See what Nawaz Sharif stymied… Zardari’s speech that never was

Posted on March 27, 2010 by beenasarwar

The proposed Constitutional amendment package that Nawaz Sharif backed away from at the 11th hour (after having promised to support it) was to have restored federalism, provincial rights, and Parliamentary sovereignty, besides doing away with the President’s powers to dissolve assemblies.

Here’s a front page report from The News, Saturday, March 27, 2010:

Zardari’s speech that never was

By our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari was all set to deliver the speech before a joint sitting on Friday to take the lead in announcing the omission of Article 58(2)b, empowering the president to dissolve the National Assembly.

The draft of the speech (available with The News) nullifies the rumours that the president may have been reluctant to give away his power to dissolve the Assembly. Sources say that the president did not even interfere in the affairs of the constitutional committee leaving its head Senator Raza Rabbani absolutely independent in deciding things. Continue reading →

Filed under: Progressive politics | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

CONVERSATIONS-5: Dream on

Posted on March 23, 2010 by beenasarwar

Fifth installment of Dilip and my weekly email exchange, published in The News on Sunday (still the best weekly English language paper in Pakistan) Political Economy section, Aman ki Asha page, March 21, 2010.

CONVERSATIONS: Dream on

March 18 2010

Dear Beena,

To begin with, my salaams to the memory and spirit of Aziz Siddiqui, whom you mentioned in your last letter. He’s right, of course: is giving up the fight for your beliefs even an option?

The interesting thing about this exercise is that we agree about a lot of things. Which might raise the question, are we the right people to be doing this exercise at all? But that raises another question: why not? Why should voices that tend to agree on some things not be raised and heard? Continue reading →

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CONVERSATIONS-4: It’s about time

Posted on March 23, 2010 by beenasarwar

Published in The News on Sunday Aman ki Asha page, Political Economy section, on March 14, 2010

Conversations 4: It’s about time

Dilip D’Souza and Beena Sarwar continue their correspondence, attempting to share thoughts honestly, without fear and hostility, exploring what divides our countries, and seeking ways to bridge the divide

March 11, 2010

Dear Beena,

Again, so much to address! But since I asked what annoys you about Indians, and since you answered so frankly, let me make that the theme for this installment of our exchange, and in two ways.

First, your beef is with “the hard-nosed nationalism and sense of superiority of many Indians, the refusal to introspect and see flaws within their own society.” Personally, I’m bothered too by this reluctance to see flaws, by the sense of almost manifest destiny and even entitlement that a lot of us Indians nurse. Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Dance, drama and literature festivals, Karachi

Posted on March 17, 2010 by beenasarwar

Below, details of two exciting and significant cultural events in Karachi starting this weekend (for more events, visit the Danka website)

TEHRIK E NISWAN’S 2ND TLISM THEATRE AND DANCE FESTIVAL for Peace and Disarmament March 19- 28

Venue: Arts Council Karachi. All programmes will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for Rs 300/- available at venue (also has food and handicraft stalls). Contact Tehrik-e-Niswan tel: +92-21-35857190 email: tehrik@gmail.com. Programme details at Tehrik website,- also copied below. The festival is a tribute to Mr Ghanshyam, who introduced generations of Pakistanis to dance and yoga. See Sheema’s note below.
And the KARACHI LITERATURE FESTIVAL, Mar 20-21, 2010, 10 am – 7 pm, Carlton Hotel (next to Creek Club, D.H.A. Karachi).
Evening Performances start at 9 pm at the Karachi Arts Council

TLISM: Sheema Kermani writes: “Mr Ghanshyam was my first dance teacher and it is to him that I owe the success of my career as a dancer and performer. I learnt not only many dance forms from Mr Ghanshyam but also learnt what goes into making a good performer, choreographer and director. For almost 35 years Mr and Mrs Ghanshyam ran their training institute in Karachi where Classical and Folk dance, Classical Vocal and Instrumental Music and Yoga were taught. In 1983 they were hounded out of the country and sought asylum abroad. They are returning to Pakistan and I want this Festival to be a tribute to them.” Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

‘And there shall be more caravans of passion…’

Posted on March 16, 2010 by beenasarwar

Title for documentary 'Aur nikleiN Ge Ushhaq ke Qafley' - design by K.B. Abro

Several items uploaded to the Dr Sarwar blog over the last month:

1. Learning from history in an age of bombs
– my article based on research done for the 30-min documentary on the 1953 student movement directed by Sharjil Baloch, that I produced (we are making some final changes after which it will be available for distribution upon request).

