Saheli in 2004

Our host, our friend, our ‘saheli’ in the Murghzar zoo of Islamabad passed away on tuesday. She was a 22 years old elephant when the average age for an elephant is 60 to 70 and sometimes it goes upto 90 to 110 years.I have been taking my children to the Islamabad zoo every year for last ten years and ‘saheli’ was always there to welcome us. Saheli, the gentle giant, our children loved to meet, Kaavan stayed inside but she made sure to greet all visitors with a smile at the entrance of her house. The source of charm and attraction for kids has been faded out to oblivion.

Saheli was gifted  by the Sri Lankan government in 1991. She had been brought to Pakistan to be partnered with a male elephant named Kaavan when she was one-year-old. Faiz Mohammad, the caretaker of the elephants, wiped his tears as he narrated the story of losing Saheli. “I have been taking care of her ever since she was a year old,” he said. “She was like my own child.”

Mohammad said Saheli had been injured a few days back and was in a lot of pain. He said Saheli had been limping and her movement had slowed down. Two doctors have been coming to check and treat her for the past two days. “I do not think there was any mistake made in her treatment, but I still don’t know the cause of her death,” he said, taking breaks to compose himself.

Mohammad said, “She was very playful. I would call her name as soon as I entered the zoo gate every morning and she would trumpet in response. When I entered their cage she would come running to me.  Now I can sense the tension in Kaavan’s behaviour. He has been so impatient and anxious ever since she fell ill.”

Zoo authorities had sent Saheli’s samples for testing when she was sick and sent a second set of samples after her death. “We are waiting for the results to figure out what went wrong,” said Marghazar Zoo and Wildlife Director Sajjad Hussain Shah.

The doctor checked her the night before and she was reportedly fine. She ate this morning and then just passed out after a while, said Shah.

Another sourse say, the most popular animal of the zoo, on Sunday, fell down on ground and could not stand up despite all out efforts by the zoo administration and veterinary officers. It has been reported that couple of weeks ago, the right rear foot of the female elephant got wounded with some sharp object but the management did not bother to give a thought on the matter.

As a result, the normal injury turned out to be the death reason of the animal worth Rs15 million. According to witnesses, zoo staff tried to help the elephant to stand many times on Sunday but failed, as the injury had become much serious by then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmNBaiBHVk

Stuffed

Doctors came to check her in the last two days of her life when it was too late. Dr Saleem Sulheri, a veterinarian at the zoo, said that the body will be buried and the fossils will be extracted for preservation at Pakistan Museum of Natural History in Shakarparian. The display of the elephant’s skeleton would add another attraction to Islamabad, as recently a whale shark was brought here from Karachi to after it was found dead on seashore.

Inquiry initiated

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairperson Engineer Farkhand Iqbal has directed an inquiry into the incident. The team will be headed by CDA Member Administration Shoukat Ali Mohmand.

Mohammad and another caretaker, Bilal, have also been suspended.

The chairperson said that strict action would be taken if someone’s negligence was found responsible for the incident.

Who is responsible?

Huge animals are disappearing from our zoos at an alarming pace. The lions of Islamabad and Karachi zoos died in the recent years. A crocodile passed away in the Karachi zoo. We are left with a majority of birds in the Murghzar zoo. But who cares?

If someone does care then please appoint a permanent qualified Vet doctor for the remaining animals and their regular check ups.

Technorati Tags: elephant dies in islamabad zoo, elephant in murghzar zoo, female elephant at islambad zoo, saheli

Designer lawn Available at shops in Islamabad

May I inform you that ‘lawn’ is the fabric worn in summers in Pakistan. It is extremely hot and no other fabric gives the comfort of lawn and that is the reason we love lawn and its lovely prints too. Now the designer lawn has invaded our markets and households…

These Lawn brands are taking turns on light poles and bill boards since February 2012  and looking at them anybody can tell that the most booming business here is Designer Lawn. It is still spring in Islamabad and all the lawn exhibitions have taken place from Mausummery, Umer Sayeed, Asif jofa, Sobia Nazir, Yahsir Waheed and Nishat (to name just a few) to old players like Gul Ahmed and Al karam.

