Written By: Omair Alavi

Pakistan has been at the center of bomb blasts, terrorist acts as well as street crime resulting in the death of many during the past 10 years. More people have lost their lives to unnatural causes than to natural ones, yet nothing has been done to safeguard their interests. In fact, their lives and the expressions of their relatives have made it to television (a big jump in standard of news coverage in Pakistan), and now it has become a norm that if you have had an unnatural death (read accident) in the family, you will be covered by camera!

Be it the air crash of Airblue or Bhoja Airlines, the bomb blasts that have rocked nearly every city in the country, all except media have mourned the losses, because the first instinct of the media in such cases is to air the news, not save lives. Although the Holy Quran states, “If any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity.”

The culprit here is both the government and the media as they have shown that they don’t have what it takes to make things right. Last year an old man was having a heart attack in Lahore, while he was waiting to collect his pension from the bank. The first instinct of the TV channels was to cover his seizure which culminated in his death as such events come once in a blue moon, and are good for the ‘ratings.’

Similarly, a disaster of the magnitude of Airblue as well as the recent Bhoja Air crash was in every way a disaster, unlike the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto who had not been in good health for the last few years. She may have been the mother-in-law of the President, the former First Lady of Pakistan (as wife of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto) and the mother of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but her greatness is not universally acknowledged.

But the government, made up of the party and survivors of her late husband and daughter announced mourning on her death and not for the many who left their loved ones alive, only to have their lives cut short by a human error. There were many mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives on the planes that crashed, and their deaths warranted mourning!

Recently, the report of the final conversation between the pilots of the ill-fated Air Blue plane was made public, and it was sad to learn that the main pilot kept insulting his co-pilot, and didn’t pay heed to his advice, which resulted in the crash. If such arrogant people will be pilots, then God save us, because neither the government, nor the media will take a stand against such happenings. For the media, good news means no ratings. No ratings, no coverage!

Are the media and the government really insensitive? Will the governing party refer to the death of one of their own as a waste of life? Will the media cover the death of those who control the industry by barging into their homes, interviewing their loved ones when they are crying, play meaningless and irritating songs before airing their news as well as deliver hopeless lines as, urnay wala Bhoja Air ka jahaaz kayee jaanain le ura (the Bhoja Air plane flew and took away the lives of hundreds in it!).

No they won’t because they don’t have the guts to do that. It’s the public who has to bear the brunt of such insensitivity. Unless and until we elect an ethical government that is for the public, and the ethics and good governance filter across the board, things cannot change in Pakistan. Period!

Honey do you want to be a princess for Halloween this year?

PFF, NO! I’m going to be Kim Kardasian.

Yeah I don’t think I would ever be ready to hear those words coming out my daughter’s mouth (If I ever have one that is).Seems like a lot of kids and teens have an idol nowadays. Back in the 90s it were the Back Street Boys for a lot of people; well at least they use to sing about how all you need is “one love” or about their come back in the song “Everybody”.  These days you’ve got people singing about…well rapping actually, about smoking weed etc

Kim Kardashian - great role model?

Now we all know how the media influences its audience, the impacts it has on women, men, teenagers and kids. The women are objectified in the song videos, and men  supposedly “living the dream,” rapping about how much money and marijuana they smoke. Is that the kind of music a small boy should listen to? Or how about a young girl watching music videos that depict a man accepting a woman only if she’s dressed in skimpy clothes?

I mean honestly it’s just wrong when you hear a 9 year old girl singing out the lyrics to Miley Cyrus’ “can’t be tamed.”  When little girls idolize someone like Kim Kardashian (don’t get me wrong I love Kim Kardashian) and puts her in the centre of her universe, I don’t think any parent would be pleased about their daughter wanting to be like someone who has a erotic home video on the internet and someone who gets divorced after only 2 months of marriage.

Miley cyrus - Untamed 10 year olds , yeah every parents dream, pff

Now I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want my future children to look up to people like that. Isn’t it a parent’s job to protect their children from getting to close to the edge? After all I don’t think a mother would want to see the day when her son treats women like his toys.

