PAKISTAN MONUMENT: A THEMATIC MUSEUM

MAHTAB BASHIR
Islamabad

0333 53 63 248 
mahtabbashir@gmail.com 

For more than four decades, since Islamabad first rose as the nation's beating capital in 1961, Federal Government has cradled a vision: to raise a living monument that would mirror Pakistan's soul.

Over the years, countless minds have convened, poring over blueprints of meaning, debating form and function, searching for a site worthy of the dream. This edifice was never meant to be mere stone and steel; it was destined to mirror Pakistan as a beacon of enlightenment, progress, and prosperity, a promise first whispered by the Quaid, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and immortalised in the verses of Allama Iqbal.

A three-dimensional model of the Pakistan Monument Museum

When President Gen. Pervez Musharraf laid its foundation stone in May 2004, the monument began its journey not just as a structure, but as a ceremonial anchor, a stage where the nation's spirit would meet the world's gaze.

Unlike Karachi, which houses Quaid's mausoleum, or Lahore, which features Allama Iqbal's tomb and Minar-i-Pakistan, the capital has historically lacked a central point of homage for foreign dignitaries.

Previously, visiting luminaries were taken to Shakarparian Hills for tree-planting ceremonies, a practice that had been exhausted with most global leaders. The monument's dedication to the people of Pakistan represents a democratic and non-denominational symbolism, distinguishing it from recent monument-building initiatives that featured replicas of Chaghi mountain or symbolic military hardware displays.

Countering post-9/11 misconceptions

Following the aftermath of 9/11, Pakistan confronted numerous challenges, including unfounded allegations of supporting Taliban forces in Afghanistan and maintaining links with Al-Qaeda networks. Pakistan successfully justified its position as a frontline ally in combating terrorism alongside the United States.

The National Memorial Museum capitalises on this context by highlighting the country's soft image and refuting baseless allegations of Pakistan being labelled a rogue state. Furthermore, the memorial addresses the essential need to promote Pakistan's art and culture, an emphasis that is both timely and well-deserved.

The selection of an iconic design

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf made the long-awaited decision to construct the Pakistan Monument with a clear concept and design, tasking the Ministry of Culture with planning and execution.

After considerable preparatory work spanning one year, the Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) organised a National Competition to transform the theme of strength, unity, and dedication into an icon representing an independent and free nation.

From twenty submitted designs, a jury of experienced architects selected three shortlisted proposals for presidential review. The design by Arif Masoud emerged victorious, earning him a cash prize of Rs.200,000.

Monument's symbolic architecture

The Pakistan Monument comprises four blossoming flower petals representing the people of Pakistan standing united, shoulder to shoulder, shielding the crescent and star beneath them. The design concept embodies simplicity and strength, conveying the vision of safeguarding the motherland. The inner walls of the petals will feature decorative murals and artwork.

A metallic crescent will bear inscriptions of Quaid-i-Azam's sayings and Allama Iqbal's poetry. The shining star at the centre will be surrounded by a water body with submerged lights, creating a stunning visual display especially at night when the entire monument is illuminated. The surrounding spaces will be connected through a garden walk interspersed with beautiful plants.

The appointment of Dr. Uxi Mufti

Selecting the right person to execute this mega project, ensuring both picture-perfect finish and timely completion, proved a nerve-wracking decision for the President.

Despite intense competition among government officials, President Musharraf ultimately chose Uxi Mufti, who distinguished himself through his steep commitment, devotion, and loyalty to his country. Mufti had to navigate bureaucratic resistance, but his actions consistently promoted Pakistan's art and culture more effectively than mere words from others.

Dr. Mufti, a connoisseur of art, literature, and folklore, was entrusted with overseeing all aspects of the National Memorial Museum. His innovative and creative concept-plan for the monument surpassed all competitors, demonstrating his novel perception and inventive ideas.

Uxi Mufti founded Lok Virsa in 1974 and served as its first director, playing a leading role in its activities since then. He has been remarkably successful in preserving, utilising, and publicising Pakistan's folk traditions both domestically and internationally.

As Creative Director, he organised the First International Artisans-at-Work Festival under UNESCO in 1994 with 70 participating countries, the Festival of D-8 Countries in 1997, and the International Silk Route Festival in 2000 and 2002.

Mufti serves as Vice President of the World Crafts Council and has contributed as Creative Consultant for the Baltit Heritage Fort Museum in Hunza for the Agha Khan Foundation. He also served as UNESCO Cultural Consultant to the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan for MANAS 1000 Celebrations, becoming a recognised leader in folk and cultural preservation across Islamic countries of Central Asia.

Dr. Mufti has received the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance and the 17th Asian-Pacific International Culture and Arts Fukuoka Award 2006 from Japan, making him only the second Pakistani after Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to receive this prestigious honour.

Recently, he was also decorated with Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

Shakarparian hills site

The high ground at the west viewpoint of Shakarparian Hills was selected by a deputed team for this memorial. The seven-acre (2.8 hectares) site stands approximately one hundred feet (30 metres) above Zero Point, offering ideal location, accessibility, visibility, and prominence.

