Case of General (R) Faiz Ali Chishti & Major (R) Aamir.

Authority: According to Henri Fayol, "Authority is the right to give orders and the power to exact obedience." According to Mooney and Reily, "Authority is the principle at the root of Organisation and so important that it is impossible to conceive of an Organisation at all unless some person or persons are in a position to require action of others." Responsibility: According to Davis, "Responsibility is an obligation of individual to perform assigned duties to the best of his ability under the direction of his executive leader." In the words of Theo Haimann, "Responsibility is the obligation of a subordinate to perform the duty as required by his superior". McFarland defines responsibility as "the duties and activities assigned to a position or an executive". Accountability: According, to McFarland, "accountability is the obligation of an individual to report formally to his superior about the work he has done to discharge the responsibility." When authority is delegated to a subordinate, the person is accountable to the superior for performance in relation to assigned duties. If the subordinate does a poor job, the superior cannot evade the responsibility by stating that poor performance is the fault of the subordinate. A superior is normally responsible for all actions of groups under his supervision even if there are several layers down in the hierarchy. Simply stated, accountability means that the subordinate should explain the factors responsible for non-performance or lack of performance. Authority, Responsibility and Accountability are Inter-related: They need proper consideration while introducing delegation of authority within an Organisation. In the process of delegation, the superior transfers his duties/responsibilities to his subordinate and also give necessary authority for performing the responsibilities assigned. At the same time, the superior is accountable for the performance of his subordinate. REFERENCE: Authority, Responsibility and Accountability In Management Post : Gaurav Akrani Date : 7/28/2010 12:49:00 AM IST http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2010/07/authority-responsibility-and.html

ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen’s Society has asked the media to stop bashing the generals “as a class and the armed forces as an institution”. The society’s president, Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Ali Chishti, said the generals, who were minister for railways and chairman and managing director of Pakistan Railways when PR land in Lahore was sold to a golf club, should not be treated as army officers because they were not working as generals at the time. He said the media should, however, do its best to expose wrongdoings so that the nation could differentiate between the good and the bad. He said the land was sold to Royal Palm Golf Club by then minister for railways Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi and chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Saeeduz Zafar and managing director Maj-Gen (retd) Hassan Butt of the PR. He said the then head of the government, who was required to supervise their work, should be charged for dereliction of duty. A federal audit carried out in 2007 found that the government lost Rs10 billion because of leasing out of 103 acres of railway land at throwaway prices. REFERENCE: Media urged not to criticise institution of armed forces http://dawn.com/2012/11/19/media-urged-not-to-criticise-institution-of-armed-forces/ 

In addition, the ideological rigor of the Bajauri militants is explained by the fact that most of the clerics hailing from the Agency are educated at Madaris run by Ishaat-ulTawheed, including TTP leader Faqir Mohammed. The organization is modeled around the madrassa founded by Maulana Mohammed Tahir Panjpir, in Panjpir, Swabi District, NWFP. The Panjpiris are linked to the Jemaat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI), both Sami ul Haq and Fazlur Rehman groups, and are close to the Ahl-e-Hadith ideology. The Panjpiri madaris network was a crucial influence for the Taliban movement in the Pak-Afghan region. Faqir Mohammed perfectly epitomizes the type of leader favoured by the Panjpiris, a dual Amir that leads both from the religious and the military point of view, in orchestrated continuity with paradigmatic figures such as Mullah Mohammed Omar and the early Sufi Mohammed, for example. REFERENCE: The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan: The Bajaur Case - NEFA Senior Investigator Claudio Franco July 2009  http://humansecuritygateway.com/documents/NEFA_TehrikeTalibanPakistan_BajaurCase.pdf

Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 1 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012)

 

Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 1 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012) by SalimJanMazari

2007: ‘Establishment doesn’t like public-backed leaders’: LAHORE: Major Amir, the alleged architect of the notorious Operation Midnight Jackal, says Pakistani establishment likes the leaders who are not backed by the public. In an interview with the Geo television on Saturday, Amir said the establishment was against every leader who had people’s mandate behind them. “Pakistani establishment likes leaders like Malik Maraj Khalid, Moeen Qureshi, Sardar Balakh Sher Mazari and current Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz,” he said. Amir said he liked Sharif as a political leader and was a part of his political camp. He said Sharif was more acceptable to the army than Benazir Bhutto. The former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officer said the ISI principally acted on the orders of the prime minister. But, he said, in case of lack of coordination between the prime minister and the army chief the agency preferred to seek directives from the army chief. Amir said he acted on the orders of the then ISI chief in the Operation Midnight Jackal, adding that the objective behind this operation was not to remove the Bhutto’s government. “I was court-martialled and removed from the army even though I proved my innocence before the inquiry committee,” he said. He said Jonejo’s government was removed because the US was against it. “The US thought that Jonejo had failed to deliver on Iran,” he said, adding that Mullah Omar was loyal to Pakistan compared to Hamid Karzai. REFERENCE: ‘Establishment doesn’t like public-backed leaders’ Daily Times Monitor Sunday, April 22, 2007 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C04%5C22%5Cstory_22-4-2007_pg7_19

The Swat conflict was also deeply influenced by the Panjpirs of Swabi district, adjacent to the Malakand division of NWFP. The Panjpirs follow a localized version of Saudi Wahhabism that was introduced in Pakistan by Maulana Tahir, father of Major Amir, an Inter-Services Intelligence operative who allegedly helped topple Benazir Bhutto’s first government. The madrassa at Panjpir, administered by Maulana Tayyab, Major Amir’s brother, is associated with a who’s who of Pakistan’s extremist leaders, including TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad, Bajaur Taliban commander Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, and the Khyber agency’s notorious militant leader Mangal Bagh. TNSM military chief Fazlullah also adhered to the Panjpir group. This madrassa was an important recruitment camp that also performed the role of a think tank for strategic planning during the Afghan war of the 1980s. REFERENCE: Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative Policy Paper Inside Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province The Political Landscape of the Insurgency Hassan Abbas, April 2010 New America Foundation http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/NAF_InsidePakistansNorthwestFrontierProvince.pdf

 Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 2 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012)



Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 2 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012) by SalimJanMazari

2009 Taliban influence in bureaucracy By A. Ameer  On April 5, 2009 a battalion of the Taliban militia with heavy weaponry crossed over the hills from Swat to Buner to avowedly supervise the implementation of the Nizam-i-Adl. The local residents of Buner had been resisting the inflow of the Taliban for a long time. The local elders intervened and tried to convince the Taliban to return but the latter opened fire at them, leaving several injured. Later the Taliban captured three policemen and two civilians, and killed them. The local residents, the people of lower Buner and Sultanwas, gathered to move upward to face the Taliban while the people of upper Buner provided reinforcements. Fighting began and in the ensuing gun-battle some 17 members of the Taliban are said to have been killed. The questions on the minds of the local people were why would the Taliban come with heavy weapons if they did not want to control Buner? And why were the Taliban allowed by the commissioner to move from Swat to Buner with heavy weapons? On April 6, a delegation of the TNSM along with the commissioner Malakand Division went to Buner to negotiate with the local elders. They tried to convince the local elders to allow the Taliban to enter the valley. While the delegation engaged the local administration and the elders of Buner, the Taliban started getting reinforcements. In the context of the Taliban expansion to Buner, it is interesting to note the ideological role played by the relatively less known Jamaati Ashaatutoheed WaSunna, the creation of Maulana Tahir Panjpiri, the father of the infamous Major Amir, a well-known IB and ISI operative in the past and allegedly behind the notorious Operation Midnight Jackal. Major Amir, Syed Mohammad Javed (the present commissioner Malakand Division) and Maulana Sufi Mohammad are said to have been quite close since a long time. REFERENCE: Taliban influence in bureaucracy By A. Ameer http://archives.dawn.com/archives/26963

