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Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Polaris of Earth on October 1st, 2014
Posted by admin in Art & Artists Of Pakistan, Pakistan-A Polaris of Earth, PAKISTAN-LAND OF ROMANTICS & DERVISH POETS on September 26th, 2014
![3_thumb[3]](https://pakistanthinktank.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/3_thumb3.jpg)
Louis Armstrong once said, “If you have to ask what Jazz is, then you will never know.” Sachal Studios was born to produce the music of melody, acoustic harmony and rhythms that rock the heart.
Composer and businessman Izzat Majeed is uncompromising, and feels at home in the studio. He has very few words to say, but his search for melody and creating a creative work place, allows one to delve into unimaginable possibilities of music and art. The ensemble, which includes several veteran musicians, primarily from the ‘old film industry’, have pointed out that there has never been a platform for jazz such as this one in Pakistan. In fact, the orchestras which had been connected to the studios, whether EMI or leading film composers such as Robin Ghosh and others, never provided these musicians the opportunity to perform live. The band that debuted at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 2012, is now becoming a staple for some of the biggest jazz festivals across the globe; recently they performed at the Lincoln Center, alongside Wynton Marsalis and the JALC Orchestra.
“Take Five was something that became global and after the albums we were invited to some of the pre-eminent festivals in jazz,” says Majeed. “So our year is full, and I think the important thing is that it keeps our great musicians very happy and innovative. They get to learn a lot, meanwhile we get to continue what we enjoy doing.”
This weekend they prepared for one of the few local concerts that they have performed at; Al-Hamra Arts Complex saw their performance as part of the Lahore Literary Festival. Majeed ensures that the band does not compromise on the sound and venue. The live performance rehearsals are intense and when the team gets together, it is pure magic.
A major component of the studio, composer and arranger Riaz Hussain passed away and has been succeeded by his son Najaf Ali, who leads the performances as a conductor and maintains a sense of energy amongst the ageing veterans.
“I think right now wherever Jazz is being heard, Sachal Jazz ensemble is there. We have been really successful. I mean, Jazz at Lincoln Center is considered a mecca for this music and we had the opportunity to perform with one of the top musicians in the Jazz world. We plan on moving forward, you will have to watch out for us,” says Ali.
The Jazz ensemble is an extension of the studio’s other folk and classical projects, but the success and exclusivity is something that has given many of the musicians an honour they have not experienced before. Ali explains that the studio’s Take Five track provided it with a sort of accessibility and credibility. Its albums and performances have been readily talked about through the jazz world.
Ustad Ijaz Hussain, or Baloo Khan as he is known by, is their well-known tabla player. He says the success of the jazz ensemble has been connected to the fact that they have not compromised on their preparation and the musicians involved were the best in Pakistan at the peak of their abilities. This is about the drive to get them together and create something exciting. “Wynton Marsalis said we have a magical house, because we are doing what we have learnt over the years. It’s not about jazz, it’s about what we have learnt,” says Hussain. While the documentaries about the studio show these musicians struggling to make ends meet, Hussain points out that during his first concert in the 70s, Noor Jehan was his announcer and he had worked relentlessly with the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan since then. “We have been waiting for the time to perform and teach, because that’s the duty of an ustad. He should play in such a way that the world enjoys, but also learns about the music at the same time,” Hussain concluded.
With these live performances, the musicians are back to what they do best – bringing down a house.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2014.
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Polaris of Earth on September 23rd, 2014
In a plan to repair the damage, caused to their covert association with Pakistan’s Jang/Geo Group due to a series of events in the recent past, Indian officials at the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) have decided to purchase their covert media arm in Pakistan and that too through a third party arrangement, reveal the investigations of The Daily Mail. The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that after the series of events starting from September/October 2013 when top Indian newspaper Hindustan Times exposed the links between Indian Intelligence and Geo/Jang Group up to a dramatic attack on a Geo TV’s anchorperson in April this year, RAW bigwigs developed a feeling that their covert nexus with that media group in question was exposed very badly. It was decided at a very high level RAW meeting in which former RAW Chief Sanjeev Tripathi was also present, that Geo should be given a face saving to establish that it has no more links with RAW. Insiders inform that during the meeting, Sanjeev Tripathi, who is now a member of India’s ruling party BJP, was asked to create a comprehensive proposal to tackle down the issue.
| Snajeev Tripathi | Mir Ibrahim | Midle Eastern meeting participant |
Sources say that Tripathi, in the very first place, expressed his deep dislike over the RAW’s April episode through which Pakistan’s ISI Chief was targeted. Tripathi termed the episode as a huge blunder and said it was done in a very crude manner while the same could have been materialized in a much secure and professional way.