The monument will be visible from all vantage points of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Architectural integration and distinct identity

Located opposite the monument's main plaza, the National Memorial Museum is designed so its architectural form and height do not overshadow the memorial's main structure.

The museum's theme revolves around Pakistan's creation and development, distinguishing it from other nearby museums, including the Heritage and Natural History Museums. Given that a National Art Gallery, National Archaeological Museum, Museum of Natural History, and an Ethnological Museum exist within one kilometre, this museum must neither duplicate nor overlap, hence its unique identity.

Exhibition themes and galleries

The museum will house exhibits highlighting Allama Iqbal's Concept of a Muslim State in South Asia, Quaid-i-Azam's efforts and struggle for Pakistan's independence, and Pakistan's current status as a forward-looking developing state.

The exhibits, coupled with audio-visual effects, aim to create serenity and deep love for the nation.

A dedicated gallery honours the partnership of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the philosopher's stone and Occum's razor, who together provided the Islamic vision and the accomplishment to materialise Pakistan into reality.

History and continuity section

This section portrays how Arab conquest and successive migrations from Central Asia deeply impacted the ancient Vedic civilisation of the Indus Valley, ultimately leading Muslims to emerge as a distinct cultural pattern and people.

Impact of Islam Section

This gallery demonstrates how Islam improved and built upon a land chosen as the cradle of civilisation, contributing to and enriching the great tradition of the Indus Valley Civilisation.

It reflects how Islam forms daily rituals and sentiments, serving as a moralising force promoting peace, moderation, unity, tolerance, respect for others, and universal brotherhood.

Population and habitat section

This section depicts diverse abodes, habitat, languages, populations, communication, and Urdu's role as Pakistan's national language.

Oral tradition and literacy section

Portraying folklore and old traditions passed through generations, this section highlights that the average rural Pakistani may be unlettered but not illiterate, possessing a 5,000-year-old culture, tradition, and collective intelligence.

Contemporary issues gallery

Addressing socio-cultural criticism including gender bias, honour killing, civil liberties, child labour, fanaticism, poverty, fundamentalism, ethnicism, illiteracy, human rights, democracy, and freedom, this gallery presents Pakistan's standpoint positively and without controversy, highlighting major development and economic achievements.

Science and technology section

This sector showcases major advancements in industrial, nuclear, and defence technology, education, discovery, and invention.

National heroes gallery

Portraying Pakistani heroes' achievements across defence, culture, sports, science, education, and technology.

Future vision and aspirations section

A multi-screen, multi-image show entitled "The Land of Many Splendours" concludes the museum visit, inspiring and motivating all visitors.

Construction progress and inauguration

The National Memorial Museum's construction commenced after the Earth Breaking Ceremony by the President on 25th May 2004.

While the memorial building construction is complete, the décor and creative work continues. The monument is scheduled for inauguration by President Musharraf in March 2007.

A vision for national identity

Under Dr. Uxi Mufti's out-of-box thinking, the museum promises something for everyone, attracting not only locals but also overseas visitors who will grasp Pakistan's true and factual soft image.

Preserving the region’s ancient wisdom and vibrant cultural heritage for posterity is an imperative duty. The National Memorial Museum serves as a vital instrument to counteract the prevailing misperceptions about Pakistan by showcasing its profound socio-cultural fabric.

The contemporary challenges of extremism are fundamentally rooted in societal stigmas and taboos; addressing these issues requires a concerted effort to strengthen the nation’s cultural foundation.

Ultimately, this Memorial will resurrect fading traditions and reaffirm Pakistan’s authentic identity, one defined by its intrinsic ethics, modern outlook, and pragmatic spirit.

Published in VISTA magazine of daily THE POST on 24th September, 2006

A HELMET: For a sake of life or for a sake of revenue?

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

Assalamu Alaikum… Wa-Alaikumus-Salam…I am halted. Can I see your driving license or registration documents? Yes sir .. please sure, you can. I put my hand in rare pocket of my trousers, takes out my wallet with a bit of fiddling with my eyes costantly glazing on the hands of that man in a faded uniform. He takes few steps backward, opens up the box attached to rare seat of his bike and joins me again with a small note-book in his hand. I handed over my driving license to him and he starts writing. Why don't you use safety helmet? He breaks the silense. Well… I am in drastically hurry to touch my office that I left off my home. Also its quite warm out here. Moreover, I have had a skin allergy that lessens my love to wear the helmet. Last but not least, I have never felt comfortable watching swift movment of vehicles around me under the helmet. I tries to make as many excuses as I can in a single breath with innocense at my extreme. While I finishes off my words, he finishes off writings on a paper and passes on those pages of traffic violation ticket to me. Thus, those three pages make my all excuses invalid. It is the proceeding of an interaction between me and a traffic constable.

It is just for your safety, my brother. Next time, please wear it. Now the constable wants to get rid of me. But What if I say I don't want to live? Do you think, my life is precious? Do u think, there's only one thing in this country that can save my life is … with the name of helmet? I mean I want law and order, I want poverty reduction, I want employment, I want to live my life with smooth flow of my bike on the roads, Can u help me in such regard? What if I die under the helmet with a lot of stress and strain inside me? Can wearing this helmet justifiably save my life? I put a lot of questions in the mind of that cop, but I thought he is ignoring me and soon I find him standing along another bike with two youngsters riding without hemlet. Now I left that spot with a lot many thoughts still lingering in my mind.

