Written By: Omair Alavi

The Pakistani government and its officials seem to have no pastime at all – they don’t do anything constructive for the people nor are they interested in anything else other than winning the elections. We all know that the officials have all the time in the world for doing nothing, and that might be one of the reasons why they banned Twitter for a day last week – just to check the reaction of the public. But why such an act by the government was termed as a step to stop the Tsumani, is still unclear?

The problem with the emerging political parties of the country is exactly the same as the Pakistan cricket team – they both look good on paper. The real battle field is a different ball game altogether, where the fittest survives and the one that doesn’t have it, doesn’t usually win it! We all know that Pakistan Teheek-e-Insaaf is one of the emerging parties in the country and they love blaming the government and the system for steering the country into the wrong direction. But hey, aren’t the rest of the parties doing the same thing as well – the ones in the opposition that is. Jamaat-e-Islaami, Tehreek-e-Istaqlaal and others who have never ruled the country are also criticizing the government for everything from rise in prices to load shedding and energy crisis. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Tehreek-e-Insaaf in fact joined their cause rather than doing something different!

And mind you, having supporters who use Twitter and Facebook to spread the message around is not something ‘different’. That’s what only a handful of people in the country can understand as most of the population can’t read Urdu, let alone converse in English (or Roman English!). I know people would love to hate for saying this but Twitter and Facebook are social websites for interaction, not political playground for those who look good on paper only. Out there is where the battle will be won.

Comparing Imran Khan to Mohammad Ali Jinnah is not how the voters will be convinced. If that would have been the case, Fatima Jinnah would have been the Governor General / Prime Minister of Pakistan after her brother’s death since she was the closest to him and understood his ideology. But she didn’t and that’s how things work in the real world. We all know that Imran Khan is one of the most loved person in the country right now. He has done so much for the poor population of the country and if he is given the chance, he can make things right. But whatever he has done, he did before he had die-hard supporters, before he entered mainstream politics (he became a mainstream politician a handful of years back) and before he had followers with blackberries and social website accounts!

Mind you, had Twitter and Facebook been there in 1947, I am sure no person would have died, and no country would have been created because then only the elites would have had access to it, and they would have used it to show off, rather than go for a country for the Muslims of the United India. Therefore, my advice to those who believe that banning Twitter is like banning their political party: Get a life! Change might be there in the air, but one has to go for it, rather than post tweets and status updates for change. The easiest route to criticism is blaming those responsible; fixing the problem is the best way to succeed!

Liaqut Ali Khan with Quaid-e-Azam Mohd Ali Jinnah

Every nation loves their forefathers just as they would love their own parents. It was because of their efforts that they are born free, can do anything they want and above all, feel proud of your heritage. Sadly in the modern day Pakistan, we have progressed far beyond and the history is the last thing we care about.

It was a few years back that, in an effort to lessen the number of holidays each year, the government decided to strike off the death anniversary of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah from the list. The step was met with resistance but the matter died down because the poor economy was cited as one of the reasons. In order to state their case, the government also removed the birthday of Allama Iqbal (9th November) from the list, and same thing happened to the Defence Day (6th September), the day every Pakistani felt proud of the armed forces.

ZAB - Only Prime Minister of Pakistan To Be Hanged

But if the reason at that time were honorable, the rules of the current government have made them dishonorable. I have nothing against former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but isn’t he the reason why Pakistan lost one of its wings which is now known as Bangladesh? Many might not agree but most of his accomplishments are blackened by the Dhaka Debacle, which wouldn’t have happened had both the East and West Pakistan kept their cool.

So why do we observe Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s death anniversary when we don’t do that for our Quaid? Do we observe the day when the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqut Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951? People might argue that

he was assassinated, and that’s why we don’t observe that day, but then, Bhutto sahab was hanged, right? He might have been hanged wrongly but that isn’t the case under discussion here.

The assassination of BB still remains unsolved

With a troubled economy like ours, with a weekly schedule where strikes are the norm of the day and with uncertainty on all things including life, there is no reason we should have closure on Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, or even Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary. BB’s assassination was in no way different than that of Liaqut Ali Khan’s … they got shot at the same place and the case hasn’t been solved yet … but  we have a national holiday on BB’s death anniversary each year on 27th December, and not on Liaqut Ali Khan’s on 16th October.