When you spend so much money in getting your kids educated, making sure they get into a good college so they secure a good future for themselves then at least make sure they turn out to be good people and good citizens who contribute to the community. A lot of people blame today’s generations of being miscreants and out of control. Did you ever stop to think that it’s YOUR generation that our generation takes all its cues from.

Seriously, would you want your sons role model to be someone who sings about boyfriends? I think not!

It’s the parents job to see what their kids are watching, what they’re listening to, what video games they’re playing etc. Have your children learn about real influential people who make a difference and if you can’t find one single worthy soul in this world then take up the responsibility onto yourself to be the person you’d want your kid to look up to (assuming you’re a responsible adult). My dad did, and I still look up to him.

So what do you think? Should these celebrities be our kid’s role models? Are the parents at fault? Is it the fault of the media that pumps out these kinds of songs and music videos?

Let us know!

By Shahzeb Hussain

The notion that Lollywood is dead is wrong. Many people believe that the golden days of Pakistan film industry have been left in the past and that movies like, “Khuda Kay Liye” and “Bol” and trying to rejuvenate the dead industry.

We must remember that there was a time when the livelihood of many thousands was linked to this industry. Its decline has swelled the ranks of the unemployed.

Pakistan’s latest gem is the highly anticipated movie “Waar” directed by Bilal Lashari. The movie takes cues from all major Hollywood movies. At first glance you can’t even tell if the movie is made in Pakistan, the monotone colours, the half-saturated look, the sci-fi blues, and deep blacks. No one would blame you if you thought the movie was a product of Hollywood.

Waar - the highly anticipated upcoming movie by Bilal Lashari

The latest red-one camera, tailor-made prime lenses, and stunts that look like they came straight out of a Michael Bay movie. All that is certainly impressive, and believe me, everyone’s who’s seen the trailer is impressed. Gone are the days when, movies were shot on film, being glued together frame by frame. Now that technology is on our side, there’s no reason why Pakistan shouldn’t come out with movies like “Waar”.

However, is that necessarily a good thing? Now don’t get me wrong. I’m very happy that Pakistan has taken a step forward into making movies like this. If Shahrukh Khan can get the transformers team to do the special effects for Ra-one then surely we can do what it takes to keep up. However the point I’m trying to drive home is that, it seems more like an inspired imitation rather than an original blockbuster.

Hollywood has its special effects, Bollywood has its choreographed dance numbers, and even the Tamil movies have big women running in the fields being chased by the macho man. What does Pakistan have? Reema Khan’s movie “Love Main Ghum” felt as if it was something out of Bollywood, and there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration but to me it felt as if though, it wasn’t quite sure of what it wanted to be.

A scene from the movie "Waar" - colour me impressed

What the Pakistani film industry needs is to find something that they can call their own. When you look at something from Bollywood you can instantly tell it’s a product of Bollywood. Similarly, with movies from Hollywood you can always tell. Whether it’s the colour temperature of the movie, or the setting or special effects, you can always tell. With Pakistani movies, err, not so much.

We should be able to watch a movie and say ah, definitely Pakistani. You know what I mean? However, kudos to all the directors and producers out there that are bent on reviving the Pakistan film industry, and it’s great to see movies coming out of Pakistan at par with the rest of the world. However, if we are to really leave a mark, we must find something that makes it our own, instantly recognizable.

I’m also very pleased to see a feature film that does not have the name Shoaib Mansoor on it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fantastic director, but Pakistan needs more directors stepping up to the job to reviving the film industry.

Movie straight out of Bollyw... I mean Lollywood - Identity crises?

I can assure you it is not dead! Are we forgetting all the Urdu/Punjabi movies screen on the local theatres. That reminds me if you guys thought Bollywood had provocative actresses in skimpy clothes you might want to check these out. I wonder if the ‘moral brigade is aware of this” or may be they’re too busy buying tickets for these films! Any-way, another story, another time.

So what do you think? Does Pakistan have its own identity in the worldwide box office? Do you watch Pakistani movies and support the local industry?

Let us know what you think!

Pakistani Media

In Pakistan talk of dictators has always grabbed attention and we have always preferred dictators in one shape or the other. Dictators’ come in all types, shapes and looks. They are available ready made or could be produced on order. While we are busy fighting it out between the judiciary, the state and the deep state, new dictators rule the land undeterred, who have taken over slowly and smartly.