The demolition of the temples in Buner was initiated by Maulana Dua Noor, a cleric who belonged to the Panjpiri sect of Wahabism. After the death of Maulana Muhammad Tahir, his son Maulana Tayyab became the chief of this organization who also manages a huge religious seminary in the town of Panjpir. Muhammad Amir, another brother of Maulana Tayyab was a major in Pakistan Army and worked for Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the country’s spy agency in 1980s. Major Amir allegedly conspired and collaborated with others to topple the democratically elected government of the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989. Major Amir, the ISI officer, was deeply involved in Operation Midnight Jackal, intended to remove Benazir Bhutto from the prime minister position through a no confidence vote in parliament. Funds for buying votes were allegedly provided by Osama Bin Laden. REFERENCE: Swat Valley - The Metamorphosis By Khushal Khan September 2012 http://www.tribalanalysiscenter.com/PDF-TAC/Swat%20Valley-Metamorphosis.pdf

Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 3 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012)



Major (R) Aamir in Jirga - 3 (GEO TV 18 Nov 2012) by SalimJanMazari

Maulana Sufi Muhammad: An Enigma: The seventy five years old Maulana Sufi Muhammad belongs to Maidan, a small town in Lower Dir. He received his religious education from the father of Major Amir, Sheikh-ul-Quran Maulana Tahir at Panjpir in district Swabi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). He then started a religious seminary in his own native town Maidan, Lower Dir. He was also a strong member of the JI (Jammat-i-Islami) till 1989. He was elected District Council Member twice from district Dir. During Afhgan Jihad Sufi Muhammad supported Hikmatyar’s Hizb-i-Islami financially and through man power In 1989, Maulana Sufi Muhammad dissociated himself from the JI and laid the foundation of Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-iMuhammadi on 28 June, 1989 in Maidan, Lower Dir. Sufi Muhammad, however, restricted activities of the TNSM to the Malakand Division (now comprising the districts of Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Malakand, Swat, Buner and Shangla), the Kohistan district of Hazara Division and Bajaur Agency. After gaining support for the movement, he demanded the enforcement of the Shariah in these areas. In 1991, he camped at Temergarah (now district headquarter of Lower Dir), along with hundreds of his supporters demanding the enforcement of Shariat in Malakand. He then called off his agitation when Chief Minister Mir Afzal Khan’s government assured him that his demands would be fulfilled. In February 1994, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the judgment of the Peshawar High Court and declared some provisions of the PATA Regulations in violation of the articles 8 and 25 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. As this decision of the apex court deprived the executive authorities of a chunk of their judicial powers, they supported activities of the TNSM tacitly. With this decision of the Supreme Court Maulana Sufi Muhammad also gained confidence and financial support from these local Khans, Maliks and the executive authorities. In May, 1994 the Chief of the TNSM, Sufi Muhammad called off his weeklong protest campaign against the government after he was handed over a copy of the Ordinance signed by the acting Governor Khurshid Ali Khan, envisaging the extension of Islamic laws to the whole of Malakand Division with immediate effect. In November 1994, followers of Sufi Muhammad, launched an armed campaign for their demand and took control of many government installations in Swat District. Sufi Muhammad campaign forced the then PPP-led government to promulgate the Nifaz-e-Nizam-eShariah Regulation 1994 in the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas. Hence (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regulation II of 1994) was promulgated. Not satisfied with the legislation, Sufi Muhammad continued to hold demonstrations. Subsequently, another Regulation called the “Shari-Nizam-e-Adal Regulation, 1999”, (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regulation I of 1999) was promulgated. After 9/11, when American President ordered attack on Afghanistan to topple Taliban government, Sufi Muhammad again made headlines when he left for Afghanistan followed by his supporters to support the Afghan Taliban in the war against the US. Swat Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Javed, also provided possible support to the TNSM. President Zardari stated, therefore, that weakness of civil bureaucracy had resulted in the emergence of militants and militancy. Major Amir worked as a catalyst to promote the TNSM in Malakand Division through his father’s seminary in Panjpir which was then run by his brother Maulana Muhammad Tayyib. The JUI (F-group) Vice President, Aziz ur Rehman stated: “the absconder Major Amir is running the law and order situation in Malakand at the behest of Nawaz Sharif.” REFERENCE: Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi in Malakand Division (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa): A Case Study of the Process of “State Inversion”by Navid Iqbal Khan http://www.nihcr.edu.pk/Latest_English_Journal/6.%20Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-%20Muhammadi,%20Navid%20iqbal.pdf

Malala Yousufzai and Naive Imran Khan.

Malala along with three other schoolmates sustained bullet injuries when some unknown assailants opened fire on their school van in Mingora early in the day. Later, she was shifted to CMH Peshawar. Pakistani Taliban have taken responsibility for attacking Malala Yousufzai, who with another girl was injured in the attack on their school van in Swat on Tuesday. Speaking to Dawn.com’s correspondent Zahir Shah Sherazi from an undisclosed location, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the TTP accepts responsibility of the attack as Malala was propagating anti-Taliban and ‘secular’ thoughts among the youth of the area. A team of senior doctors late Tuesday completed her medical examination in a combined military hospital (CMH) and stated her condition as critical. “We have thoroughly examined her, she is in critical condition. The bullet travelled from her head and then lodged in the back shoulder, near the neck,” a doctor in the CMH told AFP, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to media. “Next three to four days are important for her life. She is in the intensive care unit and semi-conscious, although not on the ventilator,” he said. Malala was returning home from her school in Swat’s Mingora area when her van was attacked by the gunmen. Certain media outlets reported that the gunmen attacked the van on identifying the young children’s rights activist. Sources said Malala was hit by couple of bullets to her neck and head. Both injured girls were taken to the Saidu Sharif Hospital. According to doctors, Malala was now out of danger. However, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has ordered to shift her to a Peshawar hospital swiftly through a helicopter. The prime minister has strongly condemned the incident. The incident spread fear and panic among the local residents. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirmed the shooting and blamed the attack on terrorists. Yousafzai is 15 years of age and has already earned international fame for raising voice against Taliban oppression in Swat. She was honoured with a first ever National Peace by the government and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by advocacy group KidsRights Foundation in 2011 for being an inspiration to her friends by standing up against repression as her namesake did in Afghanistan in the 19th century. REFERENCE: Malala Yousufzai to be provided best medical treatment: Zardari http://dawn.com/2012/10/09/malala-yousufzai-injured-in-gun-attack-on-school-van-in-swat/ Bravery, thy name is Malala Jamal Shahid 21st December, 2011 http://dawn.com/2011/12/21/bravery-thy-name-is-malala-2/

