Author: Kashif Chaudhry

These days social media is abuzz with the weird and strange video of Helmet Wali Sarkar pir where a girl is singing a devotional song and Pir entered the hall while people are showering notes on him. The Pir then sits on a cushion like he is riding a bike amidst currency notes.

Now the reality is that it’s not a pir and it’s not some sort of devotional setting. It’s a village wedding scene where the person wearing the helmet is a groom who is just doing it differently. The people surrounding him are his relatives and friends and this is just all a drama for the social media. I know this sounds weird  but this happened in the remote Chakwal region of Punjab in Pakistan and a person from that village informed me about it. This is just a setting for the social media.

The reason why people were quick to term it is some dargah and pir or aastana or urs sort of thing because such weird things are very common in Pakistan and you often see people showering notes on such characters. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone actually copies it and start a pir khana with this helmet thing. As it already viral and famous so someone might have a bright idea of cashing it on and starting that chain of religious scam anywhere in the country.

Again education and awareness is the key here.

Thanks to rampant piracy, zero funding, zero literary agents, there isn’t much of a publishing industry in Pakistan, so it really surprises me when people talk of the Pakistani literary establishment. Umm, what exactly is this evil Establishment that has been discussed widely?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is no literary establishment in this country. It’s every person for themselves. A very small band of authors may support one another, but for the most part, Pakistan can be very very tough on an aspiring author. In this inhospitable environment, it takes a lot of guts to put one’s work out there. Criticise the writing all you like, but please don’t say that some sort of nonexistent establishment is helping certain writers along. Nothing like that exists here in Pakistan.

The elite. The bourgeois. That’s it really. You’re right that the industry doesn’t exist but Pakistan is hardly alone in the respect that writers of English fiction know each other, interact with each other at panels & parties. The existence of class creates an establishment. I feel like the question that’s really being posed is “how far does privilege get you?” But the fact that privilege *exists* and is sufficient for an elite literati is the sole contention being made.

Ofc aspiring writers have it tough. But who can deny how much tougher it is for writers who write in dialects or even Urdu? Who can deny that writers in English tend to be middle class/upper class? Who can deny that such circles tend to be…small?

Irony is that even I pirated this blog from a tweet made by Awais Khan @awaiskhanauthor and his commentors without their permission. Why did I do that? Because I could. Well on a serious note, just due to plain laziness.

First Covid vaccine in Sindh administered to Dr Tanveer Ahmed at Dow University Hospital Ojha Campus a little while ago. Pakistan’s first Covid vaccine recipient. But no story in media about who he is other than a doctor. At the very least the media should have mentioned his name. The Govt of Pakistan should itself have identified him by name as in universal practice. Laziness all around.

Variants of the virus have stirred concern that they might weaken effects of vaccines and treatments developed prior to their emergence. I am not sure if Pakistani vaccine can fight the variants. Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine remains active against South Africa variant and its effects reduced according to a recent study but the net results are yet to be seen in the third world countries like Pakistan. Corona vaccine was introduced to health workers at the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) in Islamabad, where the four Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir and the Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan also attended the main event via video link. Nurse Rizwana Yasmeen in-charge of PIMS Hospital, Javed Iqbal of DHO Office Islamabad and Fahad Mahmood of private hospital were vaccinated in NCOC.

Besides, in Karachi, the Sindh Chief Minister inaugurated the vaccination at Ojha Hospital where while talking at the function, the provincial health minister said that vaccination is a national duty but masks must be used even after vaccination. In KP, Mahmood Khan inaugurated the vaccination process and distributed shields to medical staff. The anti-corona vaccination program in Quetta was held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat where Jam Kamal inaugurated the vaccination.

In Balochistan, the first vaccine against corona was given to PMA President Dr Aftab and the second to Dr Noorullah Musa Khel. It may be recalled that on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched the Corona Vaccination Campaign. Imran Khan said that China has provided 500,000 vaccines and the vaccines are being distributed in all provinces in a transparent manner. According to the Prime Minister, first frontline workers are being vaccinated.

when a psychiatrist commits suicide then it’s a news because he is supposed to prevent people from doing so let alone doing it by himself. What’s strange about the real story of Dr Aleeza and Dr Azhar suicide in Multan is that murder also happened before suicide.