I am talking about dictators at a time when the fancy word “revolution” has been beaten around to the extent that now every dog in the street has it in its mouth and is dragging it through mud. What drove millions of Arabs on the streets was an aspiration to get back their self-respect. This is not the case in Pakistan where we have given our identities to various stunts.

Our religious identity is sacredly lost in the backyards of mosque where mullahs mislead, misinterpret, indoctrinate, and sometimes even rape young boys. Our intellectual identity is held hostage by the likes of rabid media anchors and the race for ratings. We are doomed in acute identity crises where nothing makes sense at all. We are like fire fighters who are waiting for next fire but doing nothing to eradicate root causes of fire. Putting in place systems that raise alarm in case there is smoke is a far cry.

The protesters don’t seem to be worried about those who are taking over their liberty on the name of fraudulent democracy. People stand up and dutifully vote for status quo and then continue moaning about it for coming years. These fraudulent democratic mandates in turn give the power given to them to media moguls and thugs or rating agencies. The TV channels and the rating mechanisms have become the dictators of our society. Like the Mubaraks and Ben Alis of Arab world, they believed, and still believe, that they are the sole owners of this country.

With the help of weak politicians who rule on the basis of fraudulent democracy gained through the gutless collusion of governments, the private television channels have became the Mubaraks, Qadhafis and Ben Alis of Pakistan. They are gobbling up the people’s wishes in bogus polls, talk shows and mandates for their vicious bosses on a scale infinitely more rapacious than these greedy Arab dictators could have imagined.

Why don’t my journalist friends in the mainstream print media of Pakistan tell me how they work for bigotry; where newspapers coming from one publishing house under one ownership produces two different sides of story. One sells lies, hatred and the other aspires to be recognised as bastion of civility and tolerance? Why not challenge the criminal acts of those among you who aspire to hold unquestionable power? Why no investigations?

Double-dealing is rampant where an anchor was duly picked after being fired from one channel for her uber provocative assault on the late Salman Taseer. She had the guts to start another show lashing out at her previous employer. Talk show hosts pitches politicians against each other only to gain ratings. Double-dealing is the rule of day. Musharraf was not just a dictator but the media that he introduced is the new dictator.

No military or establishment-backed dictator means anything in front of it. Money speaks volumes more than values, traditions and institutions. We in Pakistan with our governments have created our own new dictators. But, unlike the Arabs, we can’t touch them.

Breaking News - Plane Is In The Air!

‘The wheels of a PIA Jumbo Jet have failed to open mid-air….The Law Minister criticizes the Establishment … Maulana Fazlur Rehman feels America needs to bow down in front of Pakistan … That is the news we get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As Pakistanis, that’s the only form of ‘entertainment’ we might get for a long time because the government doesn’t care about the opposition, the opposition doesn’t care about the people and the people are left to watch news channels and talk shows that care about nothing!

They say entertainment defines a nation, so where do we stand? TV plays on different channels might be doing well these days but does that mean that we are a nation that enjoys them. Our entertainment switches between legal proceedings, live coverage of speeches and press conferences by national leaders as well as live visuals from the parliament which all combine to provide news, views and excuse to bore the general public.

Why is it that every time a political leader criticizes the government, TV channels call up their favourite leaders and analysts for views that have no bearing on the matter under discussion? Why is it that whenever a cricket match ends in a win, analysts hail the team and criticize it when the match ends in a loss? The leading news channels in the world – BBC and CNN – don’t give such news importance as we do and that’s why they are taken far more seriously. Be it the death of famous poet Ahmed Faraz a few years back or the coverage of court proceedings in the Karachi Bench of the Supreme Court, local media bungled it because they tried to be fast, rather than correct.

Talk Shows Now Bore People!

All the news channels followed PTV which said that Ahmed Faraz had died in Chicago, when he had not. Similarly, the ‘suspected’ bomb blast near High Court in Karachi last year was in fact a truck tyre burst and not a terrorist attack.