2. Articles specially written for the Jan 9, 2010 Event Book on the 1953 student movement:
– Keep the fire burning – End Note by Zakia Sarwar
– Continuing Stories: Social Action and Change – by Ruqaiya Hasan
– The High School Students’ Association and my rite of passage – by Ghazi Salahuddin

3. Scans of the Event Book, Jan 9, 2010 – Copies available upon request

Filed under: Progressive politics, Student politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Young Pakistani prisoner released from Indian jail

Posted on March 14, 2010 by beenasarwar

Policemen escort Pakistani prisoner Mohammad Ateeq (13) to the India-Pakistan Wagah border on Friday. AFP photo published in The Hindu, March 13, 2010


Great news – Ateeq, the 13-year old boy imprisoned at Hoshiarpur Juvenile Prison in India, reached home late last night “amidst mayhem in Lahore” as advocate Asad Jamal put it, “and jubilation among family members and mohalladars”.

See initial report inAman ki Asha page Feb 24 – written prior to Asma Jahangir and I.A. Rehman going to Amritsar to plead his case on Feb 26.

See report in The News, Saturday, March 13, 2010: Boy returns home after two months in Indian jail … Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Personal Political: Plays and books, not bombs

Posted on March 12, 2010 by beenasarwar

Pakistan's foremost sculptor Shahid Sajjad at the Retrospective exhibition at Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Feb 2010

My monthly column for Hardnews, India, also published in The News on Sunday, (March 7, 2010)

Feb 25, 2010

Beena Sarwar

“New Karachi literary festival hopes to turn page on bombs,” trumpeted a headline in the Independent, UK.

Inspired by Jaipur, the festival in March “may not turn the page on the bombs,” as Siraj Khan, a Boston-based Pakistani commented in an email, “but it is very inspiring. In my recent 7-month stint in Karachi, I saw and felt this breath of fresh air myself. This has not happened overnight and it’s not just the new crop of writers who are turning the tide.” Continue reading →

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CONVERSATIONS-3: Let’s introspect

Posted on March 12, 2010 by beenasarwar

Printed in the aman ki asha page of Political Economy, The News on Sunday, March 7, 2010

Dilip D’Souza and Beena Sarwar continue their email exchange, attempting to share thoughts honestly, without fear and hostility, seeking ways to bridge the gulf between Pakistan and India

Mar 2 2010

Dear Beena,

Since we’ve started on this path of exploring the anti-the-other-country feelings, let’s take it a little further and see where it goes.

First, you draw a distinction between the (sometimes) elected Pakistani governments and what you call the “establishment” – the army/bureaucracy nexus, if you will. Nawaz Sharif was, you tell us, pro-India, but this establishment undermined his government’s efforts in that direction. Continue reading →

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A road show for peace; S. Balakrishnan: ‘Shatter stereotypes’

Posted on March 11, 2010 by beenasarwar

Below – introduction from the ‘aman ki asha‘ page in The News on Wed, March 4, and thoughts from S. Balakrishnan, Times of India’s chief of bureau in Mumbai who happened to be in Karachi at the time

A road show for peace

`Are you from India? Can I have your sign please?” was a question that those associated with the organisers often heard during the Aman ki Asha event at Park Towers, Karachi, last Sunday (Feb 28).

Asked why he wanted to meet Indians, one young man cradling a six-month old baby wrapped in pink, answered quietly, “”I want to ask them why they are being so hostile.”

Personal meetings rub the edge off hostility. As the poll conducted by the Jang Group and Times of India for Aman ki Asha in December 2009 underlines, the majority of people on both sides want peace. Being able to meet without the restrictions that currently mar travel between the two countries would help this process. Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Conversations-2: Let’s keep it going

Posted on March 3, 2010 by beenasarwar

Our second installment of Conversations, below – published in the Political Economy section of The News on Sunday’s Feb 27 edition, Aman ki Asha page, which also includes:

– ‘The Price of Peace‘ by Waqar Gillani on visa hurdles for peace activists

– ‘The MEPIC dimensions‘ by Rafey Mehmood, about a study center established by SZABIST (Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology) focusing on the Mid East Pakistan India and China.

Below: Dilip D’Souza and Beena Sarwar continue their correspondence from last week, attempting to share thoughts honestly, without fear and hostility, exploring what divides our countries, and seeking ways to bridge the divide

Feb 23 2010

Dear Beena,

That was a good start, thank you. While I know that terrorism continues unabated in Pakistan, I had no idea of the numbers you quoted to me. 8000 civilians and 3000 security personnel killed in seven years, is a tragic, horrifying toll. I think more of us in India need to comprehend the magnitude of what’s happening today in Pakistan.

There’s plenty in your letter that I’d like to discuss. But for now, I’d like to focus on one theme you brought up. Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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