2009:  Imran says he got positive response from Taliban Ansar Abbasi Friday, December 11, 2009 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, who on Wednesday offered his services and even showed the willingness to go to the tribal areas to get the mounting terrorism issue resolved through political dialogue, got encouraging response from the Taliban side. His appeal, however, seems to have fallen on the governmentís deaf ears. The cricket hero-turned-social worker, Imran Khan, told The News on Thursday that after his Wednesday’s press conference, he was contacted by some important Taliban groups, who posed their full confidence in him for political solution of the problem. Khan said that no one from the government side contacted him though. Imran Khan on Wednesday volunteered to mediate between the government and the Taliban leadership to bring peace, claiming that the menace of terrorism was bound to grow because of the military operation in South Waziristan and in the absence of a political solution. In his press conference, he had said that if the government gave him the mandate, he was willing to travel to the tribal areas and elsewhere to negotiate peace. His only pre-condition to mediation between the two sides was that the government would not let the US-pressure to ruin his peace efforts like the past. While some people believe the government has no political strategy to address the issue and is entirely dependent on the military operation that has allegedly aggravated the problem, Imran has taken a bold step amidst great chances that he would be dubbed pro-Taliban by confused Pakistanis and arrogant foreigners. Imran Khan got an encouraging reaction from some Taliban leaders. Khan said that he was now even considering convening an all parties conference (APC) on the issue. Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman Group) are also opposed to the military operation and seek a political solution to the problem by revisiting Pakistanís policy on the US war on terror, formulating an independent foreign policy and bringing an immediate halt to the military operation in the tribal areas, particularly South Waziristan. Although, Maulana Fazlur Rehman is not appearing in the media these days, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Professor Munawar Hasan has become vocal in his opposition to the military operation. Interestingly, the PML-N is also not supportive of the present military operation but it lacks the guts to public its demand a political solution to terrorism. However, the party is not making its views public amid reports that it does not want to irritate Washington that is today quite pleased with the party and its top leadership. In this situation, Imran Khanís daring initiative to do what others are shy to do, is expected to bring pressure on all other pro-dialogue parties, including the PML-N, the JI and the JUI(F) to sit together and chalk out a strategy where the government could be pressurised to save its innocents, whether in the tribal areas or in settled areas of Pakistan from being killed. REFERENCE: Imran says he got positive response from Taliban Ansar Abbasi Friday, December 11, 2009 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=212671&Cat=2&dt=12%2F11%2F2009

APC: PTI to grill govt over Swat operation : LAHORE, May 17 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan says the government will be quizzed at an all-party conference being held in Islamabad on Monday (today) why it considered Swat operation inevitable without trying dialogue to restore peace in the restive valley. Talking to reporters after visiting a relief camp set up for collecting donations for the Swat displaced people here on Sunday, Mr Khan said army operations had deteriorated situations in Waziristan, Swat, Lal Masjid and Balochistan. He said the Lal Masjid action could have been averted by forcing the people holed up there to come out through severing power and water supplies. He said despite efforts by some political figures, the army raided the mosque leaving scores of “innocent” people killed. Similarly, he said, the government said that there was no option but to find a military solution to the Swat militancy just 12 days after the implementation of the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation there. “We`ll ask in the conference what made the government to go for the extreme measure and that too at a time when President Zardari was visiting US President Obama.” Khan said before demanding an end to the army action, the government would be asked to explain how the extremists succeeded in their plan there. For, he said, he considered the displacement of two million people from the area a success of the extremists. The PTI chairman said there were rare instances in which cannons and gunship helicopters were used by a government against its own people. He said his party was neither with the Taliban or extremists who were cutting jugular veins of army men nor with those who were taking army action in Swat. About a US senator`s claim that drone attacks were undertaken with the permission of Islamabad, Khan said the rulers must inform the nation of the reality. He said that if proved that drone attacks were being undertaken with the permission of the government, any citizen could move a court of law against the rulers. He said the PTI worked for provision of relief to the displaced people as soon it would set up its camps in Noshera as some were already functioning in Mardan and Swabi. REFERENCE: APC: PTI to grill govt over Swat operation http://archives.dawn.com/archives/139125

MINGORA: Militants publicly hang body of opponent : MINGORA, Dec 15 The Swat Taliban publicly hung the body of Pir Samiullah and executed his two key commanders at the Gwalerai Chowk in the restive Swat valley on Monday. The militants exhumed the body of Pir Samiullah from his native town Charma, a hilly area, on Sunday to confirm his death. They hung it at the Gwalerai Chowk in the Matta tehsil. The body was later shifted to an unspecified place. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said two of Pir Samiullah`s key commanders were also executed at the chowk. “Forty of the hostages were forgiven and would be freed tomorrow (Tuesday), while the fate of the rest would be decided after the Taliban Shura meeting,” he said. Pir Samiullah and his eight followers had been killed after fierce gun battle with militants in the Swat valley on Sunday. The fresh fighting erupted after what the Taliban called a hand grenade attack on the house of a local Taliban commander by the Pir`s men. Pir Samiullah was a staunch opponent of Taliban activities and was the first notable who had formed a tribal lashkar to flush militants out of the region. The militants also torched the house and hujra of Pir Samiullah after occupying the Mandal Dag area. They also set on fire the houses of 15 elders of the area who were active supporters of the Pir. The search operation by the Taliban continued in Mandal Dag and its surrounding areas on Monday, sources said, adding that most of Pir`s supporters had gone underground.The Taliban, they said, had now taken control of about 80 per cent of Swat and the government`s writ had reduced only to Mingora and its surroundings. Differences between the Taliban and Pir Samiullah emerged after militants made a failed attempt to kidnap the religious and spiritual figure, who had his own circle of followers and admirers in the region. Several people were killed from both sides in the clash about two months ago. Local people said Pir Samiullah was the only potential rival of Maulana Fazlullah. The Pir had succeeded in his efforts to gather elders of the region to establish a lashkar to resist the Taliban movement. SERVANT QUARTERS TORCHED Fifteen abandoned servant quarters of ANP leader Afzal Khan Lala were set on fire by suspected militants in Drushkhela, Matta tehsil, on Monday.Afzal Khan Lala is still residing in the volatile Swat valley despite several failed attempts on his life in the past. REFERENCE: MINGORA: Militants publicly hang body of opponent By Our Correspondent http://archives.dawn.com/archives/158780

Bounty Hunters, Honour Killings & Bacha Khan.

