Sissi and Elizabeth

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Sara Khan and Meesha Shafi

Alizah, Aliya and Mina JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Iffat Umar and Kamiar Rokhni

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Nooray, Fahad Hussayn and Zain

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Bushra and Sara

Yogen Fruz opens up in Lahore

Sana, Saeed and Fatima

Ayesha

Maria and Khadija

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Shumaila and Aneeka JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Sam

Samia Khan

Manahil and Mahwish

PHOTOS COURTESY SAVVY PR AND EVENTS

Ursala, Natasha and Noore

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Designer label Élan and Moin Khan collaborate for ‘Project Pakistan’ Fatima, Shagula and Mehwish Khadijah Shah

Sehar Amna and Sana

Anushkey and Fizza

Aneela

Hina and Fatima

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Marriam JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Mahgul and Attiya

Shazreh

PHOTOS COURTESY IMRAN FAREED

Meesha Shafi

Annem and Ali

Neha

Shoaeb and Annie Shams

PHOTOS COURTESY IMRAN FAREED

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Zara Peerzada Aneela Shah and Muhammad Nadira and Saliha

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Mishal and Shah Ellahi JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Fatia and Zainab

PEOPLE & PARTIES

Insignia Shoes organises a focus group in Lahore

Asmaa Mumtaz

Madiha

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Huma Amir Shah and Vinny JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Gia Ali and Rubab

Zain, Saira and Ayesha

Mehrbano Sethi and Salma

Hajra Hayat and Amna Kardar

PHOTOS COURTESY BILAL MUKHTAR EVENTS & PR

Natasha Saigol

COVER STORY

How good is student hostel life in Pakistan and our guide to choosing wisely

By Haroon ur Rasheed in Islamabad, Riaz Ahmad in Peshawar, Aroosa Shaukat in Lahore, Noman Ahmed in Karachi

Dorms are places where you live away from your parents for the first time in your life (microeconomics). You learn how to make a bong from a soft drink can (mechanical engineering). You learn what it is like to be alone (Theory of Relativity). You discover not to wash whites with colours (biochemical synthesis).

Chances are you are living away from home because your parents won’t let you study abroad, you wanted to get away from your parents, your hometown’s idea of higher education is limited to long-distance learning. In any case, we decided to provide a little information so you know what to expect.

If you are going to the Ghulam Ishaque Khan Institute of Topi, you won’t have a choice but to live on campus. “This is because of the tight study schedule,” explains hostel manager Farruk Naveed. You will be placed at one of its 10 dormitories along with 1,500 classmates. The good news is that you get wi-fi, central heating, air-conditioning and even a swimming pool.

And while you have a choice with the Lahore University of Management Sciences, you’ll almost want to stay on campus. “Given our hectic study schedule, I really couldn’t afford to stay anywhere off campus,” says Maham Imtiaz from the Chasma Barrage area. She described the LUMS hostel experience as “heaven on earth”.

If you are headed to Islamabad or Rawalpindi, know that nine out of 15 public sector universities have dorms. Public universities Bahria, Air and Wifaqi Urdu university have no dorms. Not a single private or semi-government university in the twin cities offers housing (SZABIST, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences/FAST, and Iqra University).

Places like COMSATS, Islamabad that don’t have oncampus housing still accommodate their students, although far away (Rs45,000 per semester). The assistant warden at its boys’ hostel, Asif Shafi, said they offer subsidised transport.

But one of the girls who lives in a Comsats facility in Sector H-8, 15km from campus, said that if she misses the morning bus, she has to pay Rs200 for a taxi. A better example is QAU Islamabad’s subsidised shuttle service to the city center every 45 minutes.

Rawalpindi Medical College owns four hostels but a student said she and other girls were accommodated six kilometres off campus near Justice Ali Nawaz Chowhan Square on Rawal Road. “Accessing the library is the biggest issue for us,” she added.