Giving preferential treatment to BB because he was the wife of the current President and to Bhutto sahab because he was the President’s father in law doesn’t give anyone the right to declare national holiday. And if the government wants to create national holidays, then they should declare 24th May as a day of mourning because that day, the President’s father Hakim Ali Zardari expired in 2011. Doesn’t he have the right to be counted among the national heroes of Pakistan, with his biggest contribution as the current Head of the State, and the one who decides when to give holiday and when not to. I leave it for you to decide, I rest my case here!

Pawnay 14 August - Another Masterpiece from Anwar Maqsood!

Pakistan is truly Surah-e-Rehman… the portion from the Holy Quran where God reminds humans of His bounties that cannot be denied. The dialogue says it all about ‘Pawnay 14 August’ the first theatre play by Anwar Maqsood and directed by upcoming director Dawar Mehmood. The play is about the current situation of Pakistan and shows three people from the past spend 4 days in the present.

Despite their contributions to the nation, no one recognized them. These three people were Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, his colleague Maulana Shaukat Ali and the very person who dreamt about a separate state for Muslims in India – Allama Iqbal.

First of all, something about the actors who added colour to the play with their amazing acting. Theatre in Pakistan has produced many great names and the actors playing the lead – Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Maulana Shaukat Ali and Allama Iqbal – are right there at the top with the very best. Umar Sultan must be commended for his portrayal of the Quaid-e-Azam where he shows pain as well as hope, anger as well as sorrow at the same time.

His vocals were far more amazing since they hit the audience as if they were being delivered by the Founder of the nation himself. Versatile actors Talal Jilani and Aamer Agha also did justice to the roles of Allama Iqbal and Maulana Shaukat Ali respectively, and it were their expressions – both vocal and facial – that kept the audience glued to their seats throughout the 80 minutes.

As for the play, Pawnay 14 August enthralls the audience with its pun and satire. No one other than Anwar Maqsood could have penned the script this masterfully. The young director Dawar Abbas, his cast and crew should be commended for doing justice to the idea.

The play also delivers many messages that we haven’t realized at all in our 65 years of existence. The country Quaid-e-Azam gave us is no more!. The infighting, the fall of Dhaka as well as the repeated imposition of Martial Law have demoralized the nation, and this play highlights all these factors. In fact, the lighting effect throughout Pawnay 14 August changes as per the mood of the characters, and those responsible for this need special mention.

Never before had I felt so proud of being a Pakistani because the play made me realize that my country is one of the best in the world. It was indeed Surah-e-Rehman when it was founded on 14th August, 1947 but sadly we didn’t take care of it the way we should have. The mention of the fall of Dhaka in 1971 was so potent that it brought tears to most eyes including me although I wasn’t even born then!

Founder of the Nation with another character!

The characterization was amazing as well. People from all walks of life, be they politicians, a supporter or an Army personnel are portrayed in the truest sense. Their dialogues as well as one-liners evoked spontaneous laughters.

The character depicting Allama Iqbal was shown to detest the casual mention of his Shaheen, the soaring eagle which is a symbol of pride and lofty ideals throughout his poetry. . Same can be said of the continuous reference to ‘Iqbal kehte hain’, which also was the actor’s cue to show his displeasure on being used like that!

Quaid-e-Azam was shown to be stunned to hear that there were some others who were being called Quaid including the one who resides in London but controls Karachi. The Quaid was shown to be disgusted at the mention of the many political parties sporting the name Muslim League, and cashing in on that original party’s good work.

Come to think of it … if the three great leaders of the past did visit the current Pakistan, they would only be disappointed! Allama Iqbal is relegated to textbooks only, although he is as much a part of our lives as Quaid-e-Azam.

While the message of the play was that we may have only disappointed our great leaders but it is not the end of the world. We can still change if we set our minds to it, the Iqbal way!

Designer: Vaneeza Ahmad

Collection:Available

Exhibition: Summer Lawn

Venue: