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Imran Qureshi the 41 year old Pakistani Artist considered one of the leading figures in developing a contemporary aesthetic that integrates the motifs and rigorous techniques of traditional miniature painting has been profiled by Artdaily in an article titled ‘Roof Garden installation by Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi opens at Metropolitan Museum’. Artdaily states “A large-scale site-specific work of art by Imran Qureshi an artist known for his unique style of combining the motifs, symbolism, and ornamental techniques of Islamic art with modern conceptual approaches—is the 2013 installation on The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden … represents the artist’s emotional response to violence occurring across the globe in recent decades and his earnest hope for regeneration and lasting peace in the aftermath of man-made disasters. Using the nearly 8,000-square-foot open-air space as his canvas, Qureshi has worked areas of his spilled and splattered red acrylic paint into patterns of lush ornamental leaves that evoke the luxuriant walled gardens that are ubiquitous in miniatures of the Mughal court; they also echo the spectacular verdant foliage of Central Park surrounding the Roof Garden today. Qureshi is the first artist to create a work that has been painted directly onto the Roof’s surface, and visitors are encouraged to walk on it as they view it. …Imran Qureshi said, “The dialogue between life and death is an important element in my work. Leaves and nature, for example, represent the idea of life. And the particular color of red that I have been using in recent years can look so real, like blood. The red reminds me of the situation today in my country, Pakistan, and in the world around us, where violence is almost a daily occurrence. But somehow, people still have hope. The flowers that seem to emerge from the red paint in my work represent the hope that—despite everything—the people sustain somehow, their hope for a better future.”  Inspired by ArtDaily ow.ly/l5w7N Image source Bill Swersey ow.ly/l5w4g The dialogue between life and death (June 8 2013)

Imran Qureshi the 41 year old Pakistani Artist considered one of the leading figures in developing a contemporary aesthetic that integrates the motifs and rigorous techniques of traditional miniature painting has been profiled by Artdaily in an article titled ‘Roof Garden installation by Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi opens at Metropolitan Museum’. Artdaily states “A large-scale site-specific work of art by Imran Qureshi an artist known for his unique style of combining the motifs, symbolism, and ornamental techniques of Islamic art with modern conceptual approaches—is the 2013 installation on The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden … represents the artist’s emotional response to violence occurring across the globe in recent decades and his earnest hope for regeneration and lasting peace in the aftermath of man-made disasters. Using the nearly 8,000-square-foot open-air space as his canvas, Qureshi has worked areas of his spilled and splattered red acrylic paint into patterns of lush ornamental leaves that evoke the luxuriant walled gardens that are ubiquitous in miniatures of the Mughal court; they also echo the spectacular verdant foliage of Central Park surrounding the Roof Garden today. Qureshi is the first artist to create a work that has been painted directly onto the Roof’s surface, and visitors are encouraged to walk on it as they view it. …Imran Qureshi said, “The dialogue between life and death is an important element in my work. Leaves and nature, for example, represent the idea of life. And the particular color of red that I have been using in recent years can look so real, like blood. The red reminds me of the situation today in my country, Pakistan, and in the world around us, where violence is almost a daily occurrence. But somehow, people still have hope. The flowers that seem to emerge from the red paint in my work represent the hope that—despite everything—the people sustain somehow, their hope for a better future.”

 

Inspired by ArtDaily ow.ly/l5w7N Image source Bill Swersey ow.ly/l5w4g

 

 

Ashfaq Yusufzai the Pakistani journalist for IPS News has published an article titled ‘Remittances Soothe the Scourge of Militancy’ in which he states “A majority of the 5.5 million people living in FATA have been … affected by the decade-old militancy, which began in earnest in 2001 when U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in Kabul, forcing the militants to cross over to Pakistan and establish sanctuaries along the 2,400-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. FATA soon became infested with Taliban cells. As Pakistan emerged as a frontline state in the U.S.’ ‘war on terror’, armed forces poured into FATA in a full-scale military offensive in 2005 designed to root out the Taliban. The army offensive, coupled with the militants’ resistance, made it impossible for civilians to carry on with everyday life. Now, for the first time in years, people … are finally starting to see improvements in their lives, as remittances from a younger generation of migrants who fled the region in search of employment abroad streams into FATA, easing the financial burden of unrelenting militancy. …Abu Zar, an official at the FATA Secretariat, told IPS that the militarisation of the region has brought misery to many residents but has also fuelled a wave of migration to Gulf states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which is now helping people get back on their feet. “Currently, more than 400,000 FATA residents are living and working in foreign countries”, up from less than 100,000 prior to 2005, …The younger generation has been going abroad in droves because of the prolonged insurgency”, in order to escape a sharp decline in trade, business opportunities and income in FATA, he added.” Inspired by Inter Press Service ow.ly/gwWbA image source WFSJ ow.ly/gwWb7 Remittances soothe the scourge of militancy (January 12 2013)

Ashfaq Yusufzai the Pakistani journalist for IPS News has published an article titled ‘Remittances Soothe the Scourge of Militancy’ in which he states “A majority of the 5.5 million people living in FATA have been … affected by the decade-old militancy, which began in earnest in 2001 when U.S.-led forces toppled the Taliban government in Kabul, forcing the militants to cross over to Pakistan and establish sanctuaries along the 2,400-kilometre-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. FATA soon became infested with Taliban cells. As Pakistan emerged as a frontline state in the U.S.’ ‘war on terror’, armed forces poured into FATA in a full-scale military offensive in 2005 designed to root out the Taliban. The army offensive, coupled with the militants’ resistance, made it impossible for civilians to carry on with everyday life. Now, for the first time in years, people … are finally starting to see improvements in their lives, as remittances from a younger generation of migrants who fled the region in search of employment abroad streams into FATA, easing the financial burden of unrelenting militancy. …Abu Zar, an official at the FATA Secretariat, told IPS that the militarisation of the region has brought misery to many residents but has also fuelled a wave of migration to Gulf states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which is now helping people get back on their feet. “Currently, more than 400,000 FATA residents are living and working in foreign countries”, up from less than 100,000 prior to 2005, …The younger generation has been going abroad in droves because of the prolonged insurgency”, in order to escape a sharp decline in trade, business opportunities and income in FATA, he added.”

