Shehzad roy is coming back after a bit of a break, the rumor has it the album has been banned, the promo of the video sounds refreshing feature Ali Azmat. The lover boy Shehzad roy seems like is growing up and taking on some political issues. Enjoy the promos
Pakistan is like an airplane lost in a dark ominous cloud, running on autopilot. Its coordinates and destination were set by previous crew members, who have been made to disappear or have parachuted out.
Passengers with gurgling stomachs and sweaty brows having long realized the trouble and appear paralyzed. They have seen a stream of crew members pushed off the plane or bail out with parachute — shady hunks in khakis, but some rare trustworthy ones too.
The Captain, Asif Zardari, took over when his wife was shoved off the plane. The First Officer, Nawaz Sharif, is there propped up by his benefactor General Zia ul Haq. CIA operatives onboard, passengers learned, had forced Zia to jump off with a crate of mangoes tied to him.
Every so often the passengers are flashed the grinning faces of the two pilots to assure them that the plane is in safe hands. A sharp journalist on flight notes the lack of sparkle and empathy in their eyes and wonders if their bright smiles are a sham.
Air traffic control is in the hands of General Pervez Musharraf supported by American engineers. They built the autopilot and are the only people who now have flight plan that was entered in the plane. Suddenly, a violent thumping on the door disturbs the peace inside the locked control room. Outside, deposed Chief Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar and his attorney Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan having caught wind of the plot are trying to force their way in.
Meanwhile pandemonium reigns in the cabin. A lunatic Mullah from NWFP with a huge beard announces that he is Muhammad Ali Jinnah. While the agitated passengers look at him, from the back of the cabin a man in cricketing whites who had earlier been talking to the Mullah, declares himself Master Tara Singh. Jinnah and Singh launch into a bhangra dance in the two aisles but fail to attract the attention of the agitated passengers who are sweating in their seats. Fearing more trouble the two mad entertainers are locked up in the same toilet by on-flight security men. [This bit was left out by Dawn.]
To avoid further ruckus in the cabin the cool-headed Purser Saadat Hasan Manto puts on the film “Toba Tek Singh”, a classic drama about the confusion at the time of partition when Hindu lunatics in a city in Punjab were repatriated to India. Suddenly calm reigns as passengers get glued to the monitor in front of them. This is like the reassurance of seeing oneself in the mirror on waking every morning. That’s me you tell yourself, that face is mine, I have survived the night! The few who don’t get the plot finally realize its parallel with their condition when they read the film notes in the flight magazine (http://tinyurl.com/45wje2).
The rest of the world retains an interest in the future of this unstable flight – an unfolding drama viewed from ground level seemingly as surreal as that experienced by those onboard. Some characters in the drama are highlighted by the international press.
The New York Times in its Sunday magazine elaborates the past and present of Aitzaz Ahsan. He makes it to the Prospect magazine’s top 100 global intellectual’
Justice Iftikhar who originally approved of Gen Musharraf’s takeover in 1999 has redeemed himself through his activist role in highlighting the fact of countless Pakistanis having disappeared due to the ‘war on terror’. This exposure has earned him the ire of the Yanks. He also exposed and thus stopped the deal to sell off the national steel mill to a crony of the Citibanker-turned-Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who is now safely back in America after his 5-year overseas duty. The Chief Justice also helped to stop the New Murree project which would have replaced a pristine pine forest in the hills with luxury hotels and villas for the filthy rich.
Meanwhile as the airborne drama of Pakistan unfolds the common citizen is burdened by sky-rocketing prices of food and other commodities, as well as a serious shortage of power coupled with serious eco-disasters. This writer, who needs to walk the darkened bazaars near his home daily from 2-3 am during blackout to avoid mosquitoes and heat, can find many who live a far more deprived existence. Take the Afghan refugee along his nightly route, a scavenger, who gathers discarded plastic bottles from the shopping area for recycling. He earns Rs 60-100 daily, a sum below subsistence level.
The plane can be flown safely if Pakistanis wake up to the reality of their situation and begin to change things for the better. Good sense and political will are levers needed to disengage the autopilot and take control of the country.
A suicide bomber struck Islamabad on the day thousands of Pakistanis marked the first anniversary of the storming of the Red Mosque. Warning: the following pictures contain disturbing images.
Earlier in the day, people performed ritual ablutions at the Red Mosque on the sidelines of a protest rally held by Islamists outside the compound.
Security was tight, as thousands of police were deployed around the gathering in front of the mosque. Protesters chanted slogans praising “martyrs” of the siege.
The suicide bomber struck as people were dispersing. Many of the dead were police officers.
At least 20 people were injured in the blast, which occurred in front of a police station.
The scene was covered with blood, and scattered body parts were found as far as 50 meters away.
Miss Pakistan World 2008, Natasha Paracha, has received several offers to act in Bollywood movies.
The 23-year-old beauty queen told NDTV.com that she is at present studying these offers and scripts and soon take a decision on them.
”I have received few offers from Bollywood. I want to look into them before taking a call,” she said.
Natasha, who lives in New York and works at United Nations with International Energy Renewable Organisation, however, refused to divulge further details about the offers, because of confidentiality.
”Personally I want to do a movie, which deals with issues that are dear to my heart women’s rights and children,” Natasha said.
An avid fan of Bollywood movies, Natasha said she watches a lot and the recent super hit Om Shanti Om and Sarkar Raj are her latest additions to her favourites.
Of all the Bollywood stars, she admires Sushmita Sen a lot the former Miss World and wants to follow her footsteps.
”Sushmita Sen is not only a great actress but she has also been involved in raising awareness about the issues which are dear to my heart,” Natasha said.