Pakistan Institute for Development Economics, Islamabad has two off-campus hostels — for girls in Faizabad

and for boys in Chak Shehzad. Although the hostels are far from campus, the institute provides transport in two shifts (Rs2,000 per semester). One student described the hostels as comfortable and peaceful even if they weren’t that big.

Too close for comfort Do check overcrowding when choosing. A veterinary sciences student at Pir Mehr Ali Shah University of Arid Agriculture University in Rawalpindi warns that up to six students are stuffed into one room. You can perhaps sleep in such an arrangement, he says, but forget about trying to get any studying done. Don’t be taken in by the rates of about Rs5,000 a semester for boarding.

A Rawalpindi Medical College student described their overcrowding in an off-campus dorm: “At least two to three girls live in each room, which is a 10-by-10 foot den.”

Punjab University’s 28 on-campus hostels are the most sought after, because they are cheap, starting at Rs1,800 per month. But you only get a room if you are enrolled in the morning programme. While you may get to use the wifi, gym, laundry room and even an on-campus tailor, beware of the sanitation complaints. “The buildings are old and naturally the up-keep is difficult,” said student Maria Qanita. And because the rooms are in such demand there is overcrowding — five girls sharing a space for four. Oh and you sometimes get a charpoy instead of a bed (but that might be more hygienic).

Political science On some campuses watch out for the political student wings. A PhD student at International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI), who wanted to remain unnamed, spoke of constant interference from at least three student unions.

“Hostel rules [seem] to apply only for students who aren’t affiliated with these student wings,” he says wryly. “We are discriminated against. Even our guests are not allowed to enter the mess. But the […] or members of any other union can easily get a space for their guests in the hostels.”

The Lahore University of Management Sciences houses almost 1,800 students in their 10 on-campus residential buildings.

Expect to pay about Rs24,500 per semester, Rs5,000 per month for a room, including electricity. But you have to pay more for appliances. You have a kitchen with a refrigerator, stove, iron, water cooler, microwave and toaster. But live-in students can cook at the Pepsi Dining Centre. Vegetarian meals cost Rs35 and non-vegetarian Rs100 upwards. You have a doctor on campus five times a week from 3 pm to 7 pm and an emergency line is available 24 hours a day. Beauticians come in five times a week.

JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

25

COVER STORY The provost of the IIU male section, Dr Hafiz Abid Masood, denied that student political wings had any influence. But at the same time, he apologetically admitted that to their existence by saying, “What university doesn’t have these unions?”

At Peshawar University, six to seven students live in one room and many of them are not PU students. One student complained that they were affiliated with the student organisations, smoked hashish and listened to loud music.

“These guys in the administration know about it but the student organisations are a real trouble and they avoid any tussle with them.”

In Karachi, it has been much worse with political meddling leading to the closure of hostels. So, for example, Karachi University closed its boys’ hostel in 1994. The girls’ hostel and one for international students are the only ones on campus right now and accommodate about 350 in total. As a result, the out-station students, such as the ones from Gilgit-Baltistan, end up renting flats near Safoora Chowrangi at the end of University Road.

With four people sharing a flat the rent comes to about Rs6,000 per month with meals.

Temperature control The creature comforts of life include an electric kettle to make 2 am coffee for study marathons, a microwave to

reheat a leftover dinner and the all-important air conditioner. You’d be lucky to find a hostel that has ACs in the rooms. But some places will allow you to install one at an extra charge. If not that, a room cooler for Rs500 a month.

But if you are living on-campus at Peshawar University, you’ll find yourself studying in the lawn when the temperature goes up because the ACs are usually broken.

At LUMS there are no ACs in the rooms but in the common rooms, where you will find people sleeping in the stifling summers.

At the IIU, which has 11 hostels for 5,000 outstation students, you can use stoves in your room but you are not allowed to install an AC. But this is still better than places like Forman Christian College hostels that won’t let you keep a TV or heater let alone an AC.