This year  the craze has shifted from consumers to the producers, we, the buyers are not as eager as the sellers are. I was put off by the lawn exhibitions starting in February one after the other. Being an enthusiastic visitor of lawn exhibitions for years,( some of you may know by my blog posts in the past but) this time I missed all the exhibitions. Its not only the flood of lawn prints that spoiled the show but there are a few other reasons too.

Firstly there is no significant change in the style and prints as compared to the last year but the prices have sky rocketed. How can the consumers with their budgets squeezed, due to mounting prices of everything from utility bills to eatables, buy designer lawn when a suits’ price starts from Rs 2500 to maybe around Rs 6000!!!! The upper limit of Rs 6000 is the kitchen budget for half of our population for a month __ a sad discrimination which widens the gap between the haves and have-nots by miles.

Secondly in Islamabad when only two or three exhibitions were held during summer the halls used to be teeming with people but now there is an exhibition every week and some of the brands have like Pareesa, Sobia Nazir, Gul Ahmed, Kayseria have their outlets in Islamabad. Plus the shop keepers have eyed the opportunity and are keeping stocks of all brands. Customers can compare different products and have the thinking time too. The designer brands do not have much to lose their stock is being bought anyways and they do not have to pay the cost of running an outlet in Islamabad. The shopkeepers are also taking their chunk of profit from already over priced lawn suits. That leaves us with over priced, monotonous and ordinary summer wear which will not last for next year. Is this a worthy investment when last year’s clothes are still lying in the cupboards. I do not anyway mean that I am not fond of these lovely prints and designs but we need to draw a line somewhere. so…

I refuse to participate in this rat race of who is wearing who and which year’s collection because there is no end  it! And you can compare how different is last years collections from 2012 collection…

A few examples:

Mausummery 2011

Mausummery Lawn 2011

Mausummery 2012

Mausummery lawn 2012

Sobia Nazir 2011

Sobia Nazir Lawn 2011

Sobia nazir 2012

Sobia Nazir lawn 2012

Technorati Tags: designer lawn available in Islambad, lawn collections 2012, Lawn prints flood the market, mausummery lawn 2012, sobia nazir

Bhoja air B4-213 crashes in Islamabad

When the nation was still mourning the death of 135 soldiers and civilian contractors under deep snow hit by an avalance at the Pakistani army base at disputed Siachen Glacier another tradgey has taken place.

RAWALPINDI: A Bhoja Airline flight # B4-213 has reportedly crashed near Chaklala airbase, Geo News reported.

The plane crashed due to bad weather in Pindi when the plane was just 4 km away from the airport. It crashed on the residential area close to the airport on a house. The fear is that it must have destroyed many houses on the ground. Some of the houses are on fire in that area.

According to sources, the a Boeing 737 with 127 passengers on board, which flew from Karachi at 5:00PM was suppose to land in Islamabad at 6:40PM, but crashed just before touchdown.

Emergency is declared in the hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. But no information of the details of the names of people travelling in the plane and people living on the ground.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed the reports of crash.

Rescue teams have rushed to the crash site.

Technorati Tags: bhoja air b4-213, bhoja air crashes in islamabad, bhoja air plane crashes Rawalpindi

Value of Time

The clocks ticking in our rooms and mobiles do not warn us that a treasure is being lost. It is not the money which is disappearing from our bank accounts. Time is the limited cash we have which cannot grow and is fast ending without making any alarm or noise. The days, weeks and years are flying ….

To realize the value of one year:

Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of one month:

Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week:

Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour:

Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute:

Ask the person who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one-second:

Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond:

Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Our daily lives should not be like the one below. There is no communication with friends, elders, parents and no time with nature!

