Stranded in Doha

Posted on April 26, 2010 by beenasarwar

Article published in The News on Sunday, Apr 25, 2010

Beena Sarwar

Who would ever have thought that a volcano with an unpronounceable name, in Iceland of all places, would suddenly erupt and disrupt the world’s air traffic for days and days – nearly a week as I write this.

Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be among thousands if not millions of ‘volcanic ash zadgaan’ (affectees) stranded in various places around the world. I’ve had tidal wave nightmares (trapped between an approaching wall of water and a cliff – Paradise Point off the Karachi shore, to be precise) but a volcano thousands of miles away? Not on my horizon until now.

The bad news began trickling in on Thursday night as I packed for a four-day trip to Berlin to participate in a `Trialogue’ between Pakistani, Indian and Afghan delegates, organised by the German organisation Fredrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). My mother, in the UK for a TESOL (teachers of English to speakers of other languages) conference, was due back Friday afternoon. We were to cross each other in the skies. Her flight was of course cancelled. Continue reading →

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Kashmir solution ‘a hair’s breadth away’ – Kasuri at Aman ki Asha seminar

Posted on April 25, 2010 by beenasarwar

Aman ki Asha panel on 'A Common Destiny', April 23, 2010, Lahore

Back in Karachi after an eventful visit to Lahore for the Aman ki Asha ‘A Common Destiny’ conference that started on April 22, with a closed door discussion between distinguished Indians and Pakistanis deliberating on issues of strategic importance and the need for peace between the two countries. They agreed on this joint statement at the end of the day.

The following day, at a televised panel discussion, conducted by Iftikhar Ahmad of Geo TV,  former foreign minister Khursheed Kasuri elaborated on something he has hinted at before – that Pakistan and India had been a hair’s breadth away from a settlement on Kashmir. What stymied the agreement was instability within Pakistan and Musharraf’s ouster of the Chief Justice which led to a nation-wide movement. Following the panel discussion, he talked in more detail to some of the journalists present, including the Times of India’s senior editor Ranjan Roy, and Babar Dogar of The News. Their detailed stories, merged and published the following day with a joint byline, are available at this link. In brief: Continue reading →

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Aman ki Asha Press release: Dialogue on ‘A Common Destiny’

Posted on April 25, 2010 by beenasarwar

LAHORE, Apr 22: Prominent academics, writers and analysts from India and Pakistan met today at a closed-door seminar titled “A Common Destiny”, the first of Aman ki Asha’s series of discussions on issues of strategic importance.

Delegates at the first of Aman ki Asha’s series of discussions on issues of strategic importance to India and Pakistan, titled “A Common Destiny”, agreed on the need for peace between the two countries, and the importance of a sustained dialogue to resolve bilateral issues including Jammu & Kashmir, terrorism, water-sharing, trade and investment. Continue reading →

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Remembering Saneeya, five years on

Posted on April 20, 2010 by beenasarwar
Zohra Yusuf’s tribute to Saneeya in ‘The Herald’ – one of dozens of articles about this extraordinary activist, journalist and wonderful human being

Hard to believe it’s five years already since we lost Saneeya to asthma and a traffic jam in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Our mutual friend in Sri Lanka, Nalaka Gunawardene remembers her in a blog post today titled “Remembering Saneeya Hussain of Absurdistan, five years on…”.

“Absurdistan” is the delightfully whimsical word Saneeya coined,  in her email to me in March 2005 in response to news of the attack on women participating in a ‘mixed’ (non-segregated) marathon in Gujranwala. Just two days later, we learnt that she had gone into a coma, from which she never recovered. I used “Absurdistan” as the headline of another article after she’d passed away.

Saneeya, we will always miss you. Thanks to all those who are  supporting the Saneeya Hussain Trust run by her family and friends to provide educational scholarships to deserving women and girls.

See my chapter “Uphill and downstream in Pakistan”, on Saneeya and environmental journalism in the recently published collection “The Green Pen” by Sage, India.