Security issues In October 2009, two suicide bombers blew up the cafeteria of the International Islamic University. Three women and two men were killed. NUML had to cancel its convocation in 2009 after it received threats. Today the campus looks like a garrison with checks on student bags and ID. “As GIKI is located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, there are security threats all the times,” says Assad Sulaiman, a recent graduate. But there are night patrols and military check posts at the back where the jungle starts.

Punjab University, Lahore

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“Till 2006, female QUAdians also used to make fun of newcomers,” says hostel warden Aliya Satti.

“But then someone threw talcum powder into one junior’s face.”

She was asthmatic and had to be rushed to the emergency. As soon as the news reached the vice chancellor, he banned ragging

Abbottabad

Who can study indoors in such beautiful surroundings?

Islamia College, Peshawar

The popular places While Pakistan may not have any ivy leagues, it certainly does have some historic campuses. Perhaps the most beautiful hostels across Peshawar district are the 10 of Islamia College. For instance the Victorian-style Qayum Manzil was established in 1914 and the nearby Butler Hostel in 1913.

They have 36 rooms each that take four beds. The best part is the fountain in the middle of each building.

Every student pays Rs3,200 for food and Rs21,000 per annum for boarding. “[This] is out of reach for most students… but let me tell you the quality of food is good and our hostels are neat and clean,” said one student. The Islamia College students were the only ones who did not complain.

Khyber Medical College (KMC) also ranks up there because of its quality housing and cheap food. Rooms at Qasim Hall and Razi Hall cost Rs10,300 per annum. You can install your own AC for an extra charge. You get a first class bed and a variety of meals for Rs45 and you can eat as much as you like. No outsiders are allowed.

The hostels of Agricultural University and the University of Engineering are in comparatively good shape but students said they did not come close to the KMC standards.

In Karachi, the private Aga Khan University is known for maintaining the best housing on-campus and offcampus for around 500 students. The university charges Rs13,000 a month from Pakistani students while over-

Saad Khan If any place comes to close to matching the setting of Malory Towers, the famous British Enid Blyton boarding house series, it is Abbottabad. The pine-covered hill station in Hazara division has beautiful weather and real winters. But it isn’t that cut off that you can’t pop over to Islamabad or Peshawar, which are close by. That is if the warden allows you to leave by the main gate.

Of particular note are institutions such as Army Burn Hall School & College, which prides itself on preparing the next generation of soldiers who go on to join the army. The campus is located on Mansehra Road where Matric, O’Level streams are offered. Expect to pay between Rs125,000 and Rs250,000 per annum which includes boarding, lodging and messing.

For roughly the same price, is Abbottabad Public School spread over 55 acres and surrounded by lush green hills. Students are taken from class 7 to 12 and take either pre-engineering or premedical groups at the intermediate level. The institution is entirely boarding with seven hostels loftily named after Iqbal, Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan, Sir Syed and even Tipu Sultan. Day scholars can stay at Rehman House. You can mess around in the common room but no watching dirty movies on the TV there. Expect to pay Rs150,000 upwards per annum.

Ayub Medical College and Teaching Hospital on the Karakoram Highway has hostels but not messing or laundry. Expect to share a room with two students. Women Medical College improves on this by boarding you at its off-campus hostels if it can’t find you a place on campus. This way it accommodates all 500 students. Huge plus point is studying at the historic Hoti Palace campus over 50 kanals. Expect to pay Rs350,000 per annum which includes boarding and lodging but not transport.

The much larger Comsats University, located on 308 kanals, had a modest beginning in World War II barracks but now has 5,500 students. It has three blocks for 750 male students and one for 100 female students to stay in. Fee, which includes boarding and lodging and messing, comes to about Rs105,000.

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COVER STORY

If you are a private university student, there is a high chance that your institution will not offer housing. This will leave you with the choice of living with family or friends or winging it at a private hostel — which is big business these days but more in the sweatshop kind of way.

This is how Rao Ali Sarfaraz of MAJU Islamabad put it: “Living in private hostels in the twin cities is like self-detention in Kot Lakhpat jail.”