Daily life

Technorati Tags: tick tick, time quote, value of time

Pomegranate

Bypassing the bypass

by

Dr Syed Zair Hussain Rizvi

EVERY SEED OF POMEGRANATE WHICH GOES IN YOUR STOMACH IS A SEED OF LIFE FOR YOUR HEART

Two things are full of benefits for the human being, lukewarm water and pomegranate. Pomegranate is a seasonal fruit in Pakistan so I tried an experiment with dried pomegranate seeds(DRY ANARDANA), prepared a decoction boiling the fistful of dried seeds in half litre of water for 10 minutes, squeezed the seeds, strained the decoction and advised those patients suffering from painful angina to use a glass of lukewarm decoction on an empty stomach in the morning, amazing result was observed, the decoction of dried pomegranate seeds worked like a magic, the feelings of tightness and heaviness of chest and the pain had gone,

It encouraged me to try more experiments on all types of cardiac patients so I tried other experiments on patients who were suffering from painful angina, coronary arterial blockage, cardiac ischemia (insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle) etc, waiting for a bypass surgery, the same lukewarm decoction was used empty stomach in the morning, the patients experienced quick relief in all symptoms including painful condition

In another case of coronary arterial blockage the patient started using half glass of fresh pomegranate juice everyday for one year, although all symptoms were completely relieved within a week but he continued taking it for a whole year, it completely reversed the plaque build-up and unblocked his arteries to normal, the angiography report confirmed the evidence, thus decoction of dried pomegranate seeds, fresh pomegranate juice or eating a whole pomegranate on empty stomach in the morning proved to be a miracle cure for cardiac patients,

But the lukewarm dried seeds decoction proved to be more effective compared to eating a whole pomegranate or fresh pomegranate juice, use of pomegranate in any way has demonstrated even more dramatic effects as blood thinner, pain killing properties for cardiac patients, lowers LDL (low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol) and raises the HDL (high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol) , there are more than 50 different types of heart diseases the most common being coronary artery disease (CAD), which is the number one killer of both women and men in some countries, and there has been no medicinal cure for this disease, many cardiac patients have reversed their heart diseases on my advice using one glass of lukewarm decoction of pomegranate dried seeds, half glass of fresh pomegranate juice or eating a whole pomegranate on empty stomach in the morning, it was the very first real breakthrough in the history of cardiology to successfully treat the cardiac diseases by a fruit, The more super foods to obtain the even faster results for cardiac patients which are most promising curative and protective agents like fresh raisins, quince, guava, prunes (dried plums), natural vinegar, mixture of grape fruit juice and honey in the morning (empty stomach), basil leaves, chicory leaves, powder of oregano leaves and rock salt in equal quantity (in case the patient is not hypertensive) and sesame oil as cooking oil for cardiac patients.

It is regretted to say that treating the heart patients and bypass surgery has become far more profitable business around the world which has failed to help avert life threatening heart attacks and life time cardiac complications resulting in almost paralyzed life. A regular use of pomegranate in any way ensures a healthy cardiac life, thinning your blood, dissolving the blood clots and obstruction inside the coronary arteries, maintains an optimal blood flow, supports a healthy blood pressure, prevents and reverses atherosclerosis. (Thickening of the internal lining of the blood vessels) from whatever I experienced and observed in last several years, I can say:

“A pomegranate a day keeps the cardiologist away” you can try and see the wonder.

Technorati Tags: anar and anardana, angina cure, coronary artery disease cure, poegranate cures heart disease

musharraf becomes a billionaire

As they say in urdu “haathi mara hua bhi sawa lakha ka hota hai” which means even a dead elephant is worth lacs of rupees in the same way even a retired Pakistani army cheif and who has also been a dictator has a market value even when removed from the chair. Ansar Abbasi asks how did Musharraf become a billionaire?

It seems that he has not looted Pakistani tax payer’s money because he became rich after leaving Pakistan so if he comes to take part in elections then how good is Musharraf as the choice for next PM?

By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: In a successful but dubious journey from rags to riches, the former dictator and now the self pro claimed messiah of the people of Pakistan, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, has become a billionaire.

There is no indication as to who funds him and how he became fabulously rich but the retired general has accumulated billions in offshore accounts besides the property that he has already purchased in foreign lands or inside Pakistan.