Back to a wider avenue of Islamabad, I am again on my bike with breeze blowing across. My thoughts start drifting again to that cop, Can he help me? No he can not, he is unable to help me? He is not in an authority. He is an employee who is just earning not to allow his spirit get out of his body and he is not doing it for himself but for other family members. Who knows, he himself dislikes it. But he is doing it on a voice of his master, in other words, his boss.

The safety helmet, no doubt is supposed to be helpful in untowered moment of a bike-rider. But I don't have an element of respect to those who implimented this law just in capital city, Islamabad. I'm a frequent traveller of twin cities, and everytime I find out there's no restrictions of riding bike with helmet must on, in Rawalpindi. Is it because, Rawalpindites life is worthless and Islamabdites life has a lot of value? A sane person replies promptly, not at all. Then why? The one of tragedy with us is …. no implimentation of laws but our implimented laws with full of disperity and flaws?

I've seen quite ridiclously designed helmet that are not at all be helpful in any tragic moment, God forbids. Many of helmet users are not using it for the sake of their life but to avoid getting a 100 Rs traffic violation ticket under clause 27 of riding a bike without wearing a safety helmet. Last week I saw a motorist wearing a home-made helmet of kitchen utensils. There are so many who are using viser especially designed for site-engineerrs made up of all fragile plastic. Few helmets are just the size of P-caps.

Now I feel that, this restriction of wearing helmet in any case is not to save the life of every individual who is under the helmet, but to generate revenue from those, who are not using it. The one hundred Rs. note goes to government revenue, Rs 10/ challan ticket for a bank and a nominal commission per traffic violation pocketed by a cop. And miseries from holding that ticket to a long queue in banks to long distant zone offices, from where a poor man recollects his documents is not a one day's tale. So to me, a common man's life has never been valued in this land of pure.

There are so many innocent lives terminated in different parts of this country in recent years. The Jamia Hafsa issue, the east & south Waziristan agencies, and in Balochitan, there are millions of people mercilessly killed by our own security forces. Then why government is taking "so much care" of an individual who wants to terminate his life himself without using helmet? Let him die too. I don’t want to live my life under helmet with a lot of desolations.

There are so many big issues that speaks volume for the plight of common mass. Today the common man is distressed due to prevailing political mayhem and uncontrolled inflation. The only solution to this ongoing turmoil is that political actors should work in harmony and respect the constitution in its spirit, so that country should leap forward towards a more participatory and pluralist political system sans President Musharruf.

Back to helmet culture, Just want to wrap up here with a tiny suggestion to concerned authrities, "take care of big issues and small issues would take care of itself.

Published in daily The Frontier Post on 30th March, 2008

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD.
Cell: 0300 52 56 875

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

AAMIR CHEEMA: A man of virtue

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

A flood of people from all shades of life were present when the dead body of the martyred Aamir Cheema touched the land of his ancestral town Saroki, a tiny village of Wazirabad, 90 miles north west of Lahore city, on Saturday 13th of May, 2006. There was a tough deal of dispute over the funeral prayers of the Shaheed as everyone aspired to clinch the honors. Ultimately, Aamir's father was chosen to lead to end the raging dispute. Thousands of persons overwhelmingly attended the final rites of the martyred despite blistering heat soaring over 50 degree Celsius.

Aamir Abdur Rahman Cheema, 28, was a Ph.D student arrested by the Berlin police between 20th and 22nd March after being accused of making as assassination attempt (armed with a dagger) to chief editor of Dowplait, in the office of Axel Springer. The newspaper was one of the several papers in Europe that reprinted the blasphemous caricatures of the Muslim's Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) in a show of support for freedom of expression after their 1st publication in a Danish newspaper. The reprinting touched off even more outrage in Islamic World and in particular Pakistan, where thousands of people thronged out of streets in violent protests.

Ghazi Cheema Shaheed, the only brother of his three sisters was an engineer by vocation who had left his country for Germany for higher studies in Nov 2004 and paid his last visit to Pakistan in Oct 2005 found dead in his cell while awaiting trail for an alleged assault. His father, Nazeer Cheema claimed that his son, who had been held for six weeks awaiting a court appearance, was tortured to death. Cheema's family members also declined the fact that he had committed suicide. On the other side, German police said, Cheema hanged himself in his Berlin Cell on 3rd of May using a noose made from his clothes. However, the death of youth is still a mystery to be resolved.

German authorities' extended half-hearted cooperation with Pakistani investigators and denied access to vital evidence when the latter visited Berlin earlier of the month of May to verify the causes of Aamir's death. Additional Director General FIA Tariq khosa told the senate committee few days back that Cheema's hands were tied and the main vein of his heart was cut off, which clearly indicated that the Pakistani national was murdered. It is a case of murder, an FIR against German police should be registered in Pakistan and Interpol help be sought for repatriation of the accused, majority of people expressed.

