Following the Marvel path, The Conjuring universe has grown steadily over the last six years through both, the increasing returns that most films in the franchise have delivered and in stature through the critical acclaim that the first two Conjuring movies received. Now five movies in, the franchise is showing no signs of slowing down with a third Conjuring film already set for 2020. But before that, we’re getting another Annabelle movie. And this one promises to be much different than its predecessors.
[caption id="attachment_81026" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption]
Annabelle Comes Home, which will serve as the sixth film in the Conjuring franchise and the third Annabelle film, does not take the prequel route like Annabelle: Creation did. Unlike the first Annabelle, which was widely panned for being a rudderless and aimless production, this film shifts the focus directly towards the Warren family – the paranormal investigators played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who served as the protagonists of the first two Conjuring films.
[caption id="attachment_81027" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption]
The first trailer, which came out recently, sprinkles a handful of jump-scares throughout its two and a half minute runtime and the film more or less appears to centre on an artefact room where the Warrens keep the demonic doll. However, soon enough the doll begins turning up in strange places and much to the surprise of the Warrens, so do the other artefacts. The weight of this is felt by the Warren’s 10-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends who seem to be at the centre of the latest Conjuring film.
[caption id="attachment_81024" align="alignnone" width="598"] Photo: IMDb[/caption]
By all accounts, Annabelle Comes Home seems like a much more small-scale film as compared to its predecessors which were much more expansive in scope. And though the Warrens are back, they don’t seem to have a central role in the film in the same way as their daughter does. This is promising because it means that perhaps this time the focus will be on a tightly-constructed narrative, which is where horror films work best.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Screenshot[/caption]
As evidenced by the trailer, it’s perhaps also safe to assume that this film won’t just be about the titular doll but will also focus on some of the other haunted artefacts in the Warren family’s possession which, if anything, may provide the producers with a few more ideas for some future spin-offs. In the context of this film though, it will undoubtedly add to the scares. This is something that producer James Wan has confirmed when he essentially described the film as being Night at the Museum with an evil doll because of the various haunted artefacts that will be activated in the film.
[caption id="attachment_81031" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: IMDb[/caption]
The good thing is that Annabelle Comes Home seems to channel all the elements that have made the Conjuring franchise such a big success, which provides the viewer with something to look forward to. After straying away from the central narrative and focusing on aimless origin stories, the franchise seems to have finally learned its lesson. With Annabelle Comes Home, the focus seems to have been shifted back towards the scares and, in a blatant but smart bit of fan-service, the filmmakers have brought back two of the franchise’s most beloved characters, even if it’s in a supporting capacity. That said, only time will tell if the latest installment in the Annabelle saga matches up to the Conjuring movies, which at present, stand head and shoulders above the other films in the franchise.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Screenshot[/caption]
Annabelle Comes Home hits cinemas on June 28, 2019.
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Knock knock! Annabelle is coming home and things are about to get real scary
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India’s ‘Operation Isolation’ and the soft power of sports
“Our message is stronger than ever. Please stop the fighting. Please stop the killing. Please drop your guns.” Juan Antonio Samaranch, President International Olympic Committee speaking at the Winter Olympics, 1994.
The sports arena has often been used in modern-day diplomacy to advocate for peace, but it has also been used to aggravate existing conflict. George Orwell wrote in The Sporting Spirit (1945) that sports is “war, minus the shooting” and has the potential to bring out the worst characteristics of nationalism. How that is controlled, or even amplified, is in the hands of those who hold the political controls.
In the days following the Pulwama incident, tensions once again began to escalate between Pakistan and India. While India’s very first reaction was the imposition of a heavy economic sanction, many of the responses which followed came in the form of sports sanctions, primarily impacting something very close to the hearts of people on both sides: cricket.
The fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) became the primary target of the increasing hostility and vitriol. Prominent Indian-owned media companies and broadcasters, including IMG Reliance, D Sports and CricBuzz, terminated their contracts and coverage of the tournament, leading to a virtual PSL blackout in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also came under extraordinary pressure from prominent Indian sporting personalities, media outlets and ordinary citizens, to boycott the upcoming Pakistan-India match at the cricket World Cup (June 2019).
https://twitter.com/YusufDFI/status/1097384109200928768
https://twitter.com/MinhazMerchant/status/1099007211689467906
Outside of cricket, other sports have also been effected. It is suggested that Pakistan supplies 90% of the hockey sticks used in India, and would suffer heavily from an increase in customs duty of 200%. As a result, the hockey fraternity in India would have to quickly find new suppliers who could match the demand, as well as replicate the quality from across the border. The Shooting World Cup, which was taking place in New Delhi a week after the attack and was intended to be an Olympic qualifier, also got dragged into the conflict when Pakistani athletes were not granted visas to participate in the tournament.
Further economic sanctions would come later, followed by military responses, but it appears that the use of sports sanctions was going to kick start this ‘Operation Isolation’.
However, these sanctions did not prove to be effective in isolating Pakistan on the sports field. We saw the PSL replace its distributors almost immediately and have yet another successful edition. Regarding the World Cup, wide coverage of the discussions between the BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) were made public, including copies of the communication between the two bodies. It is clear that the ICC and the organising team of the World Cup do not condone any political battles being played out on the cricket pitch.
https://twitter.com/TimesNow/status/1098065107693625344
Perhaps the most surprising stance came from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in response to Pakistan’s plea regarding the Shooting World Cup. Not only did the IOC revoke the tournament of its Olympic qualification status for the particular discipline, they further went onto suspend all discussions with the Indian government regarding hosting future sporting events in India. The IOC also recommended that all international federations should refrain from hosting any international sporting events in India until written guarantees are provided assuring participation of all athletes.
This may prove to be a landmark ruling from the Olympic governing body, which has traditionally not taken such a publicly strong stance on political matters. This is especially true as the initial plea was only to do with the shooting event. However, India is no doubt going to work to revoke this suspension as quickly as possible, even if it means salvaging its ties with Pakistan. Failure to do so could mean that a number of its hosting rights and bids would be up on the chopping block, including the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup (2020), the Hockey World Cup (2022/2023) and ICC Cricket World Cup (2023), among others.
https://twitter.com/mehreenzahra/status/1098830460862558208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1098830460862558208&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblogsdesk.tribune.com.pk%2Fapplication%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D80906%26action%3Dedit
This of course is not the first time tensions have escalated between the two neighbours, nor is it the first time that the field of play is used for sanctions to be deployed and political statements to be made.
India-Pakistan cricket relations have been turbulent ever since they kicked off in 1952. There have been many positive outcomes where both countries have hosted each other on multiple occasions and opened up their borders for citizens to travel in support of their teams. At the same time, boycotts from governing bodies and protests from ordinary citizens have also had the opposite impact on cricket and other sporting ties between the two nations.
The Indian cricket tour to Pakistan (2004) is considered as one of the four most prominent acts of sports diplomacy, with the ‘Christmas Truce’ of World War I (1914), where German and British soldiers were said to have held informal sessions of casual football on Christmas day, being number one.