Musharraf, who intends to return to Pakistan by the end of this month after seeking the required guarantees from Washington and Riyadh, has a lot of money to spend for his political campaign and his launching as “the best option for Pakistan”.

A source, having a close association with the former dictator, confided to The News that Musharraf has at least seven to ten offshore accounts in Dubai and London containing huge cash in dollars, sterling pounds and dirhams.

In his memoirs – In the Line of Fire – Musharraf admitted that he had come from a really humble background where they did not have enough money but now he pays at least half a million rupees as monthly salary to his personal staff residing inside Pakistan.

According to the source, besides having foreign bank accounts, Musharraf has also made huge saving investments abroad to earn large profits. The source said that in just one Dubai based online trading service — MMA — Musharraf had US$ 1,600,000 (Rs 145 million) last year. Musharraf’s account number, according to the source in this company, is AV77777.

In the Union National Bank, which is an investment bank in Abu Dhabi, Musharraf and his spouse Sehba Musharraf, have a joint account No 4002000304, in which the amount mid last year was almost UAE Dirhams 17,000,000 ( Rs 391 million).

In the same bank- the Union National Bank- the same duo, Mr and Mrs Musharaf have another joint account No 400200315, which is a dollar account. This particular account last year contained US$ 535,325 (Rs 48 million).

In yet another UAE Dirham account in the same financial institution — the Union National Bank — Sehba and Musharraf had almost UAE Dirhams 7,600,000 (Rs 174 million) last year. The account No is 4003006700.

In the fourth account, No 4003006711, in the Union National Bank, the duo had UAE Dirhams 8,000,000 (Rs 184 million).

In the fifth account, No 4003006722 in the same bank — the Union National Bank — Musharraf and his wife had US$ 8,000,000 (Rs 728 million).

In the sixth account, No 4003006733, Mrs Sehba Musharraf and Mr Pervez Musharraf had UAE Dirhams 8,000,000 (Rs 184 million) last year.

In the seventh account, No 4003006744, in the same Union National Bank, the duo holds UAE Dirhams 8,000,000 (Rs 184 million).

In their eighth account in the same bank — the Union National Bank Abu Dhabi — the duo had US$ 1,300,000 (Rs 118 million).

During the initial few months of his taking over as a military dictator following his coup against the Nawaz Sharif government, General Musharraf did make his wealth public, which hardly contained any cash but only some plots in different parts of the country. Musharraf claimed to be the Mr Clean of Pakistan.

How did he become a billionare is a million dollar question. The same question when asked to Musharraf’s spokesperson and his party’s information secretary Fawad Chaudhry Advocate told The News that all the accounts of Pervez Musharraf, whether abroad or in Pakistan, are declared accounts.

“There is not a single hidden bank account like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari”, he added.

Fawad Chaudhry said that when an Army Chief retires, he gets pensionary benefits worth Rs 400 to 500 million.

Moreover, he added that Bill Clinton and Pervez Musharraf are the highest paid speakers in the world, therefore he earns a handsome amount through lectures.

He clarified that Musharraf’s bank accounts do not have billions of rupees in them.

Nazir Qaiser has said it very well in urdu:

یورپ میں چار سال کی راتیں گزار کے

وہ آرہا ہے فوج کی وردی اتار کے

دل پھر طوافِ کوۓ صدارت کو آئے ہے

مت پوچھ ولولے دل ناکردہ کار کے

Technorati Tags: Ansar abbasi, musharraf account details, musharraf is a millionaire

Pepsi and Coke

I am sharing this news even when I know there is no health check and quality control on drinks and packed food sold in Pakistan. Our rulers after reading this, may start importing Coke and Pepsi and from US but will not bother about rest of the people drinking this coloured liquid full of secret ingredients. Do we have to wait for our government or can some experts step into a matter of public concern without the directions of the Ministry of Health? In a country where I have often observed infants holding bottles full of coke and pepsi!!!!

We all have been reading about the ill effects of Coke and Pepsi on our health…. this is another one!