It is worth mentioning here that during his tenure as RAW Chief or secretary RAW, Tripathi remained very instrumental and desperate to enhance funding and ties not only between RAW and Indian media but also to create RAW’s media arms out of Pakistani media and is considered as the founder of several media projects including Aman Ki Aasha. He made efforts towards Aman Ki Asha even before assuming the top seat at RAW headquarters.
The sources close to the affairs reveal that after Tripathi agreed to rescue RAW in the backdrop of his experience in this direction, he flew to UAE and held several rounds of talks with self-exiled Pakistani media tycoon and held deliberations over the situation emerged. These sources say that Tripathi asked the Pakistani media tycoon to follow the proposals that he had brought from New Delhi.
The sources reveal that these proposals suggested that the Geo management should first create a campaign to show that it was suffering from huge financial crisis due to wrath of ISI and Pakistan army and should also hold protests and rallies in this regard. This campaign should end by announcing that it was left with no other option but to sell the rights to a third party.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Tripathi managed to agree a Middle Eastern businessman who has a huge business network in UAE, India and South Africa, to come as a front man to purchase Geo TV. Tripathi ensured the said ME businessman that all the funds for the purchase and at least three years funding of entire running operation would be arranged from India (RAW) and he will just have act as an independent media boss. Sources that Tripathi’s idea of bringing up a ME businessman to head RAW’s covert media arm would remove all the clouds over the RAW-Geo nexus and would make the media organization look more credible.
The sources reveal that once the basics of the deal were settled down, the son of the self exiled media tycoon, in early August embarked upon a visit to Mumbai along with a three member team from his media group and a four member team of the Tripathi-created buyer from ME.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that at least three rounds of meetings were held at Mumbai between the foreigners and RAW officials as well some media experts from Sony TV and Zee TV, both the RAW funded media organization of India. However the high profile meeting was held at RAW headquarters in New Delhi which was attended, besides others by Sanjeeve Tripathi, Joint Secretary Area One( Pakistan), Joint Secretary Area Three (Middle East and Africa) and Joint Secretary of Electronic Technical Section of RAW.
This meeting also favored the idea of smartly concluding the Aman Ki Asha campaign as it had completely lost the credibility, due to cheer mishandling after Tripathi left the Chair of the RAW Chief. During this meeting, a rather rough shape of the plan was modified while the dates and agenda for the next meeting were also fixed.
Intrestingly, during the meetings between the Pakistani and Middle Eastern parties and RAW funded Indian media experts, Sony TV’s host Trishikha Ashish Tripathi was specially interviewed by the visitors as it was advised by Indian media experts to organize a show run by. Ashish Tripathi on Pakistani TV channel in question and through this show, 2 nation theory may further be targeted while hiding behind the notions of freedom of press.
According to certain unconfirmed reports, the self exiled media tycoon is back in Pakistan these days on a rather secret trip to sign certain documents with regard to this new deal.
A facsimile of Hindustan Times’ report about RAW, Geo nexus. |
The findings of Daily Mail further reveal that RAW controls a whole paraphernalia of media network including ZEE TV and Films Network, Asian News International (ANI), as well as some national and regional language newspapers especially in Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil and Kashmiri. The ZEE network retains the pivotal position in this RAW controlled propaganda and misinformation spiral. It was actually RAW that has been the master mind behind the establishment of ZEE Television Network. According to our sources the proposal for establishing a private sector television channel actually under the control of Indian intelligence agency was first presented to the Late Indian Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The proposals could not materialize at that time as Mrs. Gandhi had certain reservations about giving more powers to RAW for she suspected it of being behind her earlier electoral defeat at the hands of another Late Prime Minister of India Mr. Murarji Desai. However, Indian movie star Amitabh Bachan who was a personal friend of Rajiv Gandhi got the cue. His brother later reportedly siphoned part of the Rs.64 crore kick-backs of the Swedish Bofor guns deal into setting up a private satellite channel by the name of TV Asia.