Aamir's father, Nazeer Cheema and his family members refused to accept "the fabricated suicidal killing". According to his parents, Aamir was a devout Muslim, committed to his religious beliefs and tenets and thus it was beyond his mind to terminate his life in a prohibited way of Islam. According to Aamir's maternal uncle and father of the victim, he has a passion towards Jihad and martyrdom. If he had contemplated suicide, why would he delay so long? Is German police ended up his life by subjecting him to inhuman torture during interrogation? Cheema's father narrated that his son was not produced before the court even after 90 days of his arrest. Therefore, there was no logic of keeping him under arrest without any charges. His initial hearing was due in next four days which would have exposed German police's torture, hence he was killed, he further said. The German police never allowed any single person to view the dead body.

Cheems's death elicited a strong note of protests from students, political and religious parties and Ulema back in home and a strong voice had been approved by the parliament, demanding a complete enquiry and severe punishment for those responsible. Taking stock of the whole scenario, no brain points towards the possibility of a self-killing. However, despite a robust protest by a parliament and public circles, the government of Pakistan lodged no official protest against a country known for propagating its adherence to tenets of law, justice and "human rights". The issue clearly highlighted the obvious weakness of under-developed state that has no ethical, moral or physical courage to even demand or protest such an "isolated" case involving with advanced or developed nation.

The most distressing thing about all was the indifferent and casual attitude shown by the government of Pakistan, particularly the foreign office towards the inhuman killing of Amir Cheema. The Pakistani embassy and foreign office remained aloof and shown no interest in his release neither in pursuing this case. Pakistan consulate came to know about issue on 18th April, right at the time when this case was raise in the parliament. It was only then that the matter was formally taken up with the German officials. The German police claimed that Aamir committed suicide on 3rd May, 2006 at 0800 hrs. German police and justice ministry officials informed that he hanged himself.

People across the country lambasted the attitude of the government and protested over its tactics to downplay Aamir's burial ceremony. The establishment forcibly brought dead body to Sroki, while Aamir had already wished to be buried at Jannat-ul-Baqeeh. Shaheed's family and in particular his father was being hurled with tears every now or then. Aamir's family wanted his burial in Rawalpindi as a second option, if not in Saudi Arabia but it was made impossible due to sheer pressure of some officials from Pakistan. People also expressed their anger vexation over the fact that government had tried to keep the funeral time secret and also restrained thousand of people to attend the funeral prayers. The murder of Aamir Cheema has also exposed the dual standards of western world that makes a lot of hue and cry about its commitment to human rights, religious harmony and freedom of expression. However, they kept on bulldozing and rectifying the rights of others, especially of banana republics. All such clamoring is a futile bid to hide partiality and prejudice rampant in a so called "secular" west.

The government of Pakistan should focus in improving the working of its consulates, embassies and high commissions to make them unable in playing a conducive role to protect the rights and ensuring the security and welfare of its expatriates. It is a bitter reality in knowing that, most of Pakistani diplomats never get in touch with their country mates abroad and therefore are almost oblivion to their hardships. On special festivals and national days, selective gathering of elites gathered around the diplomats. Such 'muddles' need to be critically sorted out; otherwise these appalling occurrences would continue to crop up.

Aamir Cheema laid his life not for personal vendetta but rather fell martyr while avenging the blasphemy, committed against the Holy Prophet (pbuh). His actions were sufficient enough to teach the entire World a lesson about the prevalent courage and reverence of the Muslims for the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Aamir truly is a successor of Ghazi Ilmud-Din Shaheed, who was sentenced to death by the English court for murdering a blasphemous Hindu, Rajpal during a British Raj. Aamir Cheema proved to this world that not just a bearded (normally confused with fanatics) but educated Muslims like him can do anything for the love and passion of the Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). Aamir is a son of this nation, who made all of us swollen with pride, no matter government has not realized the importance of this sacrifice. Aaamir Cheema is undoubtedly, a martyred (shaheed) who sacrificed his life for a cause without fearing against the wrath of super-powers. He will remain alive in our hearts forever, he is still alive but government of Pakistan is not aware of it and it never will be.

Published in The Frontier Post on 4th June, 2006 & The Post on 1st July, 2006.

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

Lok Virsa: Striving for cultural resurgence

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
ISLAMABAD
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

The preservation and promotion of the traditional culture, folklore and folk arts are instrumental in strengthening a nation’s identity. Pakistan, like most other developing countries of Asia and Africa, is in a transitional phase. In addition to being faced with the challenge of preserving its cultural heritage, Pakistan has to meet the needs of a nation in the modern industrial world. Tradition and change should go together. These are like two wheels of a carriage that must move in unison for advancement. No nation can afford to progress in science and technology at the cost of its culture.

Lok Virsa, also known as the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, was established in 1974 for research, collection, documentation, preservation and dissemination of Pakistan’s folklore, oral traditions and regional culture. Within the span of a few years, Lok Virsa has grown from a fledgling endeavour to a full-fledged initiative, whose projects and activities span the entire country.