According to Daily Mail Coca-Cola and Pepsi change recipe ‘to avoid putting a cancer warning on their labels’. Both companies are changing formula for the caramel colour in US.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been forced to change their recipes in America to avoid having to put cancer-warning labels on their cans – while the drinks in Britain stay the same. There were concerns that one of the food-colouring ingredients may cause tumours in mice – although there was no evidence of a similar risk for humans. Nonetheless both manufacturers have altered their recipes for drinks sold in America and they now contain far less of the offending chemical.

Technorati Tags: Amitabh Bachchan's disease linked woth Coke and Pepsi, Coca cola and pepsi, coke recipe, pepsi and coke, pepsi and coke change recipe to avoid cancer warning

There are 365 days in a year:

1. Sunday is a holiday and there are 52 sundays = 313 days left

2.Summer holidays = 50 which leaves 263 days

3.Eight hours of sleep every night = 122 days which leaves 141 days

4.One hour of play every day =15 days which leaves 126 days

5.Two hours daily for the meals = 20 days which leaves 96 days

6.One hour of communicating and socializing = 15 days which leaves 81 days

7.At least 35 days are passed in exams which leaves 46 days

8.Other holidays and public holidays are 40 which leaves 6 days

9.Three days of being sick which leaves 3 days

10.Two days for wedding or functions which leaves 1 day

That one day is my birthday so how can I pass in exams!!!

Bachey kiyun fail hotey hain

Technorati Tags: bachey kiyun fail hotey hain, tanz o mazkha, urdu humour, why do kids fail in exams

Sharmeen wins first Pakistani Oscar

LOS ANGELES: Pakistani filmmaker and first-time Oscar nominee Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won an Academy Award on Monday for her documentary about acid attack victims, a first for a Pakistani.

In her acceptance speech, Chinoy dedicated the award to the women of Pakistan. “All the women in Pakistan working for change, don’t give up on your dreams, this is for you,” she said.

Directed by Daniel Junge and produced by Sharmeen Chinoy, the film follows British plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who returns to his homeland to help victims of acid burns.

More than 100 people, mainly women and girls, are disfigured in acid attacks every year in Pakistan, although groups helping survivors say many more cases go unreported.

“The women who decided to be a part of the documentary did so because they wanted to make their voices heard and wanted to bring attention to this form of assault,” Chinoy said in an interview conducted before she won the Oscar.

“The main reason that they are in ‘Saving Face’ is to make their stories heard and have an impact.”

Many victims are women attacked by their husbands, and others assaulted for turning down a proposal of marriage. One girl in the documentary describes how she was burned after rejecting the advances of her teacher. She was 13 at the time.

Another woman featured in the film is 25-year-old Rukhsana, whose husband threw acid on her and her sister-in-law doused her in gasoline before her mother-in-law lit a match and set her on fire.

Chinoy said she hopes the cases in her film will resonate for others in Pakistan.

“It is a story of hope with a powerful message for the Pakistani audience. I felt this would be a great way to show how Pakistanis can help other Pakistanis overcome their problems,” she said.

Chinoy’s films have won international acclaim. Her 2010 documentary, Pakistan’s Taliban Generation, won an International Emmy Award.

The documentary competed against “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” a Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson film about a mid-century starlet who chose the church over Hollywood; “The Barber of Birmingham,” a Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday film that follows the life of 85-year-old barber James Armstrong and the legacy of the civil rights movement; James Spione’s war film “Incident in New Baghdad”; and “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom,” a film by Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen that follows survivors of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and their struggle to recover from the wave that crushed their homes and lives.

Sharmeen Obaid talks about Saving Face

Technorati Tags: first pakistani oscar, oscar award 2012, sharmeen obaid

Yasir Pirzada

I have enjoyed reading Yasir Pirzada‘s column whenever I got a chance because “you” comes in the middle of the week which means a roller coaster ride for me. Being a working mom of four kids, working days pass by without giving me moment of respite. I would like share his ‘Branded Pakistan’ with you …. I could not stop laughing at his narration of some of the ads.