TV Asia enjoyed certain patronage from Indian government and intelligence agencies though it was financed privately. In return RAW enjoyed certain leverage on TV Asia; nonetheless its officials continued the campaing for having their own channel. The breakthrough was achieved when a high ranking RAW operative Vasant Parekh found a willing partner in the Chairman of Essel Group of Industries, Subash Chandra. The Essel Group was mainly involved in the business of entertainment and amusement parks. Being an adventurous entrepreneur, Chandra indicated his willingness to Vasant Parekh for investing partly in the RAW’s satellite TV venture provided it also shared a big portion investment and backup support. RAW hierarchy did not require much persuasion to dole out a hefty amount of US$ 25 million as an initial participation share in the project. The deal was struck and the ZEE Television Network was formally launched in 1992 with Subhas Chandra as the Chairman and Vasant Parekh as the founding member on its Board of Directors. It was agreed to induct and employ a certain number of RAW operatives in all cadres of the network. RAW personnel were thus recruited amongst the programme producers, anchors, newscasters, and even amongst the marketing and business managers. The arrangement facilitates RAW to send its agents undercover to Pakistan and even other countries. Having a media tag gives these operatives an easy access to cultivate a number of personalities in the target country, which would have been otherwise difficult. The broad outline of the propaganda objectives of ZEE TV defined by RAW were:
– Undermine the ideological frontiers of Pakistan through oft repeated Indian rhetoric of cultural and social uniformity of South Asian sub-continent;
– Malign Pakistan by a deliberate negative projection of the events and developments in the country. The aim was to systematically build a poor image of Pakistan may it be in the context of internal political developments, religious or social events, women issues, child labour, brick kiln workers, Ahmedi or Christian minorities, secretarian clashes, Mohajar ethnic movement, foreign policy or bilateral relations with India. Although human rights violations, social, cultural, religious and economic problems exist at a much gigantic proportion in India these were to be downplayed in Indian context;
– Projection of India as a modern secular and progressive state which is the world’s largest democracy;
– Propagation of India’s foreign policy objectives and its position on Kashmir;
– Promotion of Hindu mythology through serials based on mythology as well as soap operas telecast on the network;
In pursuance of this policy ZEE lays special emphasis in cultivating prominent personalities in Pakistan for accomplishing the ideological agenda. Bigwigs in Pakistani entertainment and show biz, poets, writers, eminent sportsmen and politicians are a prime target. The common modus operandi is that Pakistani celebrities are invited as chief guests or special guests to various ZEE programmes. A lot of praise is showered, calling them artists whose talent is not restricted by any boundary, frontier or divide and that the people of the two countries love each other, only the politicians conspire to keep them separated. Overwhelmed by the tremendous show of hospitality the artist either ends up unwillingly endorsing the host’s views or says something that is construed to be negating the ‘Two Nation’ basis of Pakistan’s independence. According to credible information RAW also sponsors organizing of performances, shooting of videos and securing of contracts for Bollywood movies and entertainment agencies for some of these personalities belonging to the Pakistan entertainment, film and music.
The Daily Mail has learned that RAW’s further tightened its noose on media during the first government of BJP under the then Minister for Information and Broadcasting Parmod Mahajan. RAW had in the meanwhile already taken control of the struggling television news agency Asian News International (ANI) founded by an ambitious cameraman Prem Parakash. When the agency ran into financial troubles RAW came forth to help it with idea of producing South Asia News line which all the Indian entertainment TV Channels not producing their own news bulletins were force to telecast. Parmod reportedly threatened these channels with the sweeping powers under the PRASAR BHARATI (Indian Broadcasting) ACT, 1990 Chapter IV, 23; “Power of Central Government to give Directions” if they did not comply. Even his successor Sushma Swaraj has been calling shots at the media also making coercive use of the draconian Indian National Security Act, 1980. Three Advisory Bodies have been pivotal in this regard to streamline m. The DFF amongst other things virtually controls the films dealing with news, current events and documentaries. RAW has a permanent representation on this Committee which can use any pretext to penalize channels not receptive of its directives.