One of your biggest priorities should be regular power supply. In Rawalpindi, for example, Rao Ali Sarfaraz’s private hostel owner isn’t pushed to get a generator and now the student feels his grades will suffer.

Don’t be taken in with the cheap rents. Forman Christian College students who look for housing in Main Market in Gulberg and Jail road can get apartments for Rs5,000 but don’t have generators. Another option are the Pak-Turk hostels on main Jail road that charge Rs10,000 per person for a four-person room (including two meals, gas, water

and parking). You pay Rs2,000 for an AC. In most cases, it is better to stay on campus because they have the infrastructure. Fourth-year LUMS student Ahsan Usmani has been living at the boys hostel but looked for an off-campus residence for social reasons. (You aren’t allowed to have visitors after 9:30 pm on campus.) But he decided not to move out because the incessant power failures jacked up the cost of living off campus.

The other worry with private hostels is overcrowding.

This explains the mushroom growth in the past 15 years in Peshawar around University Road, Hayatabad and Hasthnagri.

“The hostel is a good business. Just rent a residential 20 marla house with at least seven rooms and you can accommodate 28 students which means Rs56,000 minimum,” said one owner. “You can use the store and even the garage as a room. You can make rooms by using partitions if the drawing room is large enough.”

Private hostels think they are doing you a favour by providing cheap rooms on the expensive Peshawar University Road neighborhood. “This is an area where public transport is easily available 24 hours a day and there is comparative peace too,” said Sameeullah, the warden of a private hotel.

But the cheap places at Rs2,500 are barely inhabitable.

“I have rented a room because it is almost walking distance from my coaching centre,” said student Bilal who has come to Peshawar to prepare for a medical entrance test. “Otherwise it is a dirty hostel and nearly all hostels in this area are similar.

Ibrar Khan said he had no choice but to find a place off University Road. “Look at the condition of this room we have to share,” he said. “It is a small room and we don’t even have a foam mattress let alone a bed despite the fact that there are lots of insects in the summers.”

Hayatabad has more than a dozen places where you

Off-campus in Lahore

GCU Lahore

Rawalpindi Medical College

seas students pay $130.

Peshawar University’s hostels are also spacious and beautiful with large lawns, fountains, common rooms and dining rooms. Expect to pay Rs18,600 per annum for a room for two. Larger rooms have been divided over the years to keep up with demand. The downside is that you’ll be lucky to find drinking water after noon. There are few checks on outsiders.

Dow International Medical College in Karachi has on-campus housing, specifically for international students. It gets a lot of students from the UAE, US and Canada. They need to pay Rs8,000 on average per month for boarding and lodging but they get their money’s worth. The facilities include ACs, folding beds, plenty of space for clothes and books.

Karachi’s Institute of Business Administration did not respond to repeated requests for information for this story.

On your own

Forman Christian College

Rs 10,000

Rs 50,000

4

Rs 34,000

is what a two-room apartment with a separate bathroom and kitchen will cost you in Lahore’s Lalik Jan Chowk area. Portions of houses rent for about Rs25,000.

is the single occupancy charge per annum for a Forman Christian College hostel. It is cheaper to share. Forman gives you a choice with hostels on and off campus. Mess charges (from Rs8,500 a month) are fixed whether you eat or not.

is the number of Government College University on-campus hostels at Katchery road in the heart of the old city.

The monthly rent includes mess charges: Rs500 for a cubicle, Rs400 for twin occupancy and Rs300 for a dorm.

is how much one Rawalpindi Medical College student pays to live in a hostel. One is on campus and the other is five kilometres away in Satellite Town.

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QUA, Islamabad will pay about Rs3,500 in rent and about Rs2,500 for food a month. They are cramped at four a room but neater.

But the owners squeeze four people per medium-sized room. They say they can charge more because the houses are in good shape.

But be aware that the Peshawar Development Authority has prohibited hostels in houses in Hayatabad. “Every night we fear that our hostel could be raided and we could be forced out,” said student Sajjad Khan. “It is a permanent tension despite the fact that we pay full rent.”