On a serious note, Mr Yasir! in a  country of 170 million people only Faisal Qureshi and a few others, who can be counted on fingers make creative and interesting ads. Rest of the ads are either copied, bought or look like poor female modelling photoshoots! If nobody knows how creative advertising can be then who will build, market and brand Pakistan. Ah…Our beautiful and beloved Pakistan!

Branded Pakistan

by Yasir Pirzada

Let me share a ‘serious’ joke at the very outset. When a guy meets a woman and tells her ‘I am a great lover’, that is called marketing. When somebody else tells the woman about that man ‘trust me, he is a great lover’, that is called public relations. When the guy himself repeatedly tells the woman ‘I am a great lover, I am a great lover…’ that would be called advertising. But when the woman herself says ‘I understand you are a great lover’, that would be called branding!

Branding is a serious business and so is advertising. But unfortunately, the concept of advertising in Pakistan, like many other concepts, is not the same as it is in other countries. We make simple advertisements for the simple reason that we can’t make them creative. And branding, for sure, is not our cup of tea. Obviously, I am not talking about a few multinational companies who are very particular about branding. My concern is those types of ads, which, in the first place, are run on cable TV; and secondly, those non-stop repetitive programmes which are actually paid advertisements. However, if I were to choose between these two, I would go for cable TV Commercials (TVCs), at least they are humorous.

The best thing about cable TVCs is that they are cheap (means monetarily) plus they are hilarious. One of my favourite these days is TVC of a ‘Rent a Car’ company. It is simply unbeatable. The ad opens with a glimpse of vehicles decorated with flowers claiming it to be the largest network of rented cars in Pakistan. Then suddenly a family is shown coming out of a rickshaw; as soon as they step out of the rickshaw, the driver grabs the man for some unknown reason and then the lady (presumably man’s wife) interferes and tells the rickshaw driver to be ashamed of himself for being abusive to his ‘father-in-law’ (at least that’s what I have understood). Then a heavy weight model (seeing is believing) with straight hair, chips in and says ‘phone malayein (not milayein) aur gari mangayein!’ Then glimpses of the proprietor as well as his brothers and kids are shown who are smiling while looking at the camera (don’t know why) and then it is told that the proprietor is also the president of some kind of association. After that the scene changes and another family, this time a pretty decent couple, is shown with three kids. Wife is clad in a saree, who, after seeing a chauffer driven car, expresses her satisfaction to the husband and jumps into the car hurriedly. Then again, our heavy weight model comes in and says ‘safar key matabuq (not mutabiq) paisey manasub!’ Now I can’t narrate the remaining advertisement because I want you to watch it yourself and enjoy. This ad is only aired on TV in Lahore but because of its immense popularity now you can also search it on YouTube and many have even shared it on Facebook! Hats off to its director!

As far as long and repetitive paid programmes are concerned, I think these have proved to be beneficial only for the retired or flop film stars. An actor like Jackie Sheroff can be seen nowadays in one of such advts, marketing ‘joint pain medicines’. Similarly, Bhagia Shree, heroine of super doper hit ‘Meiney Pyar Kia’ is selling hair oil these days. The most annoying thing about these ads is their monotonous tone. I don’t know exactly how successful this marketing strategy is but I am sure these ads certainly attract people and that’s why these have been on air for such a long time.

Apart from these two categories of ads, there are certain ads which I simply hate to watch. One of them is a ‘cleaning toilet challenge’… and what a challenge that is! One of our TV stars is shown in the ad throwing a challenge to a group of housewives as to who can clean the toilet in a better way! Certainly our hero wins the ‘challenge’ and he proudly announces it at the end.

And lastly, I wish someone would come up with an advertisement that portrays a positive image of our country. We need it badly for our country. An ad that would brand our country in a way like a multinational brand its product successfully. If a multinational can do it for its ordinary products, why can’t it be done for a vibrant country like Pakistan! So let’s start building a ‘Branded Pakistan’.

The writer is a columnist, TV anchor and playwright and can be contacted at yasirpirzada1@gmail.com

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