The local media may have the power of doing anything it want, but Maya Khan’s recent attempt at playing detective has made her enemy number 1 for the right reasons. Before her adventure in the park, she asked a person on call the reason for divorcing his wife… the man replied that sharif log apne maslay TV par nahi latay! The statement was anything but wrong but Maya was fumed and demanded explanation for the answer, when it is the person who should have asked for an explanation.

Maya Khan - Public Enemy #1

The media needs to growup and mature in Pakistan before ambitiously copying programs from abroad. No one is interested in watching enactments of crimes that have happened. They are sick and tired of talk shows that don’t mean anything, views of people on unimportant news and above all, reasons to hate the moment. They need to spend their free time at home in peace rather than in agony, but that’s exactly what out TV channels are bringing.

Recently there was a discussion that had taken place concluding that women are stereotyped by the local ads in Pakistan and are even promoted as sex objects. How content are you with this statement? Do you feel that this is true to any extent?

We often see only the use of women in washing powder of cooking oil ads but never see men taking on the role of someone who washes clothes or cooks food for the children. Usually women in local ads are portrayed doing housework, looking after the children or being a good daughter in law and looking after her family. Do you feel that there is anything wrong with this?

There is a very easy way to prove that our local ads do in fact stereotype women and discriminate between the two genders. How often have you seen a man in a washing powder add washing the clothes? Isn’t always the woman who is portrayed as a house wife and shown complaining of how the washing powder she is using doesn’t get rid of the stains on her husband’s clothes? Is washing clothes a woman’s job? Are men excused from doing housework or at least helping their wives with it?

Even in cooking oil adds a woman is usually shown cooking for her husband, kids and in laws who either appreciate or criticize the food she makes. Why isn’t a man ever shown playing these roles. Why does our media target women as the weaker sexe who are supposed to be doing the house work and handling the kids? Why can’t they show men doing such work instead of women or alongside women?

The people who watch these advertisements then develop a similar mindset about what is appropriate and in appropriate for a woman to do. They will feel a woman who is doing household chores and managing her family is a good woman and one who steps out of her house and has a career is a bad woman, wife and mother because of how the media has shown them to be. Why does media stereotype women and corrupt the mindset of our people?

Some even say women are used as sex objects in advertisements. They say women are shown as sultry and seductive in most ads to promote products such as men’s perfume which has nothing to do with a woman whatsoever. Do you agree or disagree?

Do you feel our advertisements stereotype women and use them as sex objects? Why do you think media uses a woman instead of a man to promote such products? Is a women based on two extremes that are a mild and modest housewife or a sultry and seductive woman with a lot of sex appeal or can she have a balanced persona as well?

We all just love being a part of conspiracy theories don’t we? Whether we have knowledge regarding the particular topic or not, if it sounds interesting were all up for the movement because it seems fascinating! Why is it that we stay ignorant about the depth of the issue that is being discussed? The new world order or the presence of the illuminati is also considered to be one of the popular conspiracy theories. Or is it a conspiracy theory? That is up to you to decide.

Many of you may be unaware of the term illuminati or the new world order. According to a prophecy a new world government is in the making this very moment. It all takes place in a very subtle and secretive manner. The two largest religions of the world Islam and Christianity both predict the coming of the anti-Christ (Dajjal) and his powerful reign of terror that will last for quite a few years until Jesus Christ (Hazrat Esa A.S) appears and defeats him and his followers putting an end to the forces of evil.

The illuminati consider themselves to be enlightened and superior to all others. They are the supporters of the anti-Christ (Dajjal) and hope to take over the world under his leadership. They are known by several different names that include followers of the anti-Christ, free masons, the secret society, the one world government, the enlightened, the elite, Satanists, Luciferians and so on.

While most people consider the new world order to be merely a conspiracy theory or a falsified story, others strongly believe that the enlightened are among us today and are working on new strategies to pass on their satanic thoughts to the general public. Their goal is to start a revolution and increase the number of supporters for the anti-Christ (Dajjal) movement. Will they succeed or will they fail? Only time will tell.