The Daily Mail’s investigations further reveal that the enormous success of ZEE in South Asia and Middle East encouraged its sponsors to target the Asian viewers in Britain and Europe. The prime objective was to disillusion the expatriate Pakistanis and Kashmiris from their ideological basis. Britain being the home of largest Kashmiri refugee community outside Asia has become a cause of concern for the Indian establishment. The growing influence of Kashmiri community in the political circles of UK, their frequent protests over the human rights violations in the Indian held Kashmir and demand for the right of self-determination for Kashmiris is often embarrassing for the Indians.
ZEE UK was therefore launched in 1995. The ZEE’s strategists, however, realized that Braitain and Europe was a different ball game. To lure the Pakistani expatriates it was decided to telecast a mix of Indian and Pakistani programmes. It is learnt that a team was sent to Pakistan to negotiate the purchase of PTV programmes for telecast on ZEE UK. ZEE was able to procure from the PTV library many classical dramas, the most recent hit telecasts, musical programs, special occasions telecasts for Eid, Muharam, Ramadan including and other purely Islamic religious programs. These programs were reportedly sold to the ZEE at throw away prices. The PTV establishment of the time credited itself for having sold the programmes with no other clientele. Little did they know the diabolic use that ZEE had planned for these programs. However, PTV authorities maintain that some of its programs were recorded off air by a Lahore based spurious company and sold to ZEE TV. Subsequently PTV obtained a court injunction to stop ZEE from telecast of some of its programs. Nonetheless this gap is now filled by the private productions that have mushroomed in Pakistan over the last few years.
The ZEE UK program managers ran an extra-mile in their endeavours to establish it as a neutral TV of the entire South Asian community in Europe. The propaganda against Pakistan was deliberately kept sublime in the initial year of its launching. However, it continued its policy of reporting negative developments in respect of Pakistan and black outing positive aspects may it be as non political news as winning a cricket match by Pakistan. Nonetheless, ZEE’s one sided hype during events such as the Kargil conflict gave away any semblance of neutrality that the channels had been portraying.
RAW prolific media network however received a setback when its sponsored Reminisce Television Network (RTN) could not succeed in UK and Europe. The free to air transmission of RTN’s Channel Asia 1 could not get enough advertisements due to overcrowding of the market by many Asian Channels. The RTN also had an Urdu Channel ANJUMAN to target Pakistani viewers besides Gujarati, Lashkara (Punjabi), Bengali and other regional language channels. RAW later took control of Sony TV as well through massive funding.
Posted by admin in Pakistan-A Polaris of Earth on September 10th, 2014
IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY 49 YEARS AGO…… 25 CAV AND THE DEFENCE OF PHILLAURAH
REMEMBERING OUR HEROS by Maj Gen Syed Ali Hamid
It happened today 49 years ago. 8th Sep 1965………the day that the youngest tank regiment of the Pakistan Army stopped the Indian 1st Armoured Division.
After a wild and fruitless ride of 65 kms through the night to Narowal and back, 25th Cavalry was refueling at Pasrur. At about 0630 hours the commanding officer, ‘Kaka’ Nisar came up to Maj Ahmad ‘B’ Squadron and said ‘Enemy has attacked through Charwa. You have to stop him.’ That was all the information available. Ahmad called in his troop leaders. The squadron was to advance in extended order. Whichever troop saw the enemy was to form a base of fire, around which the other troops would manoeuvre. Nisar went with the squadron up till Phillaurah and as they passed through, the left hand troop reported. “Tanks in front. Whose?” Ahmad replied, “Enemy, You engage.” The youngest tank regiment of the Pakistan Army was engaging one of the oldest regiments of the Indian cavalry. 16th Light Cavalry had been raised prior to 1776 as the 3rd Regiment of Native Cavalry in the service of the Nawab of Arcot. What happened in the next few hours is what legends are made of and the defence of Phillaurah on 8th Sep 1965 by 25th Cavalry is a shining star in the history of the Pakistan Army and the armoured corps.