Even outside of the subcontinent, sports have always been a feature of international diplomacy, albeit a more subtle one. We have seen countless protests and boycotts when it comes to international sports, such as the Black Power Salute (at the 1968 Olympics), America’s boycott of the 1980 Olympics during the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s boycott of the 1984 Olympics, and the international sporting boycott of Apartheid South Africa. However, it would not have been difficult to foresee the potential for sports to have these impacts when the Olympic movement was first initiated. After all, it was developed on the sole idea of using sports to encourage and improve peace among the warring kingdoms in Ancient Greece.
The way international sports are conducted and covered today, indicates their potential and ability to bridge gaps between nations. With massive potential to be used as a catalyst in international diplomacy and break barriers, the power of sports can only be as strong as the will and commitment of our global leaders. In an era where hard power is frowned upon by the international community, governments are increasingly inclined to use alternative modes of diplomacy, sports included, to achieve their political goals and shape their international image. If we, the people, can understand the relationship between the two, then we can also influence its impact.
This isn’t the first time sports have been used to convey and act upon undertones of conflict and hate, and it unfortunately won’t be the last. For now, we can be aware of how these actions relating to the field of play can be used to condition or influence certain emotions within us, and also pray that our leaders use the pitches and courts to help us come together, rather than to push us apart.
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When khudkushi became her only freedom
The sky was a pool of black ink, dusted with stars at midnight. Arsh looked out from the window — she saw many little streets sprawled out below. She had only known these streets from inside the walls of her room. She had never walked on them. She had never been under the open sky. She looked at these streets longingly. To her, these streets and everything else of the outside world was a distant dream.
Arsh was thinking about him. He came again tonight. Her caramel skin flushed bright pink as he folded her into his arms. Her heart fluttered as his fingertips grazed her bare skin. She had never felt so close to a man before. Over the years, many men held her, touched her, felt her — but he was different from all the others. She fell in love with him.
She waited for him each night. She longed for him, as any lover would. On the nights he didn’t come, she was restless. She waited for him till she saw him next, till he told her how beautiful she was.
As she stood by the window and watched darkness engulf the sky, she decided she’d tell him what she felt for him. Maybe he’d take her away somewhere far. Maybe he’d relieve her of this life.
Overhead, a star blinked in the dark sky, as if telling her it was time.
The morning sun filled the brothel. It was bright inside. Arsh slipped into plain white clothes and went downstairs.
The morning is always bright. It’s the night that’s dark. It’s always the night that’s dark.
“Arsh!” Farnaz called, with a cigarette clenched in the corner of her mouth. “You look happy! I’ve never seen a bigger smile on your face.”
“I’m going away,” Arsh said in low voice, so that nobody else could hear.
Farnaz laughed. But then her eyes were suddenly wide with concern, and her skin shone pale under the gleam of sunlight.
“You know you can’t go away,” Farnaz said quietly.
Arsh smiled in reply and bustled away.
The rest of the day, she was tangled in her thoughts. She didn’t even know his name but she knew he was the one who’d save her. The world glittered with promise.
“Take me away!” Arsh whispered into his ear.
There was a steely glint in his eyes.
“Please take me away!” Arsh’s voice crackled at the edges.
He slapped her so hard her teeth rattled.
“You’re a whore,” he spat.
Arsh swallowed everything else that she had to say. The words dried up in her throat.
It was near dawn but Arsh was wide awake. She looked into the mirror, her dark eyes sunken in an ashen face, stared back at her. Her lips were stained in a dark, blood-like red. Her hair, black and velvety like the sky at midnight, carelessly tumbled down her back. Her angarkha, heavily embroidered in gold and silver threads, danced around her when she moved. 'A whore,' she thought.
She felt sparks of resentment cascading in her as she looked at herself. She felt angry. But then her anger melted and she started crying. And as a tear caught in her lip, she realised her lipstick was smudged at the corners.
His words filled her head. They were sharp, piercing—they cut through her like knives. Even after he left, the word ‘whore’ twisted inside her. It crushed her. It tinted her entire existence. It was a small word but it encompassed a bitter world — a whore’s world.
Arsh had endured years of abuse. There were different men in her bed each night. They treated her like an object. They used her and then discarded her. She was perceived as an unthinking, unfeeling being. Her existence only sparkled in the dark hours of the night. They forgot she was human too.
She looked at the faded sky from the window. She spread out her hand towards the sky, trying to reach for it. It was close but far away. Maybe just like the man who she thought would save her.
Khudkushi (suicide). The word echoed against the big, bare walls of the brothel. Its weight settled on all women who lived inside. It grew heavier and heavier, thicker and thicker, folding them in, needling them all over. It hung in the air, sharp and poisonous. 'Khudkushi,' they murmured in small voices, afraid not to say it out too loud. They didn’t want anyone else to hear. A silence spread in the brothel, full of fear and anticipation. It was suddenly dark inside, and empty despite the people. Outside, the day shifted from morning to night. And the air smelled of earth and ash and rain. And faintly of death.
Arsh took away her life. She cut her wrists and bled to death. For her, death wasn’t just an end—it held meaning. It meant freedom. It meant floating somewhere far, untethered. It meant relief from a corseted existence.
Khudkushi became Arsh’s freedom. She finally fled from a life she did not want to live.
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Iran and Iraq may not be tourist hot spots, but they offer a spiritual journey like no place else
I was recently invited to a trip to Iran and Iraq by a group of close friends from Lahore, and as I had never been to these states before, I decided to take the opportunity to visit the shrines frequented mostly by Shia pilgrims.
After all, how else was I going to be able to travel through war-torn Iraq (where the Islamic State has only recently been defeated) and gain access to the heavily sanctioned country of Iran? Mesopotamia – the cradle of civilisation and home to many Imams of the Islamic world – has been off-limits to most ordinary tourists since the days of Saddam Hussein.
We took off from Lahore and a few hours later found ourselves landing in Baghdad, the famed city of The Arabian Nights. The airport was small and run-down, and we had to wait for at least two to three hours for our group visa to be cleared. We waited patiently and entered Baghdad at dusk; there were palm trees galore and the roads were smooth enough.
Our excitement was mounting as we headed straight for the illuminating shrine of Ghous Pak (Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani). We paid our respects at the beautifully lit white shrine, ate the delicious langar (communal meal) of rice and chicken (provided by a Pakistani family from Faisalabad) and then headed to our hotel. We felt more than welcomed to a city founded on the west bank of the Tigris in 762AD by the Abbasid dynasty.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The beautifully illuminated shrine of Ghous Pak[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] The door to his shrine[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="419"] His final resting place[/caption]
We stayed at Hotel Palestine, which is located near the ancient Tigris River, with a colourful history of its own; it was a favourite among foreign journalists during the Gulf wars and had been shelled!
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] View of the Tigris River from Hotel Palestine[/caption]
There are roadblocks all over Iraq and paramilitary forces with armoured vehicles can be seen on all major roundabouts. The receptionist at our hotel smiled and clapped joyfully when she discovered we were Pakistani and gave us comfortable rooms (our recent military standoff seems to have made them happy).
Baghdad looks like it is stuck in an 80's time warp – the buildings all seem to be from that era. However, most of the debris from the bombed-out infrastructure has been removed. We found it to be a bustling city with crowded restaurants and bad traffic jams.