Over the past centuries, an urban monopoly on art and culture overshadowing the regional and rural tradition, along with an enormous cultural influx from the West, has led to a slow and gradual severance from the roots of indigenous culture. As a result, Lok Virsa was established as the much-needed platform to systematically preserve and strengthen a fading identity. This does not imply holding back progress or turning back the wheels of time, but merely to institute protective measures against the disruption of our own being.

With the advent of modern mass society and an age of cultural diffusion and invasion from the technologically advanced nations, the traditional customs, beliefs, arts and crafts are being rapidly obliterated. The process is almost like a hurricane sweeping down on us. In the absence of adequate protections, it is likely to completely wash away our cultural heritage.

The rediscovery of Pakistan’s historical tradition and its integration with modern elements require extensive knowledge of the roots of this heterogeneous culture. Scientific research and collection of data is necessary for every project that Lok Virsa undertakes. Film footage, field surveys, magnetic recordings, phonographs, researches, dissertations, original monographs, ethnological artifacts, rare manuscripts and microfiche are all stored in Lok Virsa’s central archives for reference and research. Verbal legends and songs, folk romances and tales, children’s games and rhymes, beliefs and rituals, traditional festivals and celebrations, sayings of sages and age-old customs, which express the true genius of the people of Pakistan, are the subject of Lok Virsa’s investigations.

Lok Virsa has focused on documenting Pakistani folklore because it represents things inherited as against things acquired. It is significant because our own awareness and national consciousness must precede everything else. To do this, Lok Virsa conducts cultural surveys in villages, towns and districts of Pakistan. Mobile recordings and filming units have been set up for active field research, documentation and collection of the material and the ideological components of our indigenous traditions. Lok Virsa initiates measures to identify and categorize individuals or groups of notable masters and practitioners of traditional arts and skills to ensure ways and means of their continuance by providing suitable incentives.

In modern times, arts are becoming an industry, and no longer an individual act. A developing country like Pakistan is at the consumer’s end. We are compelled to import art products like films, books, magazines, videos and audiotapes. The result is rapid transplantation of alien art forms, to the detriment of our own cultural traditions. Lok Virsa, in cognizance of the situation, aims to strengthen the national art industry for the propagation of Pakistani art forms. Lok Virsa is an affiliate member of UNESCO, the World Crafts Council, International Council of Music, the Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO, the International Council of Museums and similar other world organizations for the dissemination of art products abroad.

The Museum has grown from a small sub-section in 1974 into an integral division of Lok Virsa since 1981. The museum galleries house a rare collection of folk arts and ethnological artifacts, each of which has been chosen by an expert as a prime example of a unique artisanship and its features. The displays are imaginatively arranged and keep changing during a year to accommodate new additions. Since the museum documents living arts, it calls upon all artisans to bring their crafts annually to the artisan festival. This festival is held each year in the month of October at the museum complex in Islamabad. Over 100,000 eager participants come to the festival. Lok Virsa supports the craftsmen by giving cash awards to them and recognizing them as living national treasures. The festival also features folk entertainments, puppet shows, folk dance, music concerts and an exotic craft bazaar.

It would not be unjust to call Lok Virsa the cultural storehouse of literature pertaining to Pakistani traditions. Original search works in all regional languages of Pakistan along with Urdu renderings of the regional text are published. Patronage has expanded from scholars to the general public, as the centre now publishes two books a month. Over a hundred books have been produced by the centre in a series, including Folk Songs, Folk Tales, Folk Romance, Epics, Folk entertainments, Folk Poetry, Sufi Poetry, Cultural Information, Cultural Gazetteers and Surveys, Folk Classics, Oral Traditions and Rare Reprints.

The publishing house aims to make regional folk literature available in the national language to promote greater understanding and closer fraternity amongst Pakistanis and to make cultural literature available to schools, colleges and universities and social scientists. Many a Lok Virsa publication is prescribed as part of the course of study in major universities at home and abroad. A number of publications from Lok Virsa publishing house are national award winners. The centre also publishes professional quality recordings on video and audiocassettes for storage, reference, and projection of our authentic musical heritage. Lok Virsa is already the largest folk music publisher in Pakistan.

Lok Virsa since its inception in 1974 has placed great emphasis on audiovisual documentation of rituals, customs, festivals and traditions that are dying out. A professional video studio has been established by the centre at Islamabad. The well-equipped mobile units of the centre can reach any part of the country to capture an event and yield a quality production. Whether enjoying a musical journey through Pakistan via the ABU prizewinner The Circarama Box or being immersed in a fascinating study of the ancient civilization of Moenjodaro, the sound-slide kits produced by the centre are a pleasure to experience. These inexpensive and creative educational kits consist of slides synchronized to a sound track with a booklet as background material. The educational institutions are offered free screenings. The media centre also offers professional documentaries and video programmes to television networks, universities, and other institutions for home consumption on rental as well as on sale.

Lok Virsa follows a policy of involving all talented Pakistanis in the implementation of its policies and programmes. Lok Virsa is the only institution offering grants for cultural research to scholars and students, particularly from remote areas.

