Friday, September 17, 2010
MQM Convenor Dr. Imran Farooq murdered in London
INNALILAHI WA INNAELIHI RAJAUOON!
Dr Imran Farooq, a founding member of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, which later became the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was killed in London on Thursday evening. When the news broke late Thursday night, streets and roads in Karachi became deserted as people headed for their homes. Also, in their immediate reaction to the killing, leaders of various parties, including President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and the Awami National Party condemned the murder in strong terms.
Sources said on Thursday evening when Dr Imran Farooq was climbing the stairs of his flat in Mill Hill, North London, an unknown person stabbed him twice. He fell down the stairs. The assailant followed him and again stabbed him twice at the bottom of the stairs. He was shifted to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Following the confirmation of his death, all birthday celebrations of the MQM chief were cancelled.
In a late night development, senior MQM leaders assembled at Imran Farooq’s residence in Sharifabad, Federal B Area, to condole with the family. In a late night press conference at the residence of Dr Imran Farooq, his close associate Dr Farooq Sattar said the death of Dr Farooq was a great loss for the party and the MQM activists. He announced 10-day mourning on behalf of the MQM Rabita Committee. During the mourning period, MQM activities throughout the world will remain suspended. The Rabita Committee, he said, also condoled with the bereaved family. He said that the MQM chief was greatly upset over the death of Dr Imran Farooq. The place of burial of Dr Imran Farooq will be decided later. He hoped that the unidentified killer would be soon arrested.
Imran Farooq had attended the Sindh Medical College, where he was closely associated with Dr Farooq Sattar. Farooq was the secretary general of the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO). After the emergence of the MQM, he became the first convener of the party. Following the death of General Zia and the elections in 1988, Imran Farooq was elected as an MNA from Karachi. He was the parliamentary leader of the MQM in the National Assembly.
In 1992, when the military operation against the MQM started, Imran Farooq, like other party leaders, went into hiding. He was facing several cases of crimes of heinous nature. Though he remained underground, he continued to run the party. After several years, he resurfaced in London.
Dr Imran Farooq was suspended twice from the party membership in recent years. Dr Farooq’s father was also elected an MNA in 1997. Dr Imran Farooq had married some five years ago. He is survived by his wife, Shumaila Farooq, and two children. Shumaila Farooq was a Sindh MPA in 2002.
Murtaza Shah adds from London: According to initial reports, Dr Imran was returning home after a walk in a nearby park when he was repeatedly stabbed by an unidentified attacker around 11.30 pm (PST). So far, it is not clear whether it was a case of a mugging gone bad or a pre-planned assassination. The critically injured leader was rushed to a nearby hospital where he expired an hour or so later. According to another unconfirmed report coming in later, he may have been murdered by his own security guard. Dr Farooq’s parents reside in Karachi while his wife constantly shuttled between Karachi and London.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
contact on 00 44 208 905 7300
Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founder and Leader of the MQM will talk every Sunday from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm (Pakistani Time) to people over telephone, in connection to abolish feudal system from the country and to established corruption free system. After the recent speech and interview of Mr. Hussain a large number of the people from all over the country are calling at MQM international secretariat in London to express their sentiments and thoughts in front of Mr. Altaf Hussain. MQM Coordination Committee has decided that those people who want to talk Mr. Hussain about his struggle, ideology, eradication of feudal system and to establish corruption free system then they can contact on Ph 00 44 208 905 7300 every Sunday from 5. To 7 pm(Pakistan standard time). MQM Coordination Committee has requested to the workers and the people of Pakistan that they should confine their conversation with in the subject and organisational and personal matter should be informed to Coordination Committee over phone and fax
Karachi theatre lacks original ideas
The number of cinemas in Karachi can be counted on finger tips, music has been restricted to cafes but theater is slowly and gradually covering ground. True! theater artists deserve a standing ovation for their untiring efforts to save theater in times of crises however, despite the boom seen in theatre, there seems to be a lack of original ideas.
Yes! the thespians have resurfaced after a long time and I know writing a play is not a piece of cake but side by side one needs to realize that art, in any form and in any part of the world, has not progressed until or unless it was unique and original. Be it any part of the world, the true art comes from one’s soil, one’s own culture, one’s own stereotypes because only then it can be representative of one’s self.
The point is not to ridicule all those who are inspired by the Western theater and those who think that throwing in a lot of money, beautiful women and popular music creates a masterpiece, but to show them a mirror. It is to register that is this lack of original ideas really taking us anywhere or just increasing our tilt towards Hollywood classics.
Doing Western play is not a thing one should call a bad practice but it is not something to be called good either. If you talk about reviving the theater and then you stage plays like Moulin Rouge and Mamma Mia then it means you are doing two things as a result. First of all you are catering to classes and not the masses, and secondly you are not creating something that can be used to represent ‘ourselves’.