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani federal minister has announced a bounty of $100,000 on the maker of the American film “Innocence of Muslims” disrespecting the Holy Prophet (PBUH), DawnNews reported. Speaking here at a press conference on Saturday, the Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that he was aware that it was a crime to instigate the people for murder, but he was ready to commit the crime. He added that there was no way to instill fear among blasphemers other than taking this step. The minister also called on members of the Taliban and al Qaeda for their support, saying that if members of the banned militant organisations kill the maker of the blasphemous movie, they will also be rewarded. The low-budget film titled ‘Innocence of Muslims’ has sparked fury and rage across the much of the Muslim world, including Pakistan. At least 23 people were killed and over 200 injured across the country on Friday — a day designated by the government to demonstrate love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and condemn the anti-Islam video. REFERENCE: Pakistan minister announces $100,000 bounty on anti-Islam film maker http://dawn.com/2012/09/22/pakistan-minister-announces-100000-bounty-on-anti-islam-film-maker/

1999 The Case of Samia Sarwar : There have been several reported cases of fathers bringing charges of zina against their daughters for marrying of their own accord. In one such case a woman, Sher Bano had eloped with a man who she had willfully married and was apprehended and arrested under the Zina Ordinance. On August 6, 1997 she was shot dead by her brother as she emerged from the court room in Peshawar (AI 15). In this way the Hudood Ordinance reinforces the practice of honor killing by legally formalizing the social control of women and their status as bearers of honor. One of the most widely publicized recent cases was that of Samia Sarwar (also referred to as Samia Imran). Samia Sarwar married her cousin in 1989 in Peshawar. During the time of her marriage she was subjected to years of severe physical abuse at the hands of her husband. In April of 1995, she returned to her family's home to escape her abusive husband because he had thrown her down the stairs while she was pregnant with her second child. Though she was allowed to live with her parents, they would not allow her to get a divorce. When Sarwar expressed her 38 intention to get a divorce, her parents threatened to kill her. Hina Jilani, SaIWar's lawyer said, "Samia was a frightened, unhappy woman who felt very alone in a predicament that she couldn't deal with confidently." On March 26, 1999, Samia took the opportunity of her parents' absence for a pilgrimage to Mecca to flee to Lahore and seek help at the AGHS (a law firm that works on won1en's issues) and refuge in the AGHS-run shelter, Dastak. Because her life had been threatened, Sarwar refused to meet with any of her male relatives. However, because she needed her marriage papers in order to get a divorce, Sarwar agreed to meet with her mother. Their meeting was set for April 6, 1999, in the office ofHina Jilani. Samia's mother came accompanied by her uncle Yunus Sarwar and a driver, Habibur Rehman. When Jilani asked the men to leave the room, Samia'a mother said that she needed the driver's help in order to walk. At that point Habibur Rehman pulled out a gun and shot Samia in the head, killing her instantly. Jilani was also fired at, but the bullet missed. Shortly after Samia was killed, the gun-man, Rehman was shot as a result of his having threatened a security guard. Yunus Sarwar who was waiting in the antechamber, took hold of the AGHS paralegal Shahtaj Qisalbash and escaped with Samia's mother. Qisalbash was taken with them and she claims to have heard the father ask the two if"the job was done." Qisalbash was released unharmed (AI 20)(HRW Summary). Though this crime was committed in full public view with several witnesses, nothing has been done to prosecute Sarwar's family. On April 20, police officers went to Sarwar's village to issue warrants for the family's arrest, but they were "shooed away" according to human rights organizations. Several reports were filed thereafter. The media reported that the response in NWFP oveIWhelmingly sided with the murderers. This attitude also surfaced in the Pakistani Senate. When Pakistan People's Party Senator Iqbal Haider presented a resolution condemning the killing, Senator Ilyas Bilour said in reference to Asma Jahangir and Hina Jilani: "'We have 39 fought for human rights and civil liberties all our lives but wonder what sort of human rights are being claimed by these girls in jeans "'(AI 21). This exhibits the complete disregard for women's rights even at the most superficial level of rhetoric by some Pakistani political leaders. The fact that a cold-blooded murder was argued in such a fashion, even when there was such wide international media coverage, speaks to the absence of any public support for women in Pakistan. The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce of which Samia's father was the president issued a statement on April 8 and 9, demanding that Jahangir and Jilani be dealt with in accordance with "tribal and Islamic law" and be arrested for "misleading women in Pakistan and contributing to the country's bad image abroad." Severalfatwas Xi were also issued against both activists with reward money stipulated for their murderers. Finally, in April of 1999 Jahangir issued a First Information Report (FIR) with the police against 16 people for threatening the lives of her and her sister. She also called on the government to investigate over 300 cases of honor killings reported in 1998. At the time of Amnesty's report, the state had taken no action (AI 21). The case ofSamia Sarwar is one of many such cases reported in the last year. I have focused on this one specifically because it received wide international attention especially through the networks of women's human rights organizations. However, even with the international outcry against this injustice, the state did not act. This case also exemplifies the dangerous nature of organizing for women's rights in Pakistan. Even at risk of their own lives, Jilani and Jahangir continue to speak out about injustices in Pakistan. REFERENCE: Women's Rights as Human Rights: The Case of Pakistan Nida Kirmani Senior Thesis Projects, 1993-2002 Dated: 1-1-2000 Recommended Citation Kirmani, Nida, "Women's Rights as Human Rights: The Case of Pakistan" (2000). Senior Thesis Projects, 1993-2002. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_interstp2/47/

2011: PESHAWAR: There are many names for pornographic movies, from the euphemistic (‘adult cinema’) to the nostalgic (‘under-the-counter videos’) to the plain short (‘porn’). Here is a relatively new one: ‘barband,’ which means porn in Pashto. At the Shama Cinema in Peshawar, every show is a full house. The ups and downs of the Pakistan film industry are irrelevant to this crowd. The harsh winters do not deter punters either. Even terrorism has no effect. Thanks to the alleged protection of the influential Bilour family and the active negligence of the ruling Awami National Party and its predecessor the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (a defunct umbrella group for religious parties), the audience is in safe hands. Khaklay Navay (Beautiful Bride) is the name of one pornographic movie recently shown on the cinema’s big screen. It ran for two months, opening on Eidul Fitr. A new film called Khaklay Jankay (Beautiful Girls) — which sounds like the prequel, though this is unconfirmed — was released in time for Eidul Azha. It is currently running, though there was a small break for 10 days out of respect for the holy month of Muharram. Four shows run every day. For early risers, there is the 11am screening. This is followed by shows at 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. The films are promoted through racy, raunchy posters pasted on the walls of Peshawar, often side-by-side with graffiti from religious groups. What’s more, the local industry seems to be a grower. Exciting news for enthusiasts is that in addition to the screening of adult English-language adult movies, the management has started the screening of porn in Pashto. Most of the films thus far have been dubbed into Pushto. Many have been foreign and often feature curvy Californian blondes, proving that anti-Americanism is not all-pervasive in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa. Most, though, seemed to have been produced in Lahore or other non-Pastho-speaking parts of Pakistan. Fans outside the cinema said that the exchange of Pakistani currency in some scenes proves the films are made within the country; in a boost for Pakistan’s ailing film industry, the cinema-goers also said the sound and camerawork is often of the highest quality. An employee at the cinema who, perhaps fearing his mother’s reaction, did not want his name publicised, said that Pushto adult movies are proving a bigger hit than English ones. He went on to say that drug-taking is an integral part of the experience; a haze of hashish smoke floats above the seats instead of more standard sensory accompaniments to the cinema experience, such as the crunch of popcorn. The employee added that a nearby cinema called Sabreena is also doing great business. For those with an image of Peshawar and its environs as a medieval-minded war-zone, the Shama Cinema sounds scarcely believable. This is a region where girls schools and shrines are destroyed, yet neither the religious parties nor the government have objected to porn being screened. Locals say there’s an easy explanation: the cinema is owned by the powerful Bilour family, which also happens to be tied to the Awami National Party. Who is behind such open secrecy? Everyone in Peshawar says the same name: the Bilour family. The family, however, denies any involvement. According to sources in the city, the cinema was once owned by senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour. It was passed on to Aziz Ahmed Bilour, federal secretary for industries, as the family assets were distributed. The cinema, it is believed, is now managed by close relatives of the Bilour brothers. When contacted by The Express Tribune, Aziz Ahmed Bilour said he had been busy doing public service in Islamabad since he left Peshawar two decades ago. He said he has not gone to the cinema since then. Aziz also insisted he does not own any cinema and does not know who owns the Shama Cinema. Indeed, as far as Aziz knows, the Bilour family has no involvement in the cinema business at all. However, he generously offered to lend a helping hand: “If it is transferred in my name, then it will be good and I shall look after the affair.” And so the Shama Cinema will carry on rolling the reels. The audience, no doubt, will keep on coming. Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2011. REFERENCE: Peshawar’s open secret: Hardcore fun for a hard-line city By Fida Muhammad Adeel Published: December 19, 2011 http://tribune.com.pk/story/308659/peshawars-open-secret-hardcore-fun-for-a-hard-line-city/