We crossed the Tigris River many times, the last one being to visit the shrine of Persian mystic Mansur al Hallaj. He is known for his saying, “I am the Truth”, which many saw as a claim to divinity resulting in his execution, while others saw it as an instance of annihilation of the ego.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] The tomb of the Persian mystic[/caption]
We also visited the burial place of Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi school of Sunni jurisprudence. However, the highlight of our Baghdad stay was the visit to the north of the city to Kazmain, where Imams Musa al Kazim (AS) and Muhammad al Jawad (AS), both direct descendants of the Prophet (PBUH), are buried.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Outside the Ziyarat of the Kazmain Imams in Baghdad[/caption]
This is a world famous shrine and one of the most important mosques in the Islamic world, with a huge gilded dome and four minarets rising above its courtyard, all covered with gold, Kufic inscriptions. There are canopied balconies, mirror mosaics, glazed tiles, and endless floors of marble. The final resting places of all the Imams buried in Iraq, we were to discover, were equally awe-inspiring.
The shrine was very crowded during our visit and there was a long walk to it as it has been bombed in the past, which is why the nearby streets had been cordoned off.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Armoured vehicles and soldiers guarding shrines are a common sight in Baghdad[/caption]
The other highlight of our Baghdad visit was to the 2,000-year-old Persian monument Taq Kasra, or Arch of Ctesiphon, the world’s largest brick vault. Somehow it has survived all the recent wars and is truly a sight to see, given its immense scale and elegance. Taq Kasra is located near the shrine of Salman al Farsi (RA), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the first Persian to convert to Islam.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Taq Kasra[/caption]
On our last day in Baghdad, we headed to the ancient town of Samarra to visit the 10th and 11th Imams, Ali al Hadi (AS) and his son Hasan al Askari (AS). Both are buried in a heavily-guarded shrine, which has been bombed twice in recent years and had to be rebuilt. Adjacent to the mosque is another domed building built over the cistern where the 12th Imam, Muhammad al Mahdi (AS), disappeared; hence the title of the Mahdi, the Hidden Imam.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The last place Imam Mahdi was seen[/caption]
We were sorry to leave Baghdad – there was much to see and such little time – but we had to move on to Karbala, where rain greeted us. Powerful energy emanates from this city, the burial place of Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), near the place where he was martyred during the Battle of Karbala in 680AD. Within the shrine of Imam Hussain (RA), we found the mass grave of all 72 martyrs of Karbala who fought and died alongside him, despite the heavy odds they faced.
We soon joined the thousands of people jostling to enter the Ziyarat. Opposite is the shrine of his brother, Hazrat Abbas (AS), who was also martyred during the Battle of Karbala by Yazid’s men while bringing some water from the Euphrates River for the Prophet’s (PBUH) family. There is a lovely walkway lined with palm trees between the two shrines, and we often went there to sit and pray as our hotel was nearby.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Hazrat Abbas (AS) shrine glistening as the sun sets in Karbala with the walkway in front[/caption]
Our next stop was Najaf, and luckily our hotel was located right next to my favourite Ziyarat: Imam Ali’s (RA) resplendent shrine. He is considered the father of Sufism, as almost all Sufi orders claim their descent from him.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Imam Ali's (RA) shrine in Najaf[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] The entrance to the shrine[/caption]
After visiting his peaceful shrine, we went to Kufa to see the great mosque, one of the oldest in the world, where Hazrat Ali (RA) was struck by a poisoned sword and passed away after two days. We visited his simple but elegant house next to the mosque (thankfully preserved by the Iraqi government) where his body was washed before being buried in secret. Imam Ali (RA) had earlier dug a well in his house and even today one can drink its healing waters.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The Great Mosque of Kufa[/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The house in Kufa has been preserved by the Iraqi government[/caption]
Our final stop was the city of Mashad in Iran, home of the eighth Imam, Hazrat Ali Reza (AS), whose shrine is really the heart of the city – all roads lead to his Ziyarat! We took a short flight from Najaf to Mashad, which is the second most populous city in Iran. Mashad means the place of martyrdom; Imam Reza (AS) was poisoned by Caliph al Ma’mun. A fact I learned during my journey is that none of the Imams lived to an old age – all were poisoned or assassinated.
Imam Reza’s (AS) ornate shrine is enormous, with its many courtyards and mosques, and is considered the Vatican of Iran, run in an efficient and orderly manner. It is also gorgeous, with its Persian carpets and crystal chandeliers galore. We were lucky enough to eat from the shrine’s famous langar and enjoyed the Imam’s hospitality!
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The underground crypt where people can pray and meditate[/caption]
Mashad is a clean, modern city, and feels like it could be anywhere in Europe, except all the women wear long black chadors.
Before we knew it, our visit was over, and tired but rejuvenated we found ourselves on the plane back to Lahore. There were so many memories to treasure and so many adventures to retell. Iraq is slowly recovering from war and getting back on its feet, and I would recommend everyone to go visit this fascinating country alongside Iran, regardless of your religious beliefs. As we were told wherever we went,
“Ziyarat qubool.”
(May your pilgrimage be accepted)
(All photos by author)
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Rawalpindi: A chaotic labyrinth, caught between heritage and heresy
In the post-modern world, the topography of the city has undergone a drastic shift. Rapid urbanisation and growing job opportunities have resulted in many cities in the developing world being swamped by an increasing number of people coming in from the villages and suburbs. In order to accommodate this burgeoning populace, the intrinsic structure of the modern metropolis has had to evolve.
Countries such as India and Pakistan have had to grapple with the dual ambitions of wanting to urbanise their cities while also wanting to hold onto their rich architectural heritage. The complex history of a multi-ethnic country such as Pakistan has been razed to the ground in order to erect soulless towers to replace the colonial monuments which have served as a reminder of our turbulent past.
[caption id="attachment_81733" align="alignnone" width="600"] Heritage building encroached on by local traders at Jamia masjid road.[/caption]
Rawalpindi is an example of a city wrestling with these two seemingly dichotomous aims. On the outskirts of the Rehmanabad Metro station lie some old houses with large verandas and an edifice which is almost reminiscent of the homes in Downtown Abbey. Erected in the early 1960’s, they adorned the city with their marvellous porticos and the locality came to be known as Satellite Town. During the time that Islamabad was being built as the nation’s new capital, Satellite Town functioned as a diplomatic enclave of sorts, with many embassies located there. The Victorian-style houses were thus built to accommodate foreign dignitaries residing in the city.
[caption id="attachment_81748" align="alignnone" width="600"] A night view of Jamia Masjid Rawalpindi which was founded in 1905.[/caption]
Over the years, however, as Islamabad became the diplomatic hub, Satellite Town found itself shrinking in importance, and the neighbourhood was consumed by a city which was expanding at an unprecedented rate. The old houses of the locality now stand like ghostly relics of the past.
[caption id="attachment_81678" align="alignnone" width="452"] Chan bazaar, Rawalpindi.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81734" align="alignnone" width="450"] A view of Raja Bazaar road.[/caption]
In a house on Sadiqabad road lives an old engineer who has closed the gates of his house, along with his heart, to the outside world. The resident is Afzaal Ahmad, a man who comes from a distinguished family of army personnel. While looking at his old photographs, Ahmad recounts:
“The Rawalpindi I was raised in was a marvel, an image straight from the British calendars. Smooth clean roads, small markets, coffee shops along with a nice book shop (London Books company), low traffic and an orderly crowd.”
[caption id="attachment_81736" align="alignnone" width="600"] The main entrance of the Afzaal Ahmad's house.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81737" align="alignnone" width="600"] Old magazine ads from the collection of Afzaal Ahmad.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81745" align="alignnone" width="600"] Rawalpindi's Kashmir Road in the 1960's. From the records of Afzaal Ahmad.[/caption]
The markets at the time were quite small and there was only one major road in Saddar at the time, Mall Road, which catered to everyone's needs. Ahmad recalls that the famous road had a hairdresser, a laundry shop and few clothing outlets as well. He adds:
“I remember most of my classmates in Station school were British or Anglo-Indians. Anglo-Indians were considered to be the most educated after the British. I still remember this one Anglo-Indian traffic sergeant who used to roam around alone on Murree road. People were so afraid of his discipline that they wouldn’t cross the road until he had gone away.”
[caption id="attachment_81738" align="alignnone" width="600"] Backyard of the house.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81743" align="alignnone" width="600"] An old building occupied by partition migrants in Saddar.[/caption]
For Ahmad’s generation, and the ones which followed, things took a downward turn after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came to power. Fearing the consequences of nationalisation and increasing religiosity, many foreigners fled the country. The Anglo-Indians too fell prey to this and many migrated to America and Australia. The resultant vacuum gave rise to a new emerging class of locals who had a different mentality. They were hungry to tear down the old to make way for the new.
[caption id="attachment_81744" align="alignnone" width="338"] An old temple in miserable condition in Moti Bazaar.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81749" align="alignnone" width="475"] A name plate outside a house in Dhakki mohallah, Angat Pura.[/caption]
Rawalpindi as a city has always had a storied history. Punjab has been ruled by Graeco-Bactrian Kings and later by the Sakas, Iranian nomads, and in 1765 Sardar Gujjar Singh controlled the area which is now called Rawalpindi. The city remained under Sikh rule till 1849 when it was taken over by the British. Hence, this land has had many identities, and one can find linkages to an extraordinary past through the city’s buildings and districts.
[caption id="attachment_81679" align="alignnone" width="600"] A view of Moti bazaar, Rawalpindi.[/caption]
Despite the removal of the Sikh Raj, the Sikh community remained an integral part of the cultural fabric of Rawalpindi till 1947. Their remnants are still visible in Kartarpura, Angatpura, Arjun Nagar, Mukha Singh state, Old Banni and adjoining areas. The city was predominantly influenced by Rai Bahadur Sujan Singh whose haveli (house) still stands in the old Bhabra Bazaar.
Rawalpindi at one point in time was a jewel, a unique blend of both old and new architecture. Over the years, people that have been allotted these vacant properties have damaged them due to sheer negligence, and today these buildings are but a shadowy reflection of their former glory.
[caption id="attachment_81739" align="alignnone" width="600"] An old pre-partition haveli in Saidpuri gate trying to save its colors from the wrath of the modern age.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_81741" align="alignnone" width="600"] A colonial style balcony on College Road, where famous Indian actor Balraj Sahini grew up.[/caption]
Rawalpindi today is a chaotic labyrinth. Building laws and municipal regulations are virtually non-existent. Politicians and profit-driven land owners have given local municipal authorities the approval to demolish heritage buildings and sites. Commercialisation has trumped heritage. Heretics have squashed history. Rawalpindi still has the potential to become the epicentre of regional heritage, but only if preservation work is begun immediately.
Today, the view from the metro bus offers a gloomy look at a frenzied skyline onto a city which does not know what it wants to be because it has forgotten what it once was.
(All photos by author)
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Raw and poignant, A Place for Us beautifully sheds light on familial love
It had been some time since I cried while reading a book. And A Place for Us changed that. Fatima Farheen Mirza’s dazzling debut novel tells the story of a South Asian Muslim family living in America.
The family members find themselves torn between discovering their individual selves, while also grappling with their respective roles within the family. As a result of living in a deeply polarised American society, the characters in the novel are in a constant battle with themselves, their family and the world around them, each looking to find relevance, liberty and peace.
Interestingly, one of the main talking points with regards to this book has been Sarah Jessica Parker's involvement in its publication. The Sexy and the City star chose Mirza’s novel as the first book to be published under the Parker imprint for Hogarth publications.
A Place for Us begins at the wedding celebrations for the family’s eldest daughter, Hadia, in California. The occasion, however, is made all the more special due to the youngest child and only son, Amar, coming back home after having fled three years ago. The story thus revolves around the circumstances which led to Amar’s estrangement from the family and the narrative is interspersed with memories from the parents, Rafiq and Layla, and their children, Hadia, Huda and Amar.
What I found particularly inventive about the narrative was how the story unfolds through the point of view of a host of different characters, with the same memory often being shown through different perspectives. We are thus able to see how the same moment impacted each member of the family in a wholly unique manner.
Mirza beautifully brings to light the nature of familial love, which can be limitless and unwavering, but also envious and petty. The depiction often seems like that of a typical diaspora family, with parents trying desperately to instil both Muslim and South Asian values in their children and encouraging them to speak their native language at home. The author explores the subtle dynamics of the household, from the siblings safeguarding each other’s secrets, to the family following Islamic rituals and customs like fasting in the month of Ramazan and observing Muharram.
But that’s just the feel-good part of the book. What is heart-wrenching, poignant, and particularly relevant for our part of the world is how Mirza explores the pressure parents tend to put on their children. South Asian parents often have their own expectations from their children, insisting that they must be obedient, unquestioning Muslims and top performing students who go on to become either doctors, engineers, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The novel attempts to illuminate how pitting children against one another, failing to acknowledge past mistakes and the inability to express love can tear a family apart.
Hence, when Amar leaves, a part of Rafiq and Layla’s souls also leaves. But by then it’s too late to mend their broken ways. Perhaps the saddest thing in the world is to see your child leave you because of your own mistakes. Not feeling at home with your own family is a tragedy, one which Mirza renders beautifully on the page.
And so, I cried when the family was torn apart because of secrets, betrayals, and the smallest of estrangements which could no longer be brushed under the carpet. The last section of the book, told from Rafiq’s perspective, is absolutely devastating. The feelings of an emotionally-reserved father, who falls prey to his own shortcomings, are expressed in a remarkably raw and affecting manner, which is quite an achievement for a debutant writer.
Mirza has done a truly commendable job at penning down the story of a family over decades, and it is no surprise that her novel has received great critical acclaim. The recurrent themes of children trying to find their own identity and parents trying to protect and understand their children resonate at a deep level. After this stellar debut, one hopes that Mirza is able to pack the same amount of authenticity into her next novel, one which I am eagerly awaiting.
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Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini: A father’s lament of the barbarity we call human beings
“My dear Marwan, I look at your profile,
In the glow of this three-quarter moon, my boy,
Your eyelashes like calligraphy,
Closed in guileless sleep.
I said to you, ‘Hold my hand.
Nothing bad will happen’.”
These are a few verses from the context of Sea Prayer, the fourth book by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini is a well-known author of three books, including the international bestseller The Kite Runner, and is the Goodwill Ambassador to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Sea Prayer is a 40-page book, or rather, a free verse poem beautifully complemented by Dan Williams’ illustrations. It can best be described as a small prayer to the sea by a helpless father on a moonlit beach, who is going to cross the Mediterranean with his child as soon as dawn arises but in less than ideal circumstances.
The story begins with the remembrance of the happy days spent by the father in Homs, Syria when the city was at peace, with its bustling and crowded lanes and streets. Of a time when the stirring of the olive trees and clanking of pots used to awaken him, and when this city of western Syria was not dismantled by bombs, starvation and death. The father wishes for his son to remember some of the more pleasant memories of Homs.
The story has been inspired by the three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, whose body washed up by the sea on the shore of Mediterranean Sea in 2015 as he fled the Syrian War. While talking in an interview, Hosseini became teary-eyed even as he remembered seeing the photograph of Kurdi.
“I was gutted,” he says. “I tried to imagine, as a father, what it must be like to see viral photographs of your deceased three-year-old lying face down on the sand at the water’s edge and being lifted into the arms of a stranger.”
He also stated,
“I hope that this book Sea Prayer is a small tribute not only to his (Kurdi’s) family, but also, on a broader level, I hope it highlights the unthinkable despair that thousands of other ordinary people face every day to abandon home and community and take a chance on this brutal and often lethal journey across the sea.”
Hosseini thus pays tribute to Kurdi’s family through his Sea Prayer, while portraying the tragic and wretched condition of millions of refugees all over the world with help of Williams’ illustrations.
The beautiful memories of Homs are like a dream now, not only for the son but also for the father. Protests followed by the atmosphere of fear and beleaguerment, the black skies showering bombs and bullets instead of rain, and the sight of living bodies buried under devastated buildings is all that remains in their memories of Homs.
In Sea Prayer, Hosseini not only points out the way in which the war imposed by mighty powers upon Syria has destroyed the childhood of millions of innocent kids, but also highlights the emergency and the growing crisis of refugees being forced to leave their homes and approach smugglers in search of safe shelters which are in actuality not safe at all.
A heartrending letter from a father to his son provokes in us the thought of the thousands of refugees who risk their lives on the threshold of death every year just in search of shelter, while many of them simply perish at sea without leaving anything behind. Every night they sleep among the remains of human flesh burnt by explosive bombs, with their own bodies stained by blood, dreaming of a better future – a hope for a safe shelter, a desire for a home. Carrying their misfortunes, they are longing for acceptance and searching for a place where they are welcomed.
But no one cares. Not even the sea.
The sea is deep. It is vast. A large swarm of unwelcomed and unasked bodies of flesh are waiting impatiently at the cold beach for the sun to rise. The father sees his son, his only precious cargo, and tries to console his sleeping being with his words, while praying that the sea knows his worth. It kills him every time he thinks of the depth and vastness of the sea and the helplessness of his own self. At this instant, the mother’s voice comes up:
“Oh but if they saw, my darling.
Even half of what you have.
If they only saw.
They would say kinder things, surely.”
The book will make tears fall out of your eyes silently as the deep ocean engulfs the bodies of thousands of refugees fleeing war and persecution. Some pages are without any words, and here the illustrations speak more powerfully than words ever could. Quietly, they will make your heart wail in silence due to the barbarity of what we call human beings. Humans, the greatest creation ever to be created, that cannot even feel the pain of its fellow beings.
Every word, every illustration in this book will leave a deep mark on your heart. The demonstration of the transformation of a peaceful, crowded and bustling Homs into the city of death; no one could have written this better than Hosseini. No words could carve out such an impression on a heart other than his own. This book deserved to be written purely, with a heart that could feel the pain and emotions of thousands of homeless Syrians, Afghans, Somalis and Iraqis. Then who would be better than Hosseini to write it? After all, no one could feel the pain of a refugee better than a refugee himself. As he stated,
“If I was a father on a moonlit beach about to take one of these journeys, you can bet that I would... say one of these prayers too.”
Sea Prayer is about questioning your own self: what would you have done if you had to abandon your home and cross a deep sea on a cold night? How would you have reacted if you had lost your loved ones in the same sea?
Imagine them dead. Imagine their fates being ended as a feast for the sea. Imagine the struggle of their last breaths before they were taken forever. Imagine them being washed up by the sea at the shore itself. How would you have felt? Imagine how a father would have felt to see his three-year-old like this?
Hosseini leaves the grave questions for the mighty powers of the world to ponder through his short work of fiction!
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Is Pakistan’s N-CPEC+ vision finally beginning to take shape?
Pakistan’s unique geostrategic location at the crossroads of East, South, West, and Central Asia enables it to function as the “Zipper of Eurasia”, as I wrote over half a decade ago in September 2015 for the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies. I built upon this observation in March 2019 to declare that the creative leveraging of the unprecedented trans-regional connectivity potential offered by CPEC enables Pakistan to become the Global Pivot State. This ambitious vision is finally beginning to take shape after Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Uzbekistani Minister of Transport agreed to pursue a trans-Afghan railway line on Wednesday.
I previously proposed such a corridor in my April 2019 debut analysis for CGTN about how “CPEC+ Is The Key To Achieving Regional Integration Goals”, which described the northern branch of CPEC through Afghanistan into Central Asia as N-CPEC+ (“N” referring to North). Eventually, this corridor could expand as far northwards as Russia to create a new North-South integration axis across Eurasia which aligns with President Putin’s vision for the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) like I explained in an academic article that I co-authored over the summer that was republished by the prestigious Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
As Pakistan begins to take on a more prominent role in trans-Eurasian integration processes, its strategic importance to both China and Russia will continue to rise. Both Great Powers have a shared interest in the South Asian state fulfilling its destiny to unite the supercontinent through CPEC+. It’s only through this connectivity paradigm that a true Convergence of Civilisations can occur, like I explained in an analysis for CGTN in May 2019. The outcome of Eurasia’s diverse civilisations cooperating on trade and other forms of integration could powerfully discredit Huntington’s infamous prediction about a coming “Clash of Civilisations”.
Russian, Chinese, and Pakistani interests are all directly served through N-CPEC+. Moscow’s regional allies can become more internally stable as their economies grow upon securing access to the global markets that this corridor provides through the Indian Ocean, as could Russia’s resource-rich Siberian region. Beijing, meanwhile, will see its Pakistani-based CPEC investments put to use as a springboard for trans-continental integration processes and could also secure contracts to construct parts of its northern branch expansion as well. As for Islamabad, it would financially benefit by having its ports facilitate Central Asian trade with the wider world.
N-CPEC+ is therefore more than just a connectivity corridor, it’s a grand strategic concept for the future of intra-Eurasian relations in the emerging Multipolar World Order. Russia, China, and Pakistan are coming closer together as each country realises that they need the others in order to fulfill their shared vision of stability in the supercontinent. In fact, continued movement in this direction might even lead to the creation of a new multipolar trilateral between them to replace the stalled one between Russia-India-China (RIC). The end result could be that a Golden Ring rises between them, Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan in the Heartland of Eurasia.
To be clear, this won’t happen overnight, but the progress that was just made on agreeing to the Peshawar-Kabul-Mazar-e-Sharif trans-Afghan railway shows that the political will is certainly present to take this vision to its ultimate conclusion with time. Some formidable obstacles still remain, however, such as the unresolved conflict in Afghanistan and the efforts of external powers like India to sabotage this vision. There are also obvious questions of financing and other issues related to project implementation, as well as identifying which companies in the region and beyond are most eager to immediately tap into this project upon its completion.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons to remain optimistic, especially since it’s becoming undeniable that Russia and China both appreciate the strategic significance of Pakistan’s N-CPEC+ initiative to their GEP and Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) respectively. In fact, as GEP and BRI continue to synergise their connectivity capabilities, their patron states are realising that N-CPEC+ is indispensable to the success of their joint vision for the supercontinent. This understanding is accelerating trilateral integration between them and therefore leading to one of the most exciting geopolitical developments of the 21st century thus far.