The short version of my documentary Celebrating Saneeya is up at Youtube

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Conversations 8: Clap with both hands

Posted on April 20, 2010 by beenasarwar

Dilip and my ongoing weekly email exchange (archives at the Aman ki Asha website, published in The News on Sunday Political Economy section, Aman ki Asha page on April 18, 2010:

April 15 2009

Dear Beena,

Rejuvenated by a few days tramping in the hills, I return to our fray, if that’s the word. Continue reading →

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Volcanic ash zadgaan; Persecution of Ahmedis; 18th Amendment TNS Special Report

Posted on April 18, 2010 by beenasarwar

Greetings from one of the thousands if not millions of ‘volcanic ash zadgaan’ (affectees) stranded in various places around the world. Returned to Pakistan this morning after volcanic ash over Europe foiled our attempts to travel to Berlin for a `Trialogue’ between Pakistani, Indian and Afghan delegates, organised by the Fredrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). Rahimullah Yusufzai and I were stuck in Doha, the Afghans made it to Berlin via Brussels, and the Indias were stuck elsewhere. The organisers eventually had no choice but to cancel the meeting. We then took the next flight back to our respective destinations. I am grateful to Qatar Airways for how well they looked after passengers, accommodating everyone in good hotels, various members of staff going personally to locate people’s baggage from various containers, etc. Continue reading →

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Conversations 7: Frankly my dear, let’s give a dam(n)

Posted on April 16, 2010 by beenasarwar

I’m really behind on my postings. Below, Dilip & my Conversations (7th installment), published in The News on Sunday’s Aman ki Asha page in the Political Economy Section on April 4, 2010

April 1 2010

Hi Beena,

OK, so perhaps we are agreed that we should find a way to take forward the idea of a joint war memorial and/or peace parks on the borders. We should ask about your view that a serving soldier cannot openly support such an idea. I cannot imagine that doing so would be equated to refusing to serve and being called a conscientious objector. Perhaps we can write a letter to senior officers in both our countries, suggesting such memorials, and see where it goes. I’ll draft one and let’s discuss it. Continue reading →

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Pakistan’s first ‘tarana’, by Jagannath Azad

Posted on April 9, 2010 by beenasarwar

Complete version of the tarana by the Lahore-based poet Jagan Nath Azad, who wrote this anthem, Pakistan’s first, reportedly at the request of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (see ‘Bring back Jagganath Azad’s Pakistan anthem‘). Thanks to his son Chander K. Azad in Jammu for sending the complete naz’m (obtained and scanned from his sister Pramilla Taylor’s archives in the U.K.). I believe this is the first time since 1947 that it is being made public.

Courtesy Chandar K. Azad

Jagan Nath Azad’s Pakistan ‘Tarana’ – courtesy his son Chandar K. Azad in Jammu and daughter Promilla Taylor in the UK. (Thanks to Tanveer Sheikh for the jpeg conversion)

Transliteration and translation follow, by people who are coincidentally both Lahoris too, like Azad Continue reading →

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PERSONAL POLITICAL: Welcome home Mr Ghanshyam

Posted on April 3, 2010 by beenasarwar

Kathak dancer Babar with his Ustad Sheema's Ustad Mr Ghanshyam, and Iqbal Alavi of Irtiqa Institute for Social Sciences at the last day of Tlism. photo: beena sarwar

Karachi, March 27, 2010 – Personal Political column for Hardnews, India

Beena Sarwar

One thing is for sure. Life is never dull in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at the last minute backtracked from his support to the proposed 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Talk about bursting a bubble. Continue reading →

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Conversations 6: Push for peace parks

Posted on April 3, 2010 by beenasarwar

Conversations 6 – published in Political Economy Aman ki Asha page, The News on Sunday, March 28, 2010

Mar 25 2010

Dear Beena,

Let’s talk a little bit more this week about the notion of a joint war memorial, before moving on to other wrangles. Continue reading →

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