Case of Missing NATO Containers & WikiLeaks.

 WASHINGTON: A 2008 diplomatic cable, from the then US ambassador Anne Patterson, to Washington, confirmed news reports that Nato planes had been using Pakistan`s airspace with Islamabad`s consent. The cable released by WikiLeaks said that about 150 Nato flights crossed Pakistan`s airspace every day. The ambassador said that sometimes Pakistani planes tried to follow those planes but the efforts stopped after US officials spoke to senior Pakistani military officials. Another cable sent on Nov 17, 2008, says that US military containers that pass through Pakistan on their way to Afghanistan never contain weapons or ammunition. The cable sent notes that the Pakistani media often report that ammunition and arms off hijacked US convoys are being sold in Pakistan. “To be clear, no weapons, ammunition or sensitive electronics are shipped to Afghanistan by land routes through Pakistan,” she told Washington while commenting on the media reports. The cable notes that after the hijacking of two US military contracted trucks in 2008, “the Pakistani rumour mill has generated reports about weapon caches supposedly stolen from US military and Nato convoys complete with elaborate descriptions of non-existent contents of containers”. The ambassador assures Washington that “any reports of agents buying weapons from stolen US military or Nato containers are false”. REFERENCE: Pakistan`s airspace being used by Nato flights: cable By Our Correspondent | From the Newspaper http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/07/pakistans-airspace-being-used-by-nato-flights-cable.html

Pakistan Tonight with Fahad Hussain - 7th sep 2011 part1

URL: http://youtu.be/YFDEgU0H3-k

ISLAMABAD: Thousands of Nato, ISAF and US Military containers have reportedly gone missing inside Pakistan during the last four years amid serious fears that many of these may have contained arms and ammunitions, which may have gone to terrorists. Almost corroborating the grave charges levelled by dissident Sindhi PPP leader Dr Zulfiqar Mirza that a senior minister of MQM was responsible for these missing containers being in-charge of Ports and Shipping Ministry, sources in the Federal Board of Revenue say in addition to more than 24,000 missing containers of Afghan Transit Trade Commercial side, thousands of the unchecked containers belonging to Nato, ISAF and US Military had left the Karachi Port, but did not cross the Pak-Afghan border during the last four years. The sources, however, did not name any one for this missing cargo, as alleged by Dr Mirza. The sources said an inquiry committee is presently investigating the matter to ascertain the exact number of Nato, ISAF and US Military’s non-commercial containers that have disappeared during these years without any knowledge of the authorities about the contents in these containers. However, the sources apprehend that the missing containers were loaded with huge quantities of arms and ammunitions. REFERENCE: FBR confirms 24,000 containers missing from Karachi Port Ansar Abbasi Wednesday, September 07, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk /TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8620&Cat=13

Pakistan Tonight with Fahad Hussain - 7th sep 2011 part2

URL: http://youtu.be/hNHkPdMdzwQ

The MQM, however, strongly denied the allegations at a news conference addressed by former Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal and said if containers were stolen there would have been some FIRs registered and while police was under Zulfiqar Mirza as Home Minister why did he not stop this theft and lodge any FIR. According to one of the sources, the number of missing Nato, ISAF and US Military containers is expected to be alarmingly high and possibly beyond one’s comprehension. A spokesman for the FBR, when contacted, said the number of missing ATT commercial containers has so far been confirmed around 24,000 following which the FBR had already initiated action against the responsible. The spokesman said a FBR committee is presently focusing on the missing containers of Nato, ISAF and US Military to get the exact number during the last four years. He, however, did not give any number for these missing containers and insisted that it would be speculative to quote the figure of thousands for the missing Nato, ISAF and US Military containers. REFERENCE: FBR confirms 24,000 containers missing from Karachi Port Ansar Abbasi Wednesday, September 07, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk /TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8620&Cat=13

Pakistan Tonight with Fahad Hussain - 7th sep 2011 part3

URL: http://youtu.be/QAcoZoO9Lsw

“We would quote the figure only when we have the precise number,” the spokesman said, adding in case of the missing Nato, ISAF and US Military containers the government would even take up the matter with the concerned embassies before giving any conclusive figure. The spokesman admitted that there exist serious holes in the system, which led to the missing of tens of thousands of containers. The sources, however, said the facility provided by the government of Pakistan for commercial and military imports for Afghanistan have been massively misused not only as a conduit for smugglers, but also for terrorists and the enemies of Pakistan. “Nobody knows what was there in the missing containers of Nato, ISAF and US Military,” one of the sources said, lamenting despite these scandalous facts known to different authorities in the government, nothing has been done as yet to ascertain where these missing containers actually landed. In July this year, FBR chairman Salman Siddique had informed the Supreme Court that over Rs47 billion were evaded as 23,882 containers of commercial category under Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) destined from Karachi port to Afghanistan were missing. Besides, he admitted that record of 19,000 dispatched containers to Afghanistan through Chaman and Torkham borders under non-commercial category for ISAF from January 2007 to October was not found so another pilferage to national exchequer was also observed. The FBR chairman also told the court that FIRs were lodged against the culprits including importers, clearing agents, terminal/port operators, custom officials, shipping agents, transporters on 147 containers missing incident whereas letter of explanation were also issued to the concerned officers. REFERENCE: FBR confirms 24,000 containers missing from Karachi Port Ansar Abbasi Wednesday, September 07, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk /TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8620&Cat=13

Afghan Traditional Dance Attan (“Atanrh”) - [Courtesy: Virtual Afghans]

Attan is a traditional Afghan dance; It's origin lies in the Afghan Pashtoon tribes pagan yester-years and usually involved men performing a ritual dance. This was later modified into a Muslim dance of soldiers to allow the dancers to get 'closer to God' before they advanced on their missions. It was noted by the Moghuls of the period and is unique only amongst Afghans living in and around southern borders of Afghanistan.