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Punjab govt offers Meera financial aid
Earlier, veteran actor Meera had applied for financial assistance with the Artist Support Fund, launched by the Punjab Information and Cultural Department. The actor had sought Rs 40 million, claiming that her financials were in dire straits.
Her request was previously subsequently denied by the authorities in question. The authorities have noted that at this point they can only offer Rs 5000-10,000 to the Baaji actor.
However, on Thursday, the application for financial assistance filed by the actor has been approved. According to sources, the Lahore Arts Council will provide Rs 5,000 to the Hotal star. It has been noted that Meera was informed about the approval of assistance Rs5,000 through a text message. A total of 645 artists are promised of financial aid in the first spell.
Backstory:
A meeting was held at Alhamrah Arts Council under the supervision of MPA Sadia Sohail Rana after the actor had written to the senior officials. It was during this meeting that the department unanimously decided that it can give no more than ten thousand rupees to the actor. It was also stressed in the meeting that in order to qualify to receive aid from the fund, the artist should have a monthly income of less than Rs 15,000 and be above the age of 50.
“This fund is for the poor artists who have been affected badly from the ongoing situation,” Rana toId The Express Tribune.
Adding on, the MPA expressed bewilderment with Meera’s demands. “ I am surprised why Meera applied for the help as in this situation she herself should be supporting other poor artists. Meera should understand that everything is not a joke. Artists of her stature should set aside funds for difficult times when they earn large amounts,” he said.
Meanwhile, Meera maintained that she was left with no choice. "My shows in USA and Canada were cancelled due to Covid-19. I suffered a loss of around $100,000. I have to pay back the loan I took in Dubai. I was earning Rs 15,000 per appearance but with no shows, I am forced to apply for financial support,” she said.
The actor has maintained that she doesn’t know about her request being rejected. She intends on taking the matter with the Federal government.
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Financial crunch: Artists continue to struggle amid pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic jammed the wheels of economy around the world and it may take a long time for several sectors to bounce back globally.
However, during the last six months, certain areas of work were allowed to operate with precautionary measures in Pakistan, except for the art and entertainment sectors. And just a few days have passed since the near five-month lockdown restrictions were eased across the province. But now, due to Muharramul Haram, entertainment activities have once again caved in.
With respect to the constant hampering, singer Shahida Munni told The Express Tribune that the financial crisis had encompassed all walks of life, but it would not be wrong to say that the most affected social group was of those belonging to the arts sector.
“Thousands of people are employed in other entertainment programmes including film, TV, music concerts, cinemas and theaters but now the situation is becoming overbearing.”
"The long lockdown has pushed us back many years," she stated. “The financial crisis has left the majority of artists in debt. The government needs to come up with solutions and provide alternative earning mechanisms for performing artists.”
Popular actor Meera also chimed in explaining how the unprecedented situation caused many artists, who were heavily involved in finalising their projects, to be left without payments midway. “And when a film that has been made to adorn cinemas is taken down only a few days after its premier, do you know how many millions of rupees are lost? People easily pass remarks saying that the film’s story, music or the performances of artists are not good.”
She reiterated how just like the lockdown infiltrated the rest of Pakistan's economic sectors, the field of arts and entertainment had also been affected. “And now after lockdown, entertainment activities have naturally ceased again due to Muharram," she claimed.
The Baaji star went on clarify, “Everyone knows that the artist community observe Muharram with great devotion and respect, the community arranges Majalis and Niaz at their homes. But this time it is impossible to do even that due to the financial constraints.”
"Therefore, the rulers needs to pay added attention to our community," she ended off saying.
Leading stage actor and dancer Nida Chaudhry also said that it would not be wrong to call the showbiz industry the most deprived sector in our country. “An artist entertains people all his life but he does not tell anyone about his own troubles and worries.”
The stage actor elaborated on how the government hadn't provided any releif to the performing artists despite the aftermath of the lockdown. “If the government makes theatre tax free for the next two years, how much damage will it do to the exchequer? Billions of rupees of taxes are waived for other sectors.”
Therefore, it wouldn't be wrong to pay a little attention to this deprived sector, she asserted. “We artists are also Pakistanis and we also have some rights. The circumstances have forced us to raise our voices. I urge the government to take practical steps to address the problems of this sector on a priority basis," she concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2020.
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Bushra Ansari's daughter Meera Ansari ties the knot
Model Meera Ansari, who's also the daughter of veteran actor Bushra Ansari, recently tied the knot in New York.
The celebrity made the announcement on social media as she shared pictures of her simple yet sweet wedding.
“Surely, with hardship comes ease.’ Quran 94:5,” she wrote alongside the adorable pictures of herself and the groom.
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Meera donned a peach ensemble by Vera Wang on her big day as she also shared images of herself alongside her two children from her previous marriage.
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Soon after, wishes from her loved ones started pouring in while fellow celebrities also extended their love and prayers.
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“Mubarak!” wrote Anoushey Ashraf wrote while Vaneeza Ahmed said, “Mubarak, so happy for you, lots of love and duas.”
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Meera’s mother wants people to think the star has mental health issues, says manager
On Wednesday night, various reports surfaced claiming actor Meera had been admitted to a psychiatric facility in New York. When reached out for a comment, her mother confirmed that the claims were true. According to Shafqat Zahra, the Baaji star had not only been admitted to a psychiatric facility but was taken there by force. She shared more details in a video message.
“I received a call from Meera on April 5 and she kept crying," Zahra told The Express Tribune. "She was telling me that the US police id sending her to a psychiatric facility. She did not tell me why they were doing that, but said she repeatedly told them that she was an actor and not mentally ill.”
Laddies and gentlemen No. 1 actresses #Meera is in mental hospital USA, Meera's mother statement pic.twitter.com/LxSQ8wrbhW
— Hassan Hafeez (@hassanarynews) April 7, 2021
Zahra said that she hasn’t heard from her daughter ever since and her in-laws are also clueless about where she has been taken. “We tried our best to find out the reason but couldn’t. So now I’d like to appeal to the government of Pakistan to do something about it. I have already appealed to the Prime Minister Imran Khan and Sheikh Rasheed,” she added.
However, Meera’s manager Muhammad Qasim, who is based in Pakistan rubbished the claims of her being admitted to any facility and explained why such ‘fake news’ could have surfaced. “Meera is perfectly fine, both in terms of her mental and physical health and she is at her home in the US,” Qasim told The Express Tribune. “It seems like Meera’s mother is spreading rumours to resolve a personal dispute and I have nothing more to add because she is, after all, her mother.”
Another family member told The Express Tribune that Meera is in fact in touch with her father and there is more to the story than what is being discussed on social media.
"Meera is in contact with her father Sarwer Shah, who is more dependable than anyone else in her family,” said the family member requesting anonymity.” These rumours are related to an ongoing property dispute between Meera and her family and you should keep in mind that she has on a number of occasions spoken publicly how her family loots her all the time.”
