Day: October 22, 2009

FURTHER to Muzammil Mukhtar’s letter, ‘Frightening incident’ (Oct 20), I would like to add my voice of concern. I walk daily in the Model Town Central Park in Lahore and have watched the growing harassment of women by young men and the inability and lack of motivation of the security personnel to control it.

If a man and a woman are seated on a bench in full view of the jogging track, the security guards make a beeline for them on their motorbikes while continuously talking on their walkie-talkies, giving the impression of a most gallant warrior on his way to battle. Of course, the couples are always visibly poor and they quietly walk away. Any affluent couple is never approached.

Young men are getting increasingly more belligerent and misbehave with women, young and old, on the same track. The latest fad is using their cellphones to photograph women. Surprisingly, no security guard can be seen when this goes on. They are conveniently blind to these issues, and whenever I have complained, they have promised to be more vigilant in the future. This never happens and the anarchy and total decline of moral values continues. I have personally brought this to the notice of the management of the Model Town Society which is most indifferent — perhaps because they are not personally affected.

Several months ago, very highly-paid guards were deployed at the Park but they are as inefficient and ineffective as the lowly-paid ones before them.

The couple on the bench is there with mutual consent. I, on the other hand, do not wish to be photographed or ogled by delinquents. In closing, it would be in the fitness of things if the management of the Agricultural University in Faisalabad would take action against those responsible for this very act of extreme abuse.

GHAZALA REHMAN
Lahore
Source: Dawn
Date:10/22/2009

KHAIRPUR: The father of a students who was allegedly gang-raped by three teachers, has said that some influential persons of the area and the accused nominated in the FIR were hurling threats to him.

Talking to journalists at Faiz Ganj Press Club on Wednesday, he alleged that police were supporting the accused due to pressure of the influential figures who were pressuring him to settle the matter through a jirga. He said that he would not compromise on the issue at any cost.

He said that due to the threats to his family, they were shifting their venue during day and night. He said that 20 girls of their village had stopped going to school after the incident.

According to the girl, she was gang-raped by school teacher Shoukat Jatt, Ghulam Mustafa Rajpar and Imtiaz Rajpar.

BAIL: The Anti-Terrorism Court of Khairpur on Wednesday granted pre-arrest bail to the PML-F backed Gambat Taluka Nazim Syed Sarkar Hussain Shah and two others in the murder case of Allama Ali Sher Hyderi, chief patron of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan. The court confirmed the pre-arrest bail of Sarkar Hussain Shah.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/22/2009

By Fawad Ali Shah

KARACHI: Colours, if used correctly, can convey feelings and emotions, since they are one of the most vivid forms of expression. They can be used to symbolise thoughts. A blob of red is always different from a splash of yellow. The difference is deeper than what is visible to the naked eye, it comprises of different emotions and feelings.

Samina Islam has painted a wonderful picture of ‘A Changing World of Women’, using vibrant colours that speak to you. Her work, which is acrylic on canvas, depict her thoughts and feelings. She has drawn different aspects of a woman’s life, which deliver a message of hope.

Samina is one of our unique artists, who has enough exposure to be able to blend the order, method and discipline of the west with the splendour, majesty and radiance of the east.

The delicacy of her brush and the intricacy of her work are in perfect balance with the colours in the painting and the thoughts in her brain.

In a painting titles ‘Mother Earth’, she represents a woman as the breeder of the human beings in the universe, showing the roots of trees and plants coming out from her body.

The half-Dutch half Pakistani artist uses colours to tell the viewers how the women of Pakistan have started changing and are participating in different kinds of activities.

“I have just put my thoughts and feelings forward. The world of women is changing. I want them to be confident and proud of themselves if they want to progress,” says Samina at the City Art Gallery, where her work is on display.

Looking at Samina’s work, one realises that she knows exactly what she was doing before she starting doing it. Her work actually gives the viewer a glimpse into the details of how a painting comes into existence, including the utmost concentration required, the careful planning and a clean and dust-free environment because even a single grain of dust can spoil the whole painting.

The most captivating aspect about her pieces is the fact that they make one want to carefully peel their complex form into simpler layers so that one can somehow understand how Samina managed to do what she did. The tonal balance, the layering of acrylics, the abundant use of red and green, give them a dramatic sense of depth. As if not only the characters, but also the paintings themselves, have more to show than what meets the eye. They tease you into leaning a little closer, thinking that the painting’s details might answer your questions.
Source: Daily Times
Date:10/22/2009