May be many believe that art is not meant for representing one’s country or background but if that is the case then the so called landlords of theater need to refrain from the overused phrase of ‘we are contributing to revival of theater in Pakistan’. In fact they should realize that they are instead leading to a ‘stagnation of theater in Karachi’.
Well, there are two kinds of thespians in this city. The lot of thespians which dream Woody Allan and think Broadway are less but more effective. The other is the lot which is still celebration Partition of Pakistan in theater, those, I mean to say, who dream Chekov and think Shakespeare, and that too in Urdu.
The adaptation savvy conservative literati of Karachi, as I call them, are still stuck on the Wagah Border and there state is similar to that of Toba Tek Singh, main character of Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story of the same name. Like Singh, they also want to go back to their home but end up in no man’s land.
There is nothing wrong, however, with translating foreign literature because it adds to our own archive and understanding of the world, but the problem is that we end on the same page where started. There is, usually, nothing unique about it.
The thespians here have done the Indian classic ‘Shakuntala’, a drama which is quiet difficult to achieve. The adaptation of a Greek tragedy in the form of Jang Ab Nahi Hogi, was a laudable effort but these rare examples.
The state of theatre in Karachi, especially the trend of adapting world classics, reminds me of the living legend Ghanshyam Jayangarkar, the pioneer of performing arts in Pakistan, who established the first performing arts academy. Mr Ghanshyam had actually sit with the chief of the then archaeology department in the 70s and excavated the dancing beauty of Mohenjodaro and hence crated the dance of Mohejodaro which is even performed today by Tehrik-e-Niswan.
The question that needs to be asked now is that who will become the next Ghanshyam? People are doing a lot of hard work, especially troupes like Tehrik-e-Niswan and Katha, but a greater responsibility is on those who are funded by the government. It is a great achievement that National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) has produced some fine plays but at the same time it is a concern that none of them were originals. We adapt because, many people in the theater industry said, we do not have academies and the government support but now when we have both of them, still there is no visible output. This should be a wake up call for all those who intend to ‘revive theater in Karachi’.
Yes! the thespians have resurfaced after a long time and I know writing a play is not a piece of cake but side by side one needs to realize that art, in any form and in any part of the world, has not progressed until or unless it was unique and original. Be it any part of the world, the true art comes from one’s soil, one’s own culture, one’s own stereotypes because only then it can be representative of one’s self.
The point is not to ridicule all those who are inspired by the Western theater and those who think that throwing in a lot of money, beautiful women and popular music creates a masterpiece, but to show them a mirror. It is to register that is this lack of original ideas really taking us anywhere or just increasing our tilt towards Hollywood classics.
Doing Western play is not a thing one should call a bad practice but it is not something to be called good either. If you talk about reviving the theater and then you stage plays like Moulin Rouge and Mamma Mia then it means you are doing two things as a result. First of all you are catering to classes and not the masses, and secondly you are not creating something that can be used to represent ‘ourselves’.
May be many believe that art is not meant for representing one’s country or background but if that is the case then the so called landlords of theater need to refrain from the overused phrase of ‘we are contributing to revival of theater in Pakistan’. In fact they should realize that they are instead leading to a ‘stagnation of theater in Karachi’.
Well, there are two kinds of thespians in this city. The lot of thespians which dream Woody Allan and think Broadway are less but more effective. The other is the lot which is still celebration Partition of Pakistan in theater, those, I mean to say, who dream Chekov and think Shakespeare, and that too in Urdu.
The adaptation savvy conservative literati of Karachi, as I call them, are still stuck on the Wagah Border and there state is similar to that of Toba Tek Singh, main character of Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story of the same name. Like Singh, they also want to go back to their home but end up in no man’s land.
There is nothing wrong, however, with translating foreign literature because it adds to our own archive and understanding of the world, but the problem is that we end on the same page where started. There is, usually, nothing unique about it.
The thespians here have done the Indian classic ‘Shakuntala’, a drama which is quiet difficult to achieve. The adaptation of a Greek tragedy in the form of Jang Ab Nahi Hogi, was a laudable effort but these rare examples.
The state of theatre in Karachi, especially the trend of adapting world classics, reminds me of the living legend Ghanshyam Jayangarkar, the pioneer of performing arts in Pakistan, who established the first performing arts academy. Mr Ghanshyam had actually sit with the chief of the then archaeology department in the 70s and excavated the dancing beauty of Mohenjodaro and hence crated the dance of Mohejodaro which is even performed today by Tehrik-e-Niswan.
The question that needs to be asked now is that who will become the next Ghanshyam? People are doing a lot of hard work, especially troupes like Tehrik-e-Niswan and Katha, but a greater responsibility is on those who are funded by the government. It is a great achievement that National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) has produced some fine plays but at the same time it is a concern that none of them were originals. We adapt because, many people in the theater industry said, we do not have academies and the government support but now when we have both of them, still there is no visible output. This should be a wake up call for all those who intend to ‘revive theater in Karachi’.
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