Another close family member told The Express Tribune that the actor had in fact visited a psychiatric facility in the US for her routine checkup and told her mother about it. But that’s it. “Now her mother is painting a different picture when Meera is in fact in touch with her manager, father, and sister. She is simply not taking any calls from her mother which might have made her make those such claims,” said the family member, also requesting anonymity.
Renowned director and friend, Jarrar Rizvi, who introduced Meera with the film Pyar ki Khatir, was confident that the rumour mill is once again ablaze because Meera’s family wants a lion’s share of her property. “It is clear that it is a land dispute and some elements are trying to declare her mentally challenged so they can claim what belongs to her,” Rizvi told The Express Tribune.
“I have known Meera all my life, in fact, I was the one who gave Irtiza Rubab her screen name Meera and I can say this with confidence that, once again, her family is maligning her reputation for personal gains,” said Rizvi.
Following this, actor Imran Abbas took to his social media and narrated the conversation he had with Meera herself.
"Meera called me this morning to clarify it to all of our media/social media that she is perfectly fine and there is nothing wrong with her mental health. Kindly don’t sensationalise the story and make fun of her. Calling someone mentally unstable is not a bloody joke," he wrote. "A person loses his/her credibility in society and moreover it can actually push her to be a mental wreck and make her take any extreme action. It can really harm her career and affect her adversely in so many different ways."
Livid that people were treating the sensitive news which - even if it were true - should not have been joked about, Abbas added, "None of us are perfect and we all have imperfections in one way or another. 'Perfection' is the word which only suits our Creator. She doesn’t need your sympathies or prayers to be fine. Kindly don’t show this fake concern by putting statuses. Let’s pray for our sick society, news channels and social media which can actually push anyone to commit suicide by their petty jokes and flimsy humour."
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Everything I say becomes news, wish I'd generate it myself: Meera
With the emergence of social media and everything available on it, knowing what’s trending, what to wear, where to eat and what to talk about comes in a package we don’t even stop to think about.
Today, one knows the styles, colours, haircuts and everything else that’s all the rage without even being a fashion buff. That begs the question how actors and models of older times, whose livelihood always depended on their appeal and appearance, kept tabs on everything. Moreover, how did some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry today start off their journeys?
“I stole Rs100 from my father, had three to four friends in Rawalpindi and we all decided to leave for Lahore to try acting. I was 12 or 13 years old and my dad had found out what I was up to,” veteran actor Javed Sheikh revealed on the latest episode of Time Out with Ahsan Khan.
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“He and his friends then split up to look for us and eventually arrived at the train station. The train was about to leave and we were all so happy, from the Rs100 we had bought laddus for Rs2 and we were busy devouring them when my father’s hand grabbed me from behind and by the time he let he go, I was hanging upside down in my house and getting a beating,” he laughed.
Another guest on the episode was the evergreen Meera, who recently made headlines for allegedly being sent to a psychiatric facility in New York – a rumour that was rubbished later. Asked if she had always wanted to be an actor, she replied, “I wanted to be an actor since birth and I was very good at my studies too. But an achiever, no. I failed sometimes and still do.” But in love, did she fail or achieve, inquired Khan to which she said, “I fell in love, very hard, but I don’t know if I have won or lost.”
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Sheikh revealed that his first girlfriend was French. “I met her in Karachi because her father was PIA’s station manager in Paris and she was on holidays here. I was a nobody at the time but I guess I was lucky that such a charming lady went out with me. But then, obviously, she left for home and called me there. Again, I needed money and my father had a Morris. I sold it for Rs5,000, got a ticket for Rs3,000 and went to Paris. I got a beating for that later too.”
But the veteran added that after that, he went to Paris five to six times upon being called by the same girl, who even provided him tickets. And that is where he groomed himself. He then enrolled in Alliance Francoise to learn French too. Till this day, the Wajood star handpicks the clothes of his heroines himself. Meera agreed, recalling the times she worked with Sheikh. “He tells the heroines everything, from the kind of hairstyle to the shoes and clothes.”
The conversation reminded Sheikh of this one time Meera was shooting for Chief Sab and arrived on set wearing the wrong clothes. “She was playing this rich girl who comes to meet her lover – who’s not as fortunate – in this basti. And she was dressed like she’s going to a club. I flipped and told everyone we can’t shoot today. The set was very far away from where we were staying in Istanbul,” he recalled.
“Meera vanished after being scolded and 20 minutes later, came back wearing what I had asked, which was a plain white tee and a jeans. Turns out, she had borrowed clothes from our neighbours because she was that dedicated and I was that angry. I loved that about her and she quickly did the scene.”
Asked about the many scandals she has been associated with, Meera said, “The biggest, however, includes a video, and a marriage. They are far from the truth.” Here, Khan asked, “Have you ever created a scandal to generate news on your own?” and she said, “Saari khabren automatically banjati hain [Everything turns into a news on its own]. Seriously, sometimes I wish I’d generate news myself,” quipped the actor.
On a lighter note, the host asked the Baaji star why the names of female actors are shortened or changed when male actors carry on with their actual names in the industry. “My real name is Irtaza Rubab. It was a big name so people felt Meera would be short and cute. I figured let’s keep it then,” she explained. “But who started calling you that?” inquired Khan. “Everybody,” Meera replied. “No, I think it was Jarrar Rizvi,” guessed Sheikh. “Yes, it was him,” Meera admitted.
In the tirade of questions, Meera also revealed her favourite male actors in Pakistan, starting off with Shaan and Moammar Rana, “Saleem, Humayun Saeed are also my favourites.” She explained she hasn’t really worked with Fawad Khan so she can’t say but called Sheheryar Munawar a “nice, decent guy who’s also her favourite guy.”
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I was taken to a psychiatric facility and released after Sheikh Rasheed's call, says Meera
Meera, who recently went viral following reports of her being admitted into a psychiatric facility in the United States, has now responded to the rumours that surfaced about her mental health and her private affairs last week.
The star had previously, via actor Imran Abbas, rubbished claims of being mentally challenged. And now, in an interview with BBC Urdu, the Baaji actor has claimed she was in fact taken into a mental asylum upon visiting a hospital in New York for different reasons.
When asked what exactly went down at NYC’s Brookline Hospital, Meera said “I got vaccinated for Covid-19 from the institute and was getting my following tests done.”
She recalled being taken aback by the news that hit the internet after her routine checkup with the doctor. But is it true that she was taken to a mental asylum and is now being deported from the US? “It’s midnight over here at the moment and everyone at my place is fast asleep. I can’t talk in detail right now,” she responded in an attempt to dodge the question.
But in a following WhatsApp message, Meera revealed, “I visited the hospital because I was in depression and in turn, I was declared mentally challenged. My phone was also snatched and I was taken to a psychiatric facility. There’s a difference between madness and depression, which has to be understood. But people here locked me up. I spent an entire night screaming for help. No one came.”
She then disclosed that after her mother appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, a call from the latter made her release possible. “Mr Sheikh Rasheed got in touch with the Pakistani embassy in New York, which requested the facility to let me go,” she said. The actor also clarified that she was not being deported from the US, but was only leaving for Dubai to shoot for a Pakistani project.