ATTAN

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSaKvav6OJU

It is performed usually with a Dhol, which is a double-headed barrel drum that has a very deep and low resonance sound. Other instruments can include a single barreled Dhol, Tablas, the 18-stringed Robab, Surnai flute (aka shanai-India, zurna - Central Asia and Turkey, and zurla Macedonia), or wooden flute known as a Toola. The technique behind the Attan has changed much for over centuries, but its base has not changed. Its a circular dance ranging from two to over a hundred people, and the performers will follow each other going round and round in a circle to the beat as the rhythm and beats faster.

ATTAN

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF3EUrIZI10&feature=related

More complex Attans involve an Attan troup leader who begins the attan slowly using a variation of styles and techniques, and the ultimate spin is performed after the leader gives the signal, either by placing his hand on the floor or raising it in the air. The musicians perform the music at the technique of the leader and is fully dependent on the attan leader for guidance. The dance can be anywhere from 5 minute to 30 minutes long. The attan will end when no dancer is left standing on the dance floor. It is not uncommon for a dancer to faint during the performance as it is very physically intensive. The dance has become very popular throughout Afghanistan and can be performed year-round in all festive occasions. In Afghanistan each valley has its own unique style.

Attan ( De Wardago zwanano attan )

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Z1-PqJGFI

There are many different kinds of Attan in Afghanistan, Kabuli, Wardaki, Logari, Khosti/Paktia, Herati, Kochyano, Khattak, Pashayi (played with Surnai flute), and Nuristani.

Attan Styles and Types

Below are list of main and known styles of Attan in Afghanistan. All these different styles may be practiced and mixed by Afghans in other valleys, and its not uncommon to see Afghans of one province being better at a different regions' style.

Dawood Hanif - 'Expert Attan Maestro' Born in Kabul, Daud Haneef is currently considered Afghanistan's best Attan music artist.

Daud Hanif Attan

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHk8wTjG6YI

Shinwari Lawangina - Daud Hanif

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16wrPL-Hb4A&feature=related

Kabuli Attan

In this dance, the dancers perform to the beat of the musician. This dance typically performed by men & women. It involves 2-5 steps, ending with a clap given while facing the center, after which the process is repeated again. The hip and arms are put in a sequential movement including left and right tilts, with the wrists twisting in sequence, with ultimately a hand is projected outward and brought in a 'scoop-like' fashion towards the center where the other hand meets it for a clap. This dance is typically performed with the musician dictating the duration and speed.

Wardaki

Wardaki consists of body movements no clapping and lots of turns and twists, and Spotting, as well as handkerchiefs in their hands to accentuate their spins. The men usually boast wild mustaches, including hair that is greased as to accentuate the spotting and give more weight to the hair during turns. This dance is performed either with the beat of the musician or the musician tuning the beat the technique of the performers.

Logari

Logari dancers have always been known for their shyness and also for their rythmic interruptions & spins during their local dance. Their attan also has the trademark spins of the Logari style, uses the clapping and the full twists in place as arms are usually in the air and come together medially during the circular dance with one or two claps in the center. It is not uncommon to see one ore two circles in one. This dance typically performed by men and/or women or even young boys and/or girls. The men occasionally wear Turbans and they are taken off usually during the end of the dance when the beats get faster.

The sweat on their heads from wearing the Turban, puts added weight to their hair. This dance is performed either with the beat of the musician or the musician tuning the beat the technique of the performers.

Paktia/Khosti

Paktia/Khosti is typically a 5-7 step and can be longer. It is also interesting because of the head movements the head is snapped left & right as their long jet black hair fling through the air, and eventually ends with the dancers turned medially and squatting with arms to their sides towards the center. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Kochyano/Kuchi

Kochyano Attan or literally Attan of the Kuchi. Women usually perform this attan during their own occasions, such as child birth or new years (nou rooz) and coming of spring. The men usually perform with long hair, almost to shoulder length and cut straight across the back, and some may sport a very wild mustache or beard. It is usually performed with Handkerchiefs, and involves lots of spotting movements, with multiple twists and squatting. This dance can be up to 10 steps, and also involve men walking with their knees or standing erect and snapping their head in random directions to the beat of the Dhol. The depth and complexity of their Attan may be because of the wide range of valleys they trek, and it may have been influenced by many other forms. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Khattak

Khattak style is deeply routed during the Moghul period where men performed this dance with their weapons in their hands. A Khattak dancer performs with the zeal of a hero, displaying his physical fitness through body movements, while holding one, two or even three swords at a time. Each sword weighs about one-and-a-half kilograms. The dance is a 5 step routine involving spins, with the swords crossed over their backs and elbows outward, or it can be performed with the swords out to the sides and typical attan half spin in place leading to a full spin. Depending on the rythm of the beat, this spin can be completely reversed in full synchrocity. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Khattak attan


URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVO9uSD3NYI&feature=related

Nuristani

Nuristani Attan is a relatively new attan performed by Nuristanis and involves the use of their own local musical instruments including their own style of drum shown above, and stringed instrument, known as the Wunz, and also the Sarani. This dance was performed by both men and women. The women usually hold hands together or are shoulder to shoulder and came closer to the circle during the central beat. Another version performed across the border in Chitral consists of a dancer stepping in the middle and starting to dance. They will dance very slowly taking small steps and arms spread wide. Gradually, the steps increase speed and finally he will spin round and round encouraged by the clapping of the hands and enthusiastic shouts made by the audience. It is also very focused upon the movement of the shoulders and the elegant moves of the wrists. [COURTESY: VirtualAfghans.com Presents: A full guide and information page on the traditional dance of Attan (pronounced “Atanrh”). http://www.virtualafghans.com/attan/

Tribute to Late. Maestro Munir Sarhadi - Sarinda [Courtesy: Shaikh Aziz Dawn]

A music concert is on, continuing till the wee hours of the morning. Many vocalists and instrumentalists are showing their skills. Every performer thinks that his was the best performance on the stage. One girl in the audience is overwhelmed by the performance of an instrumentalist and becomes such an admirer that she falls in love with him. Cupid’s arrow has done it’s work and one fine day they tie the nuptial knot.Incidentally, this happened in Delhi, a little before Independence. The artist was Munir Sarhadi, the sarinda virtuoso who won laurels in the country and abroad, and the girl was Banu Begum, who attended a concert in Delhi, filled with a galaxy of vocalists and instrumentalists from all over the subcontinent. A young Munir had gone there with his illustrious father, Ustad Pazeer Khan, who was employed by the All India Radio at that time.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP38VVT29rU
Courtesy: DaPashtoSazAwaz | April 24, 2010 Sarinda Player - Muneer Sarhadi