Ahmed hastened forward. He saw an Indian tank bogged down near Gadgor. Two Indian tanks were trying to recover it and he ordered the gunner to engage. The round went wild and the officer cursed the gunner. The man said casually. “Saab this gun has not been zeroed.” (The M48 had just returned from the workshop). Ahmad changed his tank but was again unlucky. The gun misfired twice. The firing pin was broken. In the meantime two Indian Centurions with 105mm guns cautiously approached Ahmad’s tanks. There was nothing that the officer could do, except charge. Ahmad’s luck turned, and the Indian tanks hastily withdrew. The tank was driven into a depression where the broken firing pin was replaced. Once again in the open, Ahmad saw six Centurions congregating in a Mango plantation. He could not resist the shoot and took over from the gunner. He indexed 600 yards on the range finder, checked from the loader if an HVAP round was loaded, and fired. The nearest Indian tank blew up. Three more were shot destroyed in quick succession. The loader got so excited that he started clapping and his asbestos glove fell and stuck in between the breech ring and the recoil cylinder. The gun could not fire and the driver pushed the gun against a tree and inched the tank forward until the glove fell out. Ahmed then ordered the driver to move towards the burning Indian tanks. A shot ricocheted off the turret of his tank jamming the turret ring. A third shot set the tank on fire forcing Ahmad into yet another tank. While maneuvering towards Gadgor with his squadron, Ahmed encountered two Indian tanks directly in his path and shot one but his M48 was hit by the other and the ammunition started exploding. Ahmad was badly burnt and evacuated. His gallantry was rewarded with Sitara-e-Jurat but was modest about his action. He later acknowledged that he should have been more concerned about controlling the squadron battle than in a personal shoot out.
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M48s of 25TH Cavalry in action in the Battle of Chwinda during the 1965 War
A manoeuvre by a squadron of 16th Cavalry ran into ‘A’ Squadron commanded by Effendi which had been brought up by ‘Kaka’ Nisar and deployed to the right of Ahmed’s squadron. The maneuver encountered a troop that had been sent by Effendi to probe forward. In a sharp engagement, the troop destroyed four Centurions but lost a tank. An advance of the left forward regiment of the Indian division went smoothly till Poona Horse ran into an infantry company and lost a tank. Resuming a more cautious advance it was checked by ‘A’ Squadron at Tharoh and Dugri. In an attempt to manoeuvre for a breakthrough, the squadrons of the two Indian regiments ran into each other and a shoot-out occurred. ‘Kaka’ Nisar was with the forward squadrons all the time and he was not quite yet finished with 16th Cavalry. With the right flank of the armoured brigade still unprotected, he launched the Second World War vintage M36B2s of ‘C’ Squadron under ‘Ginger’ Raza towards Gadgor. Though the attack could not make much progress, it forced the Indian armoured division to deploy its only reserve, Hodson’s Horse to protect its flank. Against heavy odds the M36B2s could not make much progress but managed to destroy two more Centurions of 16th Cavalry before the regiment could disengage under cover of Hodson’s Horse. A second attack by the old M36B2s of ‘C’ Squadron (with support of ‘A’ Squadron) and a company of infantry before dusk to capture Gadgor, struck the unfortunate 16th Cavalry probably just when it was contemplating going into leaguer for the night. In the resulting confusion, the Indians abandoned eight tanks, two with their engines running. ‘Ginger’ Raza was injured in the head but remained with the squadron till relived. His gallantry was also rewarded by a Sitara-e-Jurat. So also was the commanding officer ‘Kaka’ Nisar who had joined the armoured corps from the Patiala State Forces at Independence and was due to retire as a major but was promoted and raised 25th Cavalry the last of the regular tank units to be raised before the 1965 War.
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An Indian Centurion tank knocked out during the battle of Chawinda
The total losses to 16th Cavalry in a single day of fighting were 16 tanks against only four of 25th Cavalry. As a consequence of this aggressive defence by one armoured regiment on 8th Sep 1965, a blow to its artillery from a flank by a small but to the Indians very significant actions by two recce and support platoons of 13 Frontier Force Regiment, and ambiguous orders that resulted in a clash between a withdrawing Poona Horse and 2nd Lancers which was leading the advance of the Indian lorried brigade, the offensive of their armoured division stalled. The Pakistan Air Force which had been very active the whole day and destroyed many vehicles caused a virtual breakdown of administrative support. The armoured division decided to take two days in reorganizing and replenishing which provided a critical respite to the defenders who even till now were still unaware that they were facing the might of the Indian armoured division and had stopped the cream of the Indian cavalry; Hodson’s Horse, Poona Horse and 16th Cavalry.
Extracted from History of the Indo-Pak War 1965 by Lt Gen Mahmud and The Pakistan Army-War 1965 by Maj Gen Shaukat Riza.
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