Another downside is that you’ll probably be responsible for your own meals as the private hostels don’t have proper dining rooms and large kitchens. Some of them might

have an arrangement with a restaurant nearby. “We eat at a nearby hotel which costs us Rs2,500 per month minimum,” said Khalid, an Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan student who has a room off University road.

Of course, there are students who willingly choose to live off campus in private hostels. One fourth-year GCU student moved out because visitors were not allowed. “Even my father could not come in the room,” he said. GCU students tend to look in Anarkali where rent is low, starting at Rs4,000. The buildings are old but this may appeal to some.

“I like the fact that I get to live cheaply and get a flavour of the city as well,” explained student Haider. Now that is the old romantic notion of student life. Poor but happy. T

Punjab University

QAU Islamabad

Comsats

Comsats in Islamabad

6,000

Rs 19,000

200

Rs 400

students live in Punjab University’s 28 on-campus hostels — the highest.

is the per semester charge for rooms at QAU Islamabad’s three hostels and six annexes for women that have communal baths, a gym, walking tracks, badminton courts, lawns, landline phones and wi-fi.

female students live in two off-campus hostels run by Comsats, with up to four per room.

is the monthly fee for laundry services at Comsats, Islamabad. And in Peshawar Rs20 is how much a dhobi will charge you per suit. He comes to the hostel.

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ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID SOURCE: DEUTSCHE HIMALAYA EXPEDITION MAP OF NANGA PARBAT, PAKISTAN TREKKING GUIDE BY ISOBEL SHAW AND BEN SHAW

Misreporting on the location of the Nanga Parbat attack hits Fairy Meadows tourism

BY DANIAL SHAH

32 JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Nanga Parbat, the Killer Mountain, didn’t strike this time — men did. On June 23, members of a terrorist group murdered 10 foreign tourists and their Pakistani cook. Local news reports said it happened at Fairy Meadows and they flashed images of it, saying that it was the base camp of Nanga Parbat. International news agencies claimed that it happened “at a hotel in Northern Pakistan”. What they both have in common is factual error.

As an adventure seeker and travel photographer, I have devoted my life to exploring the farthest corners of Pakistan. And my next stop, as planned for June 28, was a trek to the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world.

Just four days before my trip I received a series of text messages from family and friends informing me about the massacre and inquiring if I was safe. I turned to the television to learn more about the incident. The news tickers were confirming my worst fears but their inconsistencies were quite blatant.

Images of Fairy Meadows, the lush green plateau located at the western edge of the Himalayas, offering the best north-side view of the mountain, kept flashing before my eyes. It was presumably the location for the attack. But that

soon changed. Subsequent reports stated that the murders took place at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, which is not Fairy Meadows. Others reported that the incident had taken place in a hotel in Chilas, a completely separate location.

It was misreported that the foreigners were murdered at Fairy Meadows. They were actually killed more than 70km away from Fairy Meadows at the Diamer base camp, which offers a view of the west face of Nanga Parbat. To reach this camp you need to take a completely different route from Chilas. It is much more remote than Fairy Meadows with fewer tourists venturing out there.

It also has a rotten reputation.

(The Express Tribune reported later that even tour operators have challenged a Gilgit-Baltistan police officer’s statement that the tourists were killed inside a hotel. The operators say there were no hotels on the Diamer face area and they have suggested the tourists were staying in camps.)

As expected, the mention of Fairy Meadows in the news spread panic. I learnt about this firsthand from Qari Rehmat Ullah, a native of Chilas who runs a small cottage and the camping site at Fairy Meadows (pictured below). I had the good fortune of meeting him as he was on my bus down the Karakoram Highway.

“I was in Islamabad the day it happened,” he told me.

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According to National Geographic, Nanga Parbat, aka the “naked mountain,” is the world’s ninth tallest peak at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet). Scores have died there, starting with the first climber known to have attempted to reach the summit, Englishman AF Mummery, in 1895.

“As I turned on [the] television, the news of [the] massacre showed images of Fairy Meadows cottage from my website.” His immediate reaction was to call up his brother at the campsite but he was completely unaware of the happenings. “Everything with him was safe.” But Rehmat Ullah received countless calls that day.

After the sectarian killings of 2012 when 18 people, mostly Shia pilgrims, were killed, buses are no longer allowed to travel alone on the main Karakoram Highway. Therefore, we had to travel in a convoy led by paramilitary forces, which extended the 12-hour journey by four hours.

The journey to the north side of the Nanga Parbat base camp goes from Islamabad to Chilas (370 km) and further north to Raikot Bridge (49 km) which is a jumping-off point for Fairy Meadows. A 1.5 hour jeep ride takes you to Tato village and then a further three- to four-hour hike to Fairy Meadows. To the base camp of the north side of Nanga Parbat, it is another five- to six-hour one-way hike, crossing through lush green alpine forest and Beyal camp and Raikot glacier.

Once we reached our campsite at Fairy Meadows, it was past midnight. The next day I woke up early and unzipped my tent to gaze upon the giant mountain before me. It stood tall behind a composition of alpine trees with its peak hid34 den behind passing clouds from time to time. Meanwhile JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

in the lush green pastures of Fairy Meadows horses grazed quietly and a stream of cold water meandered through the fields. As I looked behind me, I could see Rehmat Ullah’s wooden cottage.

He showed me around and told me about how the news had impacted his business. A group of over 150 people had cancelled their trip. Almost every member of the household in the nearby village depends on tourism and there are close to 300 houses here. Starting from Raikot Bridge with jeep owners and porters in Tato village who carry your luggage to Fairy Meadows, everyone makes a living by catering to tourists. Once you set camp there you’ll find people offering horse rides and selling eggs and vegetables. Also, there are more than five camping sites at Fairy Meadows, all owned by locals.

I spent three nights at Fairy Meadows and devoted one day to trekking to the base camp on the north side of Nanga Parbat. During my stay there, I was joined by a group of at least 70 people, 25 of whom were from Karachi. The group also included a 55-year-old woman; this was a heartening sign that not all tourists had been deterred by the news.

As I said goodbye to Rehmat Ullah, he expressed how desperate he was for the local media to correct themselves since summer is the peak season for tourism in Fairy Meadows.

This is my attempt to set the record straight for him.

FEATURE

Raja’s

Resurrecting an old

BY ASHIQ FARAZ

When Khaplu Palace opened its doors to the public in 2011, people saw, for the first time in 40 years, the 19th Century royal home used by the Dogra rulers.

3

The palace was rescued by the Aga Khan Cultural Service of Pakistan that has restored and turned this Baltistan relic into a boutique hotel. It is located on the upper side of Khaplu Town, south of the River Shyok, in Skardu. Whatever is known about the town has come from the writings by the numerous historians, explorers, researchers and British Indian officials who trekked Skardu’s glaciers in the 19th century.

Prior to 1840, when the Dogras of Jammu took over Baltistan during their trans-Himalayan conquests, the region was ruled by a family titled ‘Yabgo’ (leader). The Yabgo family shared roots with the monarchs of Chinese Turkestan or Xinjiang today. The Yabgos are said to have governed from Thorsikhar, a fort strategically located on top of a cliff. However, once Baltistan was captured from them by the Dogras, it was decided that the ruling seat would be shifted from Thorsikhar fort to another location.

The Yabgo family offspring, who currently live in Khaplu Town, recount that after consultation with Yabgo Raja JULY 28-AUGUST 3 2013

Daulat Ali Khan, the Dogras chose a site for their new palace by rolling a boulder from the top of a cliff adjacent to the Thorsikhar. The stone came to rest at Doqsa village where Khaplu Palace was then shaped with the aid of Kashmiri and Balti artisans.