Many existing facilities of Lok Virsa such as the Heritage Museum, Heritage Library, Sound Archives, Research and Publishing Centre and Virsa Media Centre are all educational facilities based on the interest of students and researchers. Lok Virsa has been provided a new mandate under the new charter that requires the institution to develop a new vision and vistas in broadening its horizon. These new areas principally include socio-cultural education, training, workshops, culture industry, broadcasting, telecasting, NGOs and community services. Lok Virsa under the leadership of Mr. Uxi Mufti, Executive Director of Lok Virsa, along with sheer commitment of Mr. Anwaar-ul-Haq, Programme Executive, and other team professionals must strive harder to distinguish itself in these new areas as a viable self-support organization.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Islamabad

Published in dilay DAWN on 23rd June, 2006 & in The Post on 25th of June, 2006


MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR

ISLAMABAD

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

HAYATULLAH KHAN: A replica of Daniel Pearl

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
Islamabad
mahtabbashir@yahoo.com

The callous murder of Hayatullah Khan in the village of Mirali in the restive North Waziristan tribal region on June 16, under suspicious circumstances heralded that the press in Pakistan can never flourish under the umbrella of government institutions, as we are the most obedient slaves of the superpower.

Hayatullah Khan Dawar, aged 30, a tribal journalist and a father of four was shot dead and his body was found lying in the mountains near Khesor Village, seven kilometres south of Mirali. He looked pale, had lost a lot of weight and grown a beard while in captivity. He was clad in the same brown clothes he had on the day he went missing. He was handcuffed and had received five gunshots. It appeared as if he was shot from behind while attempting to escape. However, the body of the deceased bore no torture marks.

Hayatullah, who worked for the Urdu national daily Ausaaf, English daily The Nation and as a photographer for the European Press Photo Agency (EPA), was abducted from the main Mirali-Bannu road on December 5, last year. There were five abductors, all masked and bearded, armed with AK-47 assault rifles. The courageous journalist was on his way to cover a student’s demonstration against the US missile attack in Esorhi village on December 1, 2005.

It was the detention of his father by the political authorities in 1992 that prompted the young man to become a journalist and expose excesses and injustices. He kicked off his career as a journalist soon after doing his first term in MSc. Economics from the Government Degree College of Bannu in 1998.I

In 2001, Hayatullah had a brush with the US forces when he was arrested in southeastern Paktika area of Afghanistan by the US forces, mistaking him for a secretary to the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omer. He was detained at the Bagram air base for two months and questioned about the whereabouts of Taliban’s elusive one-eyed leader.

Hayatullah’s address book contained many telephone numbers of religious leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan, whom he had interviewed in the course of his journalistic career. This was later on taken as evidence of his contacts with terrorists and involvement in terrorist activities. These contacts ultimately resulted in giving him the death penalty.

Hayatullah is not the first media person who was executed under mysterious circumstances in the volatile tribal region, in a period less than two years. Two journalists, Aamir Nawab Wazir and Allah Noor Wazir were gunned down and Anwar Shakir was critically injured in February 2005 in the neighbouring South Waziristan Agency.

According to Hayatullah’s brother, Ehsanullah, his brother was first threatened on November 17, 2005, prompting him to rush to Islamabad to inform one of his intimate friends Hamid Mir. Hayatullah meanwhile was offered three choices, i.e. either leave the agency or stop reporting at this place; or accept the position of a naib muharrar (head clerk) in the political administrative wing.

Hayatullah’s brother also said that he and his family members had been assured time and again that Hayatullah was alive and well, and had been detained on matters relating to national security. Everyone knew all along which agency had held him. There is not even an iota of doubt in our minds, claimed the 21 year old Ehsanullah. He blamed an intelligence agency for this murder and vowed to avenge his brother’s death.

The family of the martyr suspected that he had been kidnapped by an intelligence agency after he first released the pictures of parts of the US missiles that had killed the senior al Qaeda operative Hamza Rabia in North Waziristan on December 1. It also came through some sources that Hayatullah had been relocated to the US as a reward for pinpointing Rabia’s hideout. On May 10, the US consulate in Peshawar circulated a statement denying any knowledge regarding Hayatullah’s whereabouts.

Hayatullah’s disappearance and his assassination later on had been a subject of discussion and speculation for a long time. It sparked protests and demonstrations by journalists in Peshawar and prompted international organizations, including Reporters Sans Frontieres and Committee for the Protection of Journalists, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to issue statements urging Islamabad to secure his release. However, strong speculations haunted many that Hayatullah might have been detained by the Pakistani intelligence agencies operating in the same region.

“This is not the Taliban style of execution because they dispose of cases of suspected informers and pro government agents in a few days,” Ehsanullah revealed.The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation also condemned this brazen murder. Both organizations in a joint statement appealed to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the kidnapping and murder of Hayatullah Khan and appoint a judicial inquiry commission.

Locals say it is a mystery who had kidnapped and killed Hayatullah. Both the militants and the authorities denied knowledge of his whereabouts during the six months period that he was missing. However, the local tribal journalists’ organizations blamed the government for Hayatullah’s death because it failed to rescue him.