Sarinda, folk fiddle of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India. The deep wood shell has a skin belly up to its narrow waist but is open thereafter on both sides of the fretless fingerboard; the body is commonly shaped like a pouch or bag. The three melodic strings are gut or horsehair. Some versions have sympathetic strings like those of the sarangi. Courtesy: Encyclopaedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/524344/sarinda

As usual our bureaucratic clique, societies and the so-called organizations meant for the promotion of art, remained unmoved while the maestro was on his deathbed. His only source of living, the radio salary was not enough to provide him the medicines. On May 23, 1980 he died in abject poverty

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu8fbLFvk1w

Munir Sarhadi, the Peshawar-born musician, later rose to fame not only in Pakistan but also won laurels abroad. A winner of the Pride of Performance, the legendary instrumentalist was perhaps the only artist after his father who achieved that recognition in playing the traditional instrument. Paradoxically, his death in 1980, was marked by utter poverty and neglect — an end most of our artists often meet.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Janan me Talay Dey, Ma Rabalalay Dey]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0bojLHO5zg

Munir was born in 1922. His father was the great scion of sarinda players of Pushto music. In his childhood he showed no interest in learning the instrument which was not liked by some of his family elders. His father left for Delhi where he had gotten a job at the All India Radio. His uncle and custodian, Khushmir Khan tried to persuade him to learn the music but all in vain. One day, a dejected Munir left Peshawar and travelled to his father’s city. His father did not want to teach him and took him to Ustad Afzal Hussain, one of his colleagues at the radio. There Munir began learning vocal music.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Halak naray Chinar dey, Jenai Da gulo wana]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co3s73xBDj0

It is then that the young boy developed interest in sarinda. When his father left for work everyday, he would pick up the sarinda and start practising it. This continued for quite some time. One day his father came a bit earlier than his scheduled time and was stunned to see that Munir was playing the instrument with great skill. Ustad Pazeer Khan was so overjoyed that he gave his own sarinda to Munir and then began teaching him the intricacies of music and sarinda playing. With the skill he saw in his son, Ustad Pazeer Khan knew what lay ahead for Munir.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Pa ro ro kayda qadamona Ashna]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S95WhAyhDI

Soon after, the father and son decided to visit Peshawar for a vacation. It was also a family reunion and obviously in a family of musicians there had to be music. Munir’s family was astonished to see him pick up the sarinda and play it. The masterly handling of the bow and strings produced such scintillating compositions that everybody was enthralled. To see the young lad, who was not interested in music, playing like a wizard, was no less than a miracle.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNR8MRjJb1M

After a short stay at Peshawar, both the father and son went back to Delhi where they played the instruments and also sang thumries and ghazals at various concerts, to supplement the earning. At one concert when Munir began playing the sarinda everybody in the audience was taken over by its magic. One veiled girl was simply mesmerised. She began attending every concert of Munir and ultimately both tied the knot.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Tappay]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvUhNKkUaI

When Independence took place Delhi became a hotbed of violence, and with the help of a friend in the army the family managed to reach Pakistan safely and decided to settle in Lahore. Finding no place at Radio Pakistan, Lahore and roaming jobless for quite some time, they finally moved to Peshawar in very poor conditions.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Da Sta Pa Stargo Kay ba Su Patay shi]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdggCJfkyxk

Here the father and son were able to get jobs in Radio Pakistan. In 1949 Ustad Pazeer Khan died of respiratory disorder and it was now Munir Sarhadi who had to advance the tradition of sarinda playing. Munir, through his strenuous riyaz and able guidance of the father, had become a master of sarinda and was in great demand all over Pakistan. He attended almost all the concerts and music festivals that used to be held at various centres. The PIA Academy, which was established to promote art and culture of the country, took him to various parts of the world including China as member of the troupe where his performance was highly applauded.

Muneer Sarhai - Pa sarinda naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/user/DaPashtoSazAwaz

Munir Sarhadi’s technique was very imaginative. He played every raga and folk composition with masterly ease. Sarinda, the fretless stringed instrument, is comparatively a difficult instrument in the string family as it has little space between the bridge and knobs, and requires extra ability to produce the three octaves. Munir, through his extra effort, easily acquired this skill and played classical taans to folk lehra as an accomplished performer. He had the ability to sing, play and also compose music. He was so engrossed in the music and sarinda that he hardly passed a day without playing it after he decided to learn it and make it a living. While his father excelled in folk tunes and classical music, Munir created a fusion of the two. This is evident from the films Dara-i-Khyber, Baghi and some other films of which he composed the music. He blended classical music with some variations from Pushto music and vice versa. For his services towards the promotion of music, he was awarded the Pride of Performance.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wV3SGqbEeE
Muneer Sarhai - Pa sarinda naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q0RmBmIXnk

Personally he was a simple, hard working and dedicated person. He had no greed for money and worldly comforts. Throughout his life his main concern was music. He longed for the company of the learned. Perhaps this was the reason that in the last days of his life he lived a miserable life. As usual, our bureaucratic clique, societies and the so-called organizations meant for the promotion of art remained unmoved, while the maestro was on his deathbed. His only source of living, the radio salary was not enough to provide him the medicines and on May 23, 1980 he died in abject poverty, yet with honour and dignity, leaving behind an invaluable contribution towards music. After his death only one of his sons, Aijaz Sarhadi has kept up the family tradition of sarinda playing and is known well in the Pakistani music world. REFERENCE: SPOT LIGHT: Munir Sarhadi — the sarinda virtuoso By Shaikh Aziz January 20, 2002 http://www.dawn.com/weekly/images/archive/020120/images8.htm

North Indian Classical Music Archive http://sarangi.info/sarangi/sarhadi/

Tribute to Pashto Singers Zarsanga & Qamar Gulla.

The pencil thin, wheatish and illiterate Zarsanga is so proud of her euphonic and bewitching voice that even in her mid-fifties she challenges the young vocalists to match her in rhythmic frequency.

Zarsanga - Rasha Mama Zoi De Leweney Dey

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KZjMI06XE&feature=related

Belonging to a gypsy family of Tank, Zarsanga, also known the desert queen of Pashto music, has performed in the USA, UK, Paris, Germany, Belgium, UAE, Iraq and many more countries; but still prefers to live in a tented-house, while at present she is living in a clay-made house in the suburbs of Peshawar. "I love my soil and culture as it gives the fragrance of fraternity, freedom and vanity, the 55-year old Zarsanga, wearing traditional dopata, said.

Zarsanga - Khat Me Zanziree Dey

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAfAnwijHzw&feature=related

Born in a nomadic Pakhtoon family at Tank, Zalubai (jalibi in Urdu), commonly known as Zarsanga, inherited singing from her family who was wooed and taken to altar by her clan fellow Mula Jan of Serai Naurang, Bannu, in 1965. Mula Jan was used to play tabla with Zarsanga's father Tekidar. But many say that Mula Jan had eloped her, also loved by her singing partner Khan Tehsil. "Ours was a love marriage," both admitted while sitting in the Radio Pakistan Peshawar station making rehearsal for Independence programs for Radio.