The illuminati are said to indoctrinate us without us even knowing it. They are said to use many different methods to achieve their goal and misguide people that include subliminal messages, lyrics and dialogues in songs and movies targeting the music and film industry, architecture, children’s shows and cartoons, advertisements, influential personalities, political leaders and many other forms of mind control to brainwash and lure the inhabitants of this world into their preposterous evil game plan or propaganda as it can also be called.

Many accusations have been made about famous Hollywood stars, musicians, politicians and international brands that are idolized by most of the people being a part of the illuminati cult. These include the famous pop singer Madonna, Lady Gaga, Rihana, Jay Z, Beyonce, Led Zeplin, The Ace of Base, Bob Dylan.

Former US President Bush, current president of the United States Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin and Conrad Murray, the famous coffee brand Starbucks, Pepsi, and Nike and many famous buildings all around the world are said to be based on the structure of the illuminati symbols.

There have been theories that hold the illuminati responsible for the death of the pop legend Michael Jackson and the Queen of hearts Lady Diana. It was said that they were trying to expose and put an end to the new world order and abolish the system and were killed by the furious cult due to their influence on people. It is easy to place accusations but what is the intensity of truth in these theories? How can we reach to the bottom of it all?

The Illuminati are said to be all around us but we will only be able to notice it once we discard the barrier of ignorance and try to acquire knowledge about it.

What is your take on The New World Order? Does it exist or is it just a conspiracy theory? If and when the time comes do you think you’ll be able to keep your faith when so many others could not?

For Illuminati symbolism refer to http://www.exposingsatanism.org/signsymbols.htm and make the connections yourself!

You might not believe it but what we watch, describes our personalities. A depressed individual will never watch a film that makes him or her happy, hence they would go for drama. A content person’s choice will always be a movie that makes him laugh. Similarly, a person who can withstand suspense would go for suspenseful films, a hyper person’s first priority would be to watch an action flick, so on and so forth. So what is it that defines the youth of today then? Movies from all genres come in theatres near us, so which makes our youth tick?

It is agreed that movies play an integral part in our lives these days. The youth of today has been opting for Franchises like the Final Destination, Paranormal Activity, Saw and Scream because they like seeing blood getting splattered all over, and people succumbing to unnatural deaths. What else would they watch if they get such realistic movies on TV and theatres! The Blair Witch Project and I Know What You Did Last Summer were the movies which changed the viewer’s mindset in the 90s, something that hasn’t changed yet. I agree that movies like Halloween, Evil Dead and Nightmare on Elm Street are also to be blamed for their contribution, yet the flicks of the 90s restarted the trend.

I am proud to belong to the generation which gave us TV shows like MacGyver, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Manimal, The A-team and many more whereas my predecessors had Six Million Dollar Man, Columbo, The Man from UNCLE and many more to entertain them. Sadly, the current generation – which is more hooked to TV, thanks to torrents and Cable TV – gets what they want most – shows with murder, blood and needless suspense. Shows like Crime Scene Investigation, Naval Criminal Investigation Service, Lost, House provide mystery, Leverage, Hustle make you learn about conning others, whereas old-school shows like The Mentalist, Monk, Psych and others give you a glimpse of shows from the past. However, the more gruesome the show, the more viewers it gathers. It must not come as a surprise that House was declared the most watched show when it toppled Knight Rider a couple of years back, because it has all the ingredients to make you sick.

I know we can’t decide what we want to watch because we live in Pakistan and they produce the shows in America. What we can do is avoid the ones that will leave our blood pressure elevated and watch those with some meanings. For instance, MacGyver taught us science, Matlock taught us courtroom drama and The Wizard taught us the use of gadgetry. What if we can find those TV shows and movies that have no unnecessary killings, and necessary actions! We can always revisit X-Files, because as we all know, the truth is out there!

As blanket of technology engulfs the entire world, Violence Against Women also finds new ways to deepen its roots. Misuse of latest information and communication technologies has given rise to what is called e-VAW (Electronic Violence Against Women). In order to protect yourself from falling victim to e-VAW, it is important to understand its various forms and what you could do to stop harassers from invading your cyber or mobile spaces.