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Five held over occupation of Meera’s property
Lahore Police on Friday arrested at least five suspects over allegations of illegally occupying film star Meera’s family property.
A case has been registered in Ghalib Market. As per the FIR, the complainant Hassan Abbas said that they went to see their property situated near Minni Market.
A suspect Mian Shahid has prepared forged documents of it and occupied it. Five suspects identified as Nauman Khursheed, Mirza Asad Baig, Waqas Shahbaz, Sardar Ahmad and Amirzada carrying firearms barged into their place and tried to occupy it illegally when they were visiting their property.
Upon information police team reached, meanwhile, prime suspect Mian Shahid on seeing the law-enforcers fled from the scene.
However, other five suspects were arrested by police and firearms were also recovered from their custody.
The complainant further said that the valuables from their house were missing. “As I entered the room, I found out that ACER laptop was missing”, the complainant added. SHO Ghalib Market said that they thwarted the illegal occupation attempt at the plaza of Meera’s late mother and arrested the five suspects.
Read I was taken to a psychiatric facility and released after Sheikh Rasheed's call, says Meera
Two days back, Meera had approached CCPO Lahore and visited his office in this regard. In her application before Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, she had said that few suspects had prepared forged documents of the property owned by her mother.
She had alleged that it was an attempt of illegal occupation as the suspects had forcefully taken thumb impressions from her mother on forged documents.
She had complained that she had appeared at multiple forums to seek justice but to no avail. Dogar had taken notice of the issue and asked SP Model Town to take necessary action in this regard.
Another case has been registered on the complaint of the mother of Meera, Shafqat Zahara against allegations of occupying their house through illegal means by a suspect Shahid Mehmood.
Zahra in her statement said that their family had made a deal of the house situated in Defence with the suspect in return of 160,000 pounds.
He had vowed to transfer the amount in the account and in return asked to proceed for transfer of the house from DHA authority. The house was transferred to his name.
However, the suspect started making lame excuses and started using delaying tactics for the payment of the said amount.
When he did not make the payment they requested them to return their property but he did not. Meanwhile, Meera reached the CCPO office along with her ailing mother to thank them for their help.
She said that her mother was harassed and faced a life-threatening situation in her absence. She commended the efforts of the police against the land mafia and said that they were the real heroes.
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Zarnish Khan slams trolls mocking Meera’s English
It’s 2021 but trolls are still not over Meera’s English speaking skills and actor Zarnish Khan has had it.
Reposting a video of Meera from the Lux Style Awards, in an attempt to take a dig at her, a blog had written, “Uff yaar Meera ki English!” with laughter emoticons. Sharing the same on her Stories, Zarnish commented, “Yaar bas kardo weli awaam (Can you people cut it out already?)”
She then asserted, “I’m pretty sure all the people who make such memes or cut-out video clips are a bunch of idiots themselves, who probably can’t even speak Urdu fluently, let alone English.”
Zarnish reminded everyone that just because most of us can pass comments in the shadows, without ever having to worry about our reputation being dragged through the mud; does not mean we’ve earned the license to publicly shame people in the limelight.
“Just because you can hide behind the anonymity of a cyber-network, doesn’t give you a right to make fun of other people,” the Ye Dil Mera actor lashed out. “Maybe she [Meera] can’t speak well in English but is that a crime? How well do you know this language? Are you ready for an open challenge? I bet you aren’t!” She concluded by asking her followers to “stop being so shallow please!”
The video sees Meera struggling to say, “I’m very excited to be here, obviously it’s a big night today. I want to congratulate Lux Style Awards for completing 20 years, it’s an achievement. Men bohat khush hun aj (I’m really happy today).”
Recently, Meera was also being “threatened by land-grabbers,” and requested Prime Minister Imran Khan for help. She submitted an application to Capital City Police Office (CCPO) Lahore regarding a property issue. The actor has claimed that her property, which she alleges is worth billions, has been grabbed illegally. She has also requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to take action over the matter.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Meera said, “I am being threatened by Mian Shahid Mahmood, he is a land-grabber who is trying to illegally take over my family property after agreeing to live there as a tenant."
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Meera is still Ateequeur Rahman’s lawfully wedded wife, court rules
After Meera appealed against a court ruling which declared the actor to be Ateequeur Rehman’s lawfully wedded wife, her request has been denied. Meera had stated in her appeal that she is not Attique’s wife, and that the Nikkah papers being used to prove otherwise are fake. She further added that he forged the documents to defame the actor. The appeal had been in process for the past three years, with the court finally reaching a decision, ruling in Attique’s favour.
In 2018, after a nine-year-long legal battle, Lahore’s family court ruled Meera to be the wife of Sheikh Attiqueur Rahman. The court had dismissed the actor's petition to bar Attique from calling her his wife previously as well.
In the earlier verdict, judge Babar Nadeem said that the Nikkahnama between Meera and Attique is authentic. This means that the two were, in fact, married. The court also stated that all the pictures and other evidence provided to the court were valid and the two were legally married.
It must be noted that earlier Meera told the court that the Nikkahnama and pictures were forged. However, the court rejected her claims. According to the 18-page judgement, Meera and Attique tied the knot in 2007, after which the couple also went on a honeymoon. In 2013, Meera also alleged that she was married to Captain Naveed.
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Meera stages a performance in NYC to generate funds for flood victims in Pakistan
In catastrophic times of more than half of Pakistan drowning in floods following torrential rains, people have come together to collect donations for relief. Veteran actor Meera, who's currently in New York, has decided to put her craft and talent to good use too. Staging a dance performance at Times Square, the Nazar actor requested viewers to raise money for victims.
Posting videos and images on her social media from her performances, Meera stated that she’s ready to perform anywhere in the world “as long as at least one bereaved family is able to have a roof over their heads.” With the multiple posts on her accounts and on several social media platforms, displaying snippets from her rather eclectic performances, Meera aims to raise awareness across the world of the intensity of destruction happening in multiple parts of Pakistan currently.
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A post shared by Meera (@meerajeeofficial)
Dressed to the nines in a beautiful bright pink gharara and long kurta with heavy silver embroidery, the star explained the purpose of her performance to followers on Instagram. “Today I performed in New York to raise money for flood victims. My sincere request to Muslims everywhere is as follows: Please let's join hands and work towards this jointly. Let's just open our hearts and homes to the families of flood victims. Together, we can accomplish anything. Let's not belittle those that ask for assistance. Together, we can.”
Recognising her responsibility as an artist, she added, “Being an artist and the most sensitive element of the society, I am willing to perform for flood victims anywhere in the world as long as at least one bereaved family is able to have a roof over their heads. I am grateful to the dignified chief organiser Ayesha Ali and all the other organizers of the Brooklyn fundraising event for the special invitation and for providing me with the opportunity to participate in this noble cause.”
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A post shared by Meera (@meerajeeofficial)
In a separate post, Meera also gave a shoutout to ex-prime minister Imran Khan’s telethon, an international fundraising event for flood affectees. “Imran khan is going to raise funds for the flood victims via telethon shortly. I request all of my fans to come forward and support the great cause,” she wrote.
Apart from Meera, many celebrities and public figures namely Shehzad Roy, Faysal Quraishi, Humayun Saeed, Sarwat Gilani among others are using their platforms to raise awareness and share authentic sources to donate to the victims of floods in the country.
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