Hayatullah Khan was abducted just after he reported the killing of a five-year-old child and an 18-year-old college student in the US missile strike. Hayatullah took photographs of what appeared to be pieces of the US missiles at the scene. The photographs were printed in an Islamabad based Urdu paper he was working for.

Many days earlier, the Pakistani authorities had announced the death of Abu Hamza Rabia with four others in a blast at an alleged militant hideout in North Waziristan. The official version was that bomb-making materials had accidentally exploded but the locals said that it happened due to a US military assault. Hayatullah’s reports and photographs had exposed the official version.

The opposition members raised their voices in the Assembly after Hayatullah was kidnapped, but the government did not take any notice of this issue. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed of the Islamic alliance MMA claimed in a rally that the government has shown criminal silence over the kidnapping of the journalist.

Mehrun Nisa, the widow of Hayatullah, also alleged that the government is behind the murder of her spouse. The Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao denied the government’s involvement in the whole brutal affair.

Hayatullah, the lanky fellow, was dedicated to his profession. He was a hardworking journalist, especially with regards to activities in the Pak-Afghan border areas and taking chances in gleaning exact information was his distinction. A gallant journalist lost his life in the line of duty. Hayatullah was a determined man with unflinching attitude. He had been in nasty situations before as well and used to shrug off torture and threats. This courageous attitude made him popular in journalist circles.

Hayatullah will always be remembered for his valorous contributions. He is a martyr and hero in the estimation of the people, and especially for the younger generation of the same profession. His death raises a pertinent question: is the media of this country autonomous?The cold-blooded murder of Hayatullah Khan was indeed a brazen act, which needs to be thoroughly investigated, independent of the government. Otherwise its claims of freedom of press will remain nothing more than a rattling sound. It was not only the murder of Hayatullah, it is the murder of media freedom.

Published in The Post on 22nd July, 2006 & in The Frontier Post on 18 july, 2006

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR

ISLAMABAD

mahtabbashir@gmail.com

LOK VIRSA: FROM FOLK HERITAGE TO A NATIONAL CULTURAL INSTITUTION

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
Islamabad

0333 53 63 248 
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, popularly known as Lok Virsa, was established in 1974 as Pakistan’s premier institution for the preservation, documentation and promotion of the country’s rich folk and traditional heritage.

Conceived under the vision of renowned folklorist Uxi Mufti, who played a leading role in its establishment, Lok Virsa was created to undertake field research, collect and document folklore, preserve oral traditions, conduct cultural studies and promote Pakistan’s diverse indigenous heritage.

Over the years, Lok Virsa has evolved into a multidisciplinary cultural institution with a broad national mandate. To strengthen its legal status, expand its scope of work and enable it to generate resources beyond government grants, the institution was granted autonomous status through an ordinance promulgated by the President on September 17, 2002.

One of Lok Virsa’s landmark achievements has been the establishment of Pakistan’s first Heritage (Ethnological) Museum, which presents the country's cultural diversity through life-sized dioramas, traditional crafts, architecture, music and folk traditions.

At its inauguration, the President directed that the museum should be fully utilised by students and research scholars to deepen their understanding of Pakistan’s cultural heritage. In response, Lok Virsa developed plans to transform the museum from a static exhibition space into a vibrant educational and research facility.

Within a decade of its establishment, Lok Virsa grew from a modest folklore initiative into a comprehensive cultural complex representing the traditions of all regions of Pakistan.

To further strengthen its educational role, the institution launched a three-year Museum Educational Programme and Expansion of Public Facilities Plan aimed at enhancing research opportunities and public engagement.

Under its educational outreach programme, the Heritage Museum collaborates with leading universities and higher education institutions, including Fatima Jinnah Women University, Quaid-i-Azam University, the University of the Punjab, Bahauddin Zakariya University, the University of Peshawar, the International Islamic University and the National College of Arts.

The programme supports students pursuing MSc and MPhil degrees by facilitating field research and providing financial assistance for studies in remote areas of the country.

Lok Virsa also operates an Annual Skilled Training Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and its affiliated organisations. 

The initiative invites master artisans and recipients of the President’s Pride of Performance Award to conduct workshops, ensuring that traditional crafts and indigenous skills are passed on to younger generations.

To promote Pakistan’s handicrafts and support artisans economically, the institution organises an annual 10-day Artisans-at-Work and Craft Bazaar. The event provides master craftsmen from across the country with an opportunity to demonstrate and sell their work directly to the public without the involvement of middlemen.

Besides preserving traditional craftsmanship, the festival contributes to Lok Virsa’s efforts to develop sustainable revenue streams through cultural activities and public participation.

As part of its international outreach, Lok Virsa also facilitates collaboration with foreign scholars by inviting researchers from leading universities around the world to undertake original studies on Pakistan’s culture and society. The initiative promotes academic exchange while projecting a positive image of Pakistan’s cultural heritage internationally.

The Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology, established as an extension of Lok Virsa’s existing facilities, remains one of the institution’s flagship projects. Developed under the guidance of Uxi Mufti, then Executive Director of Lok Virsa, with the support of a dedicated team of professionals, the museum has become a major cultural landmark in Islamabad.