In Multan, psychologist Dr Azhar Hussain shot dead his only daughter Dr Aliza and committed suicide. Police are investigating why the expert who encouraged others to stop committing suicide was forced to take such a big step. It’s true that our society takes mental illnesses of every kind very very lightly, actually most people don’t even take it as something real but the question is that is it the case of mental illness in this case of Dr Aleeza and Dr Azhar?

I wish I could somehow ask the suicide bombers what happened to them that they ended their lives,  instead of fighting the situation and showing victory. But what exactly happened between daughter and father that he took that of an extreme measure and killed her only beautiful, young, educated and reticent daughter? Neighbours are also shocked and so are the colleagues of both.

The Fokker plane crashed in Multan on July 10, 2006. Dr. Azhar had a confirmed ticket for the flight but was lucky enough to survive the crash due to being late.
But today he committed suicide. This is destiny and these are the unalterable decisions of destiny. And on the same flight were Dr. Altaf Sahib (Psychiatrist) 
and Dr. Raja Sahib (Cardiologist), besides a whole team of a pharmaceutical company from Multan.

Some people are even doubting that it was a suicide. They are saying that it might be the double murder. An indepth investigation is in order here.

Pakistani sculptors are a rare breed as there is not much support or encouragement in the country due to some religious and social taboos. I had the opportunity to meet Fakeero, a self-taught sculptor from Tando Allahyar. Fakeero began making sculptures in mandirs, then in churches & is now being commissioned for projects across the country & internationally. He received the Pride of Performance Award this year.

Fakeero Khemoom is a Pakistani Hindu who has always been fond of sculptures. His family is famous in interior Sindh. Fakeero has crafted sculptures of people like Benazir Bhutto, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Ernesto Che Guevara, Abraham Lincoln, Guru Nanak, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Abdul Sattar Edhi, and his work is still going on as he creates more and more.

Fakeero is a gifted artiest. His work is awesome. His work is really appreciated unfortunately the artists are not given their due honor and respect in the society. I swear if I could be a sculptor, I’d be scared by them. They look so real especially the eyes. perfect !! the lady with sharp features, beautiful pendants and with half smile. That John Fitzgerald Kennedy sculpture is great too.

Below is some of his great work:

Government must ask him to teach other young people in this field.

Electric Cars in Pakistan Prices Charging Stations Info is now available as more and more car makers are making entry into Pakistani market. Electric cars are the future, there is no doubt about it and Pakistanis are always ready to try out new technologies.

Tesla in Pakistan is still a dream, but MG cars of UK owned by Chinese is all set to make debut in Pakistan. MG HS and its electric variant ZS EV will be on our roads in 2021 as a MOU has already been signed between JW Auto PARK and SAIC motor. These electric SUVs in Pakistan the HS and ZS-EV are made by Morris Garages or MG motors UK, which is now owned by Chinese car maker SAIC Motor based in Shanghai, China.

I am particularly very impressed by MG ZS -EV electric SUV in Pakistan. It has electric 44.5 KWH engine with lithium ion battery. Its transmission is automatic and its power is 141 HP. It hast he torque of 350NM and also has standard 6 airbags. ZS can travel up to 262 kilometres in a single charge. This car has heated front seats and also passengers seats are 4 way adjustable. This car comes in both fabric and leather options.

Pollution is a major problem in Pakistan and cars contribute a lot there. Pakistani cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and various others are choked and heavily polluted. Electric cars in Pakistan would solve many of these issues. Rapid urbanization and motorization in cities will further intensify these challenges of pollution but electrifying of cars would really help here. Electric cars help to reduce the issues of CO2 emissions and poor air quality.

But Pakistani government must think in advance as there are some downsides too, but they can be addressed. Hydroelectricity is a major source of renewable electricity, but hydro projects can have serious negative effects on their surrounding environment. This ultimately leaves solar energy and wind energy as the two sources of energy that give EVs the best chance of mitigating environmental damage. We must not resolve one issue and introduce another one.

People are also very much interested in BMW i3 electric car in Pakistan, which is Rs.2.00 Cr. Also the AUDI electric car price in Pakistan is Rs 1.50 Cr. . Alibaba is also not far behind. Alibaba electric car price is Rs. 10 lac. It also comes in a mini and sports versions and there are various variants of it. You need to do your own research in this regard, as there are various variables here and also availability is limited.

I firmly believe that in the long run electric cars in Pakistan would be ideal for low- and middle-income families.