Zarsanga - Paas Pa Tera Ye Warawena

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1HFDXQu27g&feature=related

"A person named Mustafa had heard me at a wedding ceremony in Lakki Marwat and later on introduced me to Rashid Ali Dehqan, producer in Radio Pakistan Peshawar. In the very first appearance, I won the hearts and appreciation of producers and public as well," Zarsanga recalled. At that time Radio Station was located near Peshawar Central Jail and when she was giving audition, her reverberating voice even agitated the inmates of the nearby prison who demanded for more, an aged radio employee confirmed her claim.

Afghan music Pashto song Zarsanga ow Kamar Gulla

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewTOUOMrol4&feature=related

From that day Zarsanga sang thousands of songs for Radio and TV and performed on stage for hundreds of times. Besides winning appreciation from public, she got many awards including Pride of Performance and Presidential Award from for her contributions. She has also been honoured abroad for her performance. "Once I was singing in an Arab country and some Arab women started dancing on my song without knowing the meaning," she said with a slight smile and vanity. "She is Rishama of Pashtu music," said Laiqzadha Laiq, Radio Producer, adding that once a French woman Mrs Kia who was doing research on Pashtu language and literature here, when heard Zarsanga, was so impressed by her rumbling voice that she used to call herself Zarsanga and arranged a concert of Zarsnaga in Paris where she performed without musical instruments and microphone.

Tapa/Qamar gula

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_RE8MX2jEo&feature=related

Qamar Gula is a popular singer from Afghanistan. Among the female singers from Afghanistan, she is very well known and has fans all across Afghanistan and the Pashtun regions of Pakistan. She is said to have been among the very first female singers who sang for Radio and Television Afghanistan. Qamar Gula was born in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. She started her singing career when she was only seven years old . Pa ma mayana stargay de sray de, was the first song she sang on Radio Afghanistan which introduced her to the people of Afghanistan. Qamar Gula is a widow of late Mohammad Din Zakhil. Qamar Gula along with her three daughters and three sons now resides in Ontario, Canada where she continues her music career. [Courtesy: Ms. Shabnam Gul/Wikipedia] - سندرغاړې قمر گل په اوومه سټوډيو کې

د پروگرام وړاندى کوونکى

ولي عبدالله

د خپريدو وخت: 23:41 گرينويچ 2009 ,29 جولاى

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pashto/news/story/2009/07/090728_mmn_s7qamargul-310709.shtml

The Pashtu melody queen Zarsanga is known for her folk songs, desert arias, and mountainous gharhi (a type of Pashtu tapi) and has many popular songs to her credit. "Being illiterate I can not sing ghazals and thus concentrate on gharhi and folk songs which are popular among Pakhtoons that even some solemn and pious women told me that they only listen her songs publicly at their old age, Zarsanga said proudly.

Mermon Qamar gul Po wroo wroo - keda Qadamoona

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzB-4SgDUq4&feature=related

Puffing a low-priced cigarette in front of her husband, Zarsanga said that once she won two packs of cigarettes by winning an informal high-pitched competition at Peshawar PTV center. She had also won an international voice competition in Germany organised by Dr Kabir Stori of Pakhtoon Social Democratic Party. Her 25-year old son Shehzada has adopted the singing profession and besides singing at hujra and stage level, has also performed on TV and radio.

Zarsanga Dawood Hanif Farishta Humayon Lali - Warawy Lasouna

http://youtu.be/ZeVTzCoJ5F8

Zarsanga has six sons and four daughters, two of them married. Zarsanga's father was proud of her daughter's singing profession but his daughter says, "my daughters have been blessed with melodious voices but I am against their singing in public. When asked why she pointed towards her husband that he also did not like it. It is against our family traditions, was the simple answer of Mula Jan.

Shinwaray Lawangeena

http://youtu.be/W16HOGXMaoY

Though not a slight change has occurred in her voice till date but the desert queen considers her this blessing as mirage in a desert, an echo in mountains and a wave in the river, saying that being a mortal-being one day she would lose this asset which is the only source of her income, therefore, she sought restoration of culture scholarship, being stopped to her like dozens of artists for the last one year by the provincial culture department. REFERENCE: Zarsanga - Melody Queen of Pashto Khaled Kheshgihttp://www.khyber.org/people/celebs/Zarsanga-MelodyQueenofPashto.shtml

AND THAT'S HOW WE TREAT NATIONAL ASSET

ریلیف کیمپ اور زرسانگہ کے گیت
آخری وقت اشاعت: بدھ 6 اکتوبر 2010 , 17:01 GMT 22:01 PST

پشتو کی نامور لوک گلوکارہ زرسانگہ بھی سیلاب زدگان میں شامل ہیں، آج کل وہ ایک ریلیف کیمپ میں رہے رہی ہیں، جہاں کبھی کبھی وہ اپنے گیت بھی گنگناتی ہیں۔ رفعت اللہ اورکزئی کی رپورٹ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2010/10/101006_pasto_singer.shtml
NOWSHERA: Zarsanga, a famous Pashto singer often described as the Queen of Pashto folk music, is living in abject poverty in a tent on the roadside in Azakhel after her house was washed away in the recent floods. Talking to The News, the 65-year-old singer said she had served the country and Pashto music for 45 long years. She said she had performed in Germany, US, France, Russia and Afghanistan but now she had been forgotten by the government. She said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had not even provided her a tent, adding that the one sheltering her family was borrowed from someone else. Born in 1946 at Zafar Mamakhel, a small village in Lakki Marwat district, she belongs to a nomadic tribe that used to move to Afghanistan in summers and stay in Lakki Marwat during the winter. She settled in Pirpai town in Nowshera but was displaced when her house was swept away by the recent floods. Zarsanga started her career as a folk singer at the age of 20 and recorded her first song with Radio Pakistan. She also performed on the state-run PTV. The singer said the recent floods had made her a nomad again, but neither the ANP-led provincial government, claiming to represent the Pakhtuns, nor the ministry of culture had done anything for her family.

pa ro ro kida kadamoona ashna

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5hKRoUtzU&feature=related

Zarsanga has six sons Shahzada, Babu, Mudir, Muhammad Wali, Mano and Hijran. All are expert at playing different musical instruments. She was awarded the presidential Pride of Performance Award by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan in recognition of her contribution to Pashto music. Her son Shahzada said their musical instruments were swept away by floods. “We couldn’t afford to buy new ones so we borrowed some from our friends because we want to carry forward the rich legacy of Pashto music,” he argued. He feared a bleak future for Pashto music if the artistes continued to be ignored like his mother. Zarsanga said Afghan President Hamid Karzai had offered her to settle in Afghanistan. “I was offered a house and a car and jobs for my children, but I did not accept the offer. I could not leave my country,” she recalled. She appealed to the federal and provincial governments and the lovers of art to help her family to stand on its feet again. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan announced to build a house for the Pashto singer soon after her interview was aired on the Geo News. REFERENCE: Pashto folk singer Zarsanga living a miserable life in tent Mushtaq Paracha Monday, October 04, 2010 Shawwal 24, 1431 A.H. http://www.thenews.com.pk/04-10-2010/peshawar/8114.htm