Today, Lok Virsa continues to serve as Pakistan’s foremost institution for safeguarding, researching and promoting the country's tangible and intangible cultural heritage while combining conservation, education, research and public engagement under one umbrella.

Published in Daily The Post on 6th Feb, 2006

Muhammad Hanif Ramay – A MAN OF MASSES

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR
Islamabad
mahtabbashir@gmail.com

The year 2006 begins on the sad note of the demise of a renowned politician and connoisseur of art and literature, Muhammad Hanif Ramay (1930-2006). He was a man of multi-faceted talents. His presence illuminated our minds and spirits, as his formal and informal conversations impressed and influenced people from every sphere of life.

Hanif Ramay was an accomplished calligraphic artist and painter. He was the first to employ the techniques of modern art in Islamic calligraphy to promote the ideology of Islamic socialism on this soil. His artwork fusing Eastern and Western aesthetics gave calligraphy a new dimension. He was an exception in the field of calligraphy, amalgamating abstract with Muslim art; he created a diction of his own that was subtle and legible even to an ordinary person. Ramay was inspired by the works of Abdul Rahman Chughtai and Master Allah Bux and created some masterpieces. He brought colour to calligraphy. However, he was involved in so many other activities that he was never able to market himself as a writer and artist. His painting, “Adam and Eve” was appreciated by everyone who knows something of what art is all about. Ramay’s work indeed was of high calibre and of admirable quality.

In his last years, Hanif suffered from back problems and kept away from active politics. However he went back to his real passion of writing and painting. He calligraphed Allah’s and Muhammad’s (PBUH) 99 names in his own unique style. Along with this came one of the best pieces of prose I’ve read in my lifetime so far: Islam ki Ruhani Kadrain -- Zindagi nahi Maut (The Spiritual Values of Islam — Life, not Death), in which he pointed out how today’s Muslim is in a state of dilemma over maintaining a balance between the first and second part of his life. His contributions in the domain of politics as a former Chief Minister of Punjab are worth mentioning too. He authored a book, Punjab Ka Muqaddama, which propagated the cause of the province and thus produced massive controversy among the people at that time. His emotional dedication to the interests of Punjab many years later culminated in this book in the mid-1980s in the aftermath of a violent political movement in Sindh. Punjab Ka Muqaddama argued the thesis that the bureaucracy at the Centre, and not Punjab, was responsible for depriving the smaller provinces of their due rights.

As Chief Minister of Punjab, he also founded Arts Councils in all the major cities of the province, which exist to date to promote and preserve the arts and culture of the country. He removed innumerable bureaucratic hurdles in building the Alhamra Arts Complex. It was his final wish to be buried in the premises of the same complex, but this was tragically turned down by the Punjab government.

Ramay’s independent and unprecedented theories on how to progress as a nation still impress everyone. However, he could not balance his conflicting interests and was forced out of office by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He then joined Mustafa Khar and tried to form a new political party, but eventually joined the faction of Pakistan Muslim League led by Pir Pagara. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto threw Ramay into one of the cells of the Lahore Fort and a tribunal sentenced him to four and half years imprisonment.

When General Zia came to power, the Lahore High Court released Mr. Ramay, who then went away to the US and stayed there to teach at the University of California, Berkeley for more than six years. On his return to Pakistan, he again tried to jump into his old field of politics. This time he managed to form a new political party named Musawaat, with the slogan of ‘Rub, Roti aur Lok Raj’. But this did not take off and so he merged it with a new party led by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, called National People’s Party, but left it soon after. In the 1990s, when Benazir Bhutto came into politics, Ramay returned to the Pakistan People’s Party. Benazir Bhutto welcomed this and elevated him to the coveted position of Speaker of the Punjab Assembly in 1993.

Muhammad Hanif Ramay was amongst the few intellectuals who led the movement of enlightened Islam into the 1960s and was the first gentleman from the lower/middle class to become an elected Chief Minister Punjab. He was a prominent proponent of modernist Islam and his work influenced a whole generation in a decade spanning the 1950s and 1960s. The journal Nusrat was a harbinger of his thoughts and feelings. The literary community was then broadly divided into two wings, progressive (Leftist) and Islamists (Rightist). Ramay joined Muhammad Hassan Askari, Intezar Hussain, Salim Ahmad and Nasir Kazmi’s school of thought to express his ideas on the promotion of Pakistan’s identity and ideology. He, without an iota of doubt, was a man who played a pivotal role as a journalist in spreading the message of Islamic Socialism taken up by Z.A Bhutto.

A selfless politician, a pragmatic intellectual, a committed journalist, an artist par excellence, and a broadminded scholar, this is the life-story of Muhammad Hanif Ramay. He tried to combine modernity and traditional values in all the roles he played. There is no exaggeration in saying that personalities like him are very rarely found and the vacuum his death created, can never be filled.

Published in daily Pakistan Observer 4th March, 2006 & The Post 8th April, 2006

MUHAMMAD MAHTAB BASHIR

Islamabad

mahtabbashir@yahoo.com