”She (Sushmita) has adopted a child. She is definitely somebody whom I admire and follow,” Natasha said.
Using her celebrity status, she has been working in villages of Pakistan especially those of the Pak-occupied-Kashmir through NGO Vision of Development – run by her. ”My goal is to work towards women’s issue and children,” she said.
Natasha argued that exchange of artists can act as a catalyst for peace between the two countries.
”I definitely believe that the entertainment industry can help in mitigating tension between India and Pakistan. There is need to allow Pakistani artists to go into India and work in Indian cinema as well as Indian entertainment industry and vice versa,” she said.
LONDON: World famous British couture designer Bruce Oldfield has in collaboration with Crosley Diamonds of London created the world’s most expensive abaya (Islamic dress).
Saudi Arabia
The abaya that Bruce has created is covered in 4,668 individual diamonds with a gold weight of 359.7 grams of white gold. The total carat weight of the diamonds is 85.13 carats, and the colour of the stones is g/h and clarity is vs quality.
The troubled fast bowlers 18th month ban has been suspended by the Lahore High Court and is now free t play cricket. Shoaib launched an appeal against the ban which will now be heard in September.”The court has allowed Shoaib Akhtar to play cricket and the petition will be heard after the summer vacation,” said Judge Zahid Hussain.
Shoaib must still pay the £57,000 fine imposed on him in April.
“Shoaib is temporarily allowed to play until the petition is heard, but he will have to give the fine,” said Pakistan Cricket Board lawyer Taffazul Rizvi.
Shoaib has now set his sights on playing in the Champions Trophy in September – and warming up for that tournament by playing English county cricket.
“I am keeping fit and I’m going to England and try to play some county or league matches there and get in shape for the Champions Trophy,” he said.
“I owe my name and fame to Pakistan, so I will never defame my country. I want to win the Champions Trophy for my country and for that I need everyone’s support.”
Shoaib will have to fight for his place in the team as Pakistani camp is already overflowing with talented fast bowlers. Lets see for how long can both Muhammed Asif and Shoaib Akhtar can keep away from trouble.
An American man who was born female but underwent gender realignment has given birth to a female baby, US media have reported.
Thomas Beatie, 34, is legally male but kept his female reproductive organs after having breast surgery to remove glands and flatten his chest.
Both Mr Beatie and his daughter are reported to be doing well in a hospital in Bend, Oregon.
He was inseminated using sperm from an anonymous donor.
The birth was natural, a source at St Charles Medical Center in Bend told ABC News, and took place on Sunday.
According to some reports, Mr Beatie had had a Caesarean section.
Former model
Mr Beatie, who sports a wispy beard, made headlines around the world when he revealed in April that he was pregnant.
He told chat show host Oprah Winfrey it had been his dream to one day have a child.
“I opted not to do anything with my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day,” he said.
Mr Beatie grew up in Hawaii as Tracy Lagondin and was a Girl Scout, model and finalist in a teenage beauty pageant.
He began to live as a man when he was in his 20s and officially changed his gender, he told People magazine.
He has been married for five years to wife Nancy.
Mr Beatie’s obstetrician, Dr Kimberly James, told Oprah Winfrey in April: “This baby is totally healthy. This is what I consider a normal pregnancy.”
Pakistan and cricket go hand and hand, for the longest time cricket has been the nations first love but slowly and gradually people have started loosing interest. One cannnot associate the same kind of passion and determination that was once associated with the fans of Pakistani cricket . Most of them aren’t willing to go the extra mile to support there team anymore. The fact that a Pakistan India match did not fill up till the second innings speaks volumes.
Kids these days dont imitate Salman butt or Muhammed Yusuf they idealise Matt Hayden or Yuvraj, Gul has been around for a while now, still he has not managed to get a decent fan following, while on the other hand Shaun Tait and Ajanta Mendis managed to create quite a stir in a short period of time.
Although form and fitness is important but they are merely a means to success. What Pakistan really lacks is the right attitude. Shoaib Malik most of the time out on the field looks scared, he hardly ever takes any risks, he just waits for the opposition to make mistakes rather then committing them into one. Inzi was accused of being lazy and Malik is a scared cow. The attitude reflects in his batting and his reluctance to bowl. The innings against SriLanka is a proof of this, he took 70 odd balls to get to his 50, where Pakistan was chasing more then 300 runs and then threw his wicket away. The attitude reflects in the rest of the team, they seem very humble, we miss the passion and attitude that batsman like Aamir Sohail and Ijaz Ahmed use to display after thrashing the bowlers through the covers. The reason why the likes of Viv Richards, Hayden and Sehwag have been so successful is because bowlers are scares of them, a mean stare after a punching drive is as important as smashing a spinner out of the ground. You have to show the bowler that you are on top and sadly most off our batsmen aren’t being dominant enough .
The exception is Younis Khan who displays and posses that kind of confidence and it shows. In both the recent victories against India, he has been the cornerstone and the batsman around him have adopted the attitude. Even in the game against Sri Lanka the team was in with a chance until he was on the crease. The onus of responsibility in the bowling department lies with Sohail tanvir, he displays a lot of of positive attitude but he is still learning he goes into a shell when the likes of Jayasuria and Sehwags manage to get on top of him.
Pakistani Crickets need to start believing in themselves, they need to learn to back there abilities. Afridi is going through a lean patch, someone needs to sit down with him and express confidence in him . Allow the batsman to play there natural game and ask the openers to adapt a more aggressive approach. The players need to shrug off the humbleness and look to scare the opposition, they need to start playing like tigers and stop acting like lazy cats.