Following are couple of most common categories of e-VAW and basic tips to avoid falling into the trap:

Cyber Stalking

Ever felt someone following you all the time or got scared by the thought of a stranger following you down the alley?  What if someone decides to follow everything that you do online (often without you not knowing about it)?  Stalking done online is referred to as Cyber Stalking. It is not just intimidating but may also lead to some serious consequences if the stalker comes to know about your actual day-to-day life just by following your online life.

From many of us, it has almost become a second nature to update Facebook and other social networking statuses while moving to our dream house or tweet about everything we do. However, feeding narcissism can make it very easy for a stalker to get even minute details about our lives. So, don’t get surprised next time you see your stalker waving at you just when you are having daily cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop.

In order to avoid giving your stalker what s/he is looking try these tips:

1.  Think twice before updating your Facebook status.  Is what you want to update something that you would shout in a hall full of hundreds of people (some of whom you don’t even know yet they are ‘friends’ on Facebook)?
2. Don’t take Twitter’s “What’s happening?” literally.  It’s just a website and not your mom whom you want to update minute by minute exactly about what’s happening in your life.
3.  Avoid broadcasting your location. Why would you want to tell the world (and your stalker) that you are having pani puri at Nimco and then plan to go to Gelato Affair MAHS for ice-cream?
4. Use location broad-casting apps such as Foursquare carefully unless you want to tell the entire world about where your office and home is.
5.  Avoid putting your direct contact-numbers and residential address online.

Cyber or Mobile Phone Harassment

From pesky calls and dozens of text and online messages often from unknown people, forcing you to ‘fraindsheep with them’, to abusive chats and emails threatening you of kidnapping – all come under  Cyber or Mobile Phone Harassment.  Harassment offline or online is not only torturous but may also lead to actual harm to the victim in some cases. In order to minimize the risk of Cyber or Mobile Phone harassment or combat it if need be, consider these steps:

1.   Make it a point to check ‘Privacy Settings’ immediately after creating any account or using any service online.
2. Tweak your new and existing accounts to keep strict privacy settings. Whenever possible, share personal information only with friends (real friends whom you trust, not the cyber friends). For e.g. on Facebook, go to Home à Privacy Settings and explore.  On Facebook, you can keep your Facebook friends in different lists and then control visibility of your data based on those lists. For instance you can set Default Privacy to Custom à Friends (Hide from Met Online Lists)  to by default hide all data you post from the list of people you have met online and befriended on Facebook. Mix and match to see what fits best.
3. Had fun during a great holiday trip to Maldives and can’t wait to share pictures with your friends on Facebook?   Go ahead do so but take some time out to watermark your pictures before you upload them online.  Watermarking is to mark your picture with a symbol or text so its chances of getting misused could be minimized.
4. Clicking pictures and shooting videos on cell-phones is fun but don’t keep them in your cell-phones forever.  Download all personal pictures and videos to a safe location on your personal computer regularly, deleting them from your phone.  If your phones gets lost or is snatched with all your personal pictures and videos in it, imagine the damage it can cause.  Same rule applies when you go to sell your cell-phone. Remove all personal content before selling it.
5. Sick of missed calls, romantic poetry filled text messages or abusive phone calls?  Get in touch with your Telco and inquire about the options to block calls and messages from any particular number.   Also explore your handsets as some handsets also come with an option to block communication for any particular number.
6. Avoid underestimating the harasser. If s/he is threatening you of serious consequences, seek help from a credible governmental or non-governmental organization. CPLC is one, TakeBackTheTech is another.
7. Keep your primary email address clean. Do not use it for everything you do online from shopping to commenting on news sites and playing games.  Keep it just for what it – receiving personal and important emails.  You can create a social email id to use for all other activities online.
8. Harassment is often done by creating fake Facebook/Twitter profiles and posting obnoxious content using them.  In case you spot your fake account on Facebook or Twitter, report immediately. Ask all your friends to report it too and it will be taken down by Facebook/Twitter admin in sometime.

There are many more forms of e-VAW as well, however, the basic lesson to privacy and security online is simple:  take control of technology by exploring it and understanding the ways you can use it safely.  Also apply all those rules of security online that your apply offline. Remember what you were taught as a child?  Do not befriend strangers or at least do not share your entire life with them.

Happy and safe browsing!