The palace is a four-storey building primarily built of timber. The structure was strengthened and moulded with poplar wood and mud adobes together with a clay and soil mortar. The building’s infrastructure was fortified with stone masonry that was reinforced with timber and lime plaster in order to render the structure earthquakeresistant. Its main façade is embellished with a decorated octagonal wooden balcony whose doors and ceilings at each level display the finest Kashmiri, Tibetan and Balti motifs. If you look closely you will see the floral patterns, swastikas and geometric designs which historians believe were influenced by Persian, Kashmiri and Tibetans styles.

In contrast to other forts and palaces in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khaplu Palace had separate levels for ministers, servants, aides and one separate level for the royal family. So there was the Chogoraftal (royal meeting room), Chogojarokh (royal balcony), Lainakhang (princess dressing room) and Rani (queen) rooms.

palace The Khaplu palace in Skardu has been restored as a boutique hotel

cialist, local technical teams went to work, only taking a break during the harsh winter months. It took six years.

Hundreds of Balti labourers and artisans were employed and more than Rs25 million was distributed in wages. Materials worth Rs30 million were purchased for the restoration work. Dozens of Skardu residents received technical expertise in wood-carving, carpentry and masonry work which will prove invaluable for future projects.

In order to sustain the legacy of the palace, the property, along with its ancillary buildings, was converted into a heritage guesthouse and museum. The revenue that this generates is distributed to the community and a sufficient amount of the proceeds is kept aside for maintenance and as a reserve fund for property.

If you fancy visiting you can take a 50-minute flight from Islamabad to Skardu. The resort provides transport from the airport. There is a choice of 21 rooms and eight suites but they aren’t cheap at the minimum of Rs12,000 per night. The best time to go is June, July and August with temperatures ranging from 14 to 20 degrees Celsius.

A polo ground is located down the road and matches are held every weekend. Guests can also visit the Gulzar fish pond nearby and fish for trout or take a lengthy tour of the palace and its rooms, which are stunning in their restored splendour.

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the people of the area annexed the whole region with the country. Even so, the Yabgo family managed to retain their power, that is, until 1972 when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto abolished the feudal system and the royal family gradually lost command over the administration. Since then, power has gradually shifted to local representatives. The rulers of the royal family of Khaplu continued to be respected by the residents of Khaplu Town but they were no longer revered as an icon of influence.

As the fortunes of the ruling family waned, so did their palace. Since the area is also prone to severe winter temperatures, the palace succumbed to the erosion brought forth by Skardu’s annual snowfall. The structure’s skeleton and timber décor deteriorated, leaving the building’s shell battered. Visitors and trespassers added to the destruction by scratching their names into the mud walls.

The wooden carved jallies went missing.

In 2005, the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan approached the community of Skardu to rehabilitate the palace. The service had already worked on other places in the area, including the 400-year-old Shigar Fort.

After surveys and documentation by a conservation spe-

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Your money or your life Assault on Wall Street takes on the US economic downturn

BY AYESH AYESHA ABDUL RAZZAK Assault oon Wall Street is a cleverly crafted film directed by Uwe Boll, starring Dominic Purcell and a Erin Karpluk, that tells the tale of the recent economic downturn in the US. The content c of the film is similar to what was portrayed in Michael Moore’s documentary docum Capitalism: A Love Story in which the large brokerage houses in New w York were involved in a get-rich scheme by persuading their clients to invest in “dead stocks” or investments that did not exist. This practice spiralled out into large malpractice suits across the country and robbed many people of their life savi savings as the investigations deepened and their investments were put under leg review. Scores of people across the nation lost their homes as they were legal un unable to meet mortgage payments and were either out on the streets or had to declare bankruptcy.

Jim and Rosie Baxford are average New Yorkers, living a simple life, when Rosie is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly the bills pile up and Jim is fired from his job as the debts grow. Forced into an unfair situation Jim takes matters into his own hands and goes on a rampage against the criminal financial instih harm. tutions thatt have caused him Baxfo ord (Dominic Purcell) Pu Jim Baxford has an emotive transfer in the film. We see two differing characterisam the first half (that (t p tions from of a financially strained, over worked and desperate man)) to h second second half h lf in i which hi h he becomes unemployed, grief-stricken but cold and calculatthe adop ing, adopting a robot-like persona. own for her role Rosie Baxford (Erin Karpluk) has a well-etched character. Best known C e desperation in the Canadian show Being Erica, as Rosie she skilfully manages the er short-lived of her character by masking it as a calm happy persona. Despite her appea appearance in the film, her character leaves a lasting impression.

Bu it is Jim’s transformation that rivets as does those of the average verage New But York around him. People start drifting in and out of his little world with Yorkers Ros and then that disintegrates — as Rosie gets worse, his lifestyle style Rosie do as well. Eviction marks a turning point. does Discussing the ending would give it away. But the film’s one ir irritant is how it wraps up; we are not quite clear what the intelligent police officers are doing. Some kind of resolution would have helped.

Men on a mission Falling Down

He Was a Quiet Man

In the 1993 movie Falling Down directed by Joel Schumacher, William Foster (Michael Douglas) is just having a really bad day. After being laid off from his job, he gets stuck in a really bad traffic jam, just when he has to reach his ex-wife’s (Barbara Hershey) home on time for his daughter’s birthday party. Foster slowly unravels mentally and becomes a source of terror to some and a folk hero to others.

In the 2007 He was a Quiet Man, Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) is at the end of his emotional rope and finally explodes. He is working in an office building where few people know him and fewer still care. He develops a seething hatred of those around him and carries a gun to work in the hope that he’ll have the courage to use it to take down some of his co-workers one day. That fateful day arrives when a co-workers snaps and opens fire. Bob grabs his weapon and kills the shooter.

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MoRE PoWER To You The latest smart stuff so we can sit back and enjoy life BY KHURRAM BAIG

USB Wall Socket: Newer Technology Power2U Ever faced with the situation where you realise you don’t have your phone or tablet charger on you? Or the wall socket is not compatible with your charger’s plug? This device will take care of those worries and turn your

PC on a stick

home, or office into charger heaven. Pretty much all devices now charge

Meet the dual-core computer the size and shape of a USB Flash drive

over USB, not just phones or laptops, even wifi hotspots.

that turns any HDMI-capable TV or monitor into an Android station. The

With this USB faceplate that has two USB ports, you no longer need to

Android 4.0 Mini PC MK802 II costs $50 to $70. The MK808 ups the ante

carry a different charger for each device. And this is thanks to Newer

with a dual-core CPU, more internal memory and native 1080p output.

Technology Power2U at a cost of just $25.

Available off liliputing.com or on ebay.

SmartWatch: Sony SmartWatch Lifeline for your laptop: Veho Pebble Pro or Hyperjuice 60wh A smart watch lets you control your phone, check email, play music. Android phone-using geeks like me will love the Sony SmartWatch ($150)

The average ultraportable notebook or laptop gets barely more than six

that pairs with your phone via Bluetooth and runs a variety of custom

hours of endurance when running at 40% brightness. Most external bat-

apps, including special FB and Twitter clients. It sounds an alarm if you’ve

teries on the market can only charge USB-powered devices like phones

left your handset behind.

and tablets. This is where the Pebble Pro can save your life. The Veho Pebble Pro ($70) comes with a slew of tips for charging. Mac users will appreciate one of the Hyperjuice batteries, such as the $170 60Wh version that promises an additional 20 hours of endurance.

Floor Plan Light switch This is kind of useful, but more than that I think it is uber-cool and a style-statement that even a non-geek would be proud to show off in his or her ultra-fashionable mansion. And like I said, it is useful. Have you ever had a problem with forgetting which light switch stands for what light, or what room? Taewon Hwang came with the great idea of creating a master light switch with a simple design that shows you what lights you are turning on or off. It couldn’t be simpler. T

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