 

Inspired by Inter Press Service ow.ly/gwWbA image source WFSJ ow.ly/gwWb7

Chronicle of a death foretold (October 7 2012) Chronicle of a death foretold (October 7 2012)

Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif the 32 year old Yemini citizen detained for over 10 years at the American naval base at Guantanamo Bay has died in custody without having ever been charged with a crime. Murtaza Hussain has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘Chronicle of a death foretold’ in which he states “The cause of his death has been recorded as unknown and may never truly be known, but Latif had long suffered from feelings of extreme depression during his time in jail, having made several suicide attempts in the previous years. …Latif was initially captured by Pakistani bounty hunters in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when a mixture of confusion and desire for vengeance resulted in the effective labeling of any military age Arab males found in Afghanistan and Pakistan as potential terrorists. He had been receiving medical care in Amman, Jordan for chronic injuries he had received from a car crash in Yemen that had fractured his skull and caused permanent damage to his hearing. Lured to Pakistan by the promise of cheap healthcare, once the war started he ended up caught in the dragnet of opportunistic bounty hunters who detained him, proclaimed him a terrorist and handed him over to the US military in neighboring Afghanistan …in order to collect large cash incentives from the US military for their handover. No evidence was ever found connecting him to terrorism or violent militancy of any kind… Indeed, when he was apprehended he was found not to be in possession of weapons or extremist literature of any kind – what he had with him were copies of his medical records.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/e0giJ image source JTF-GTMO ow.ly/e0gci

Mirza Shahzad Akbar the Pakistani lawyer and director at the Foundation for Fundamental Rights, renowned for his legal action against the USA for drone strikes in Pakistan, has criticized the USA for authorizing drone strikes in Yemen. In an article by Jason Koebler on Aljazeera, Akbar states “They can’t kill them if they know someone is a low value target, however they can kill if they don’t know that person… They have a checklist, and here’s what they’re looking for—Are they carrying weapons? Do they have a beard and a turban? Are they traveling with a large group of people? Well, everyone in that area carries a weapon, a beard is part of the religion, turban is part of the culture. As for traveling in a group, well, it’s a society that has bigger families. If you’re looking for a pattern like this, you’re killing citizens and civilians. …The CIA is, so far, the only source of information. Look at the quality of the information they give you—it’s nothing. Who are they killing? Who are these people? What are their names? They say they’re taking out the bad guys, but the facts on the ground are very different, there are a huge number of women, children, elderly and incapacitated people. …Once people learn what’s really happening, they’ll complain. People need to make an informed decision.”

Inspired by Jason Koebler ow.ly/bs4MT image source Twitter ow.ly/bs5QO

Shakil Afridi the Pakistani physician who assisted the CIA run a fake vaccine program in Abbottabad Pakistan, in order to obtain DNA samples confirming Osama bin Laden’s presence, has been imprisoned for 33 years on charges of treason. Afridi was tried under the Frontier Crimes Regulations that govern Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal region. The trial took place over several days without Afridi being present in the court nor given the opportunity to defend himself. The trial heard by Nasir Khan, the assistant political agent in Khyber, Afridi was sentenced for offences against the state, conspiracy and attempting to wage war against Pakistan and working against the country’s sovereignty. Human-rights organisations have criticised the FCR for not providing suspects due process of law, as there is no right to legal representation, to present material evidence or cross-examine witnesses. However humanitarian organizations including Médecins Sans Frontières protested the use of a medical charity for espionage purposes believing it would cause suspicion of such organizations in the future.  Details of Afridi’s activities emerged during the Pakistani investigation of the raid on Bin Laden’s residence, and confirmed by the US Secretary of Defense, who was then CIA Chief Leon Panetta.

 

Inspired by Rahimullah Yusufzai ow.ly/bgvvx image source Deccan Chronicle ow.ly/bgwki

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed the 61 year old Pakistani amir of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah held a press conference to responded to the USA’s $10 million reward for information leading to his capture. Jama’at-ud-Da’wah is a charity organization that is widely considered to be a cover organization for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), one of the largest and most active Islamic terrorist organizations in the world, believed to be behind the 2008 Mumbai bombings. The organization is banned as a terrorist organization by India, the USA, the UK, the EU, and Russia. Saeed claims he condemns the Mumbai bombings and he had nothing to do with them. Saeed, lives relatively openly in Lahore, and stated in the press conference, “”I am living my life in the open and the US can contact me whenever they want… America should just give the reward money to me!… This is a laughable, absurd announcement… Here I am in front of everyone, not hiding in a cave… If the U.S. wants, I am ready to share my schedule with them… It is obvious this has been done to please India… Our work is based on humanity and our organization works solely for this.”

 

Inspired by Abby Ohlheiser http://ow.ly/ahSZy image source Facebook http://ow.ly/ahTe3

Imran Khan Niazi the 59 year old Pakistani politician and former cricketer has announced he will be running for president of Pakistan at the next national election. In an article Professor Akbar Ahmed the former Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland questions which direction Khan would take Pakistan “After a decade as ally in the US’ “War on Terror” and the devastating social, political and economic impact…The hopes of a nation now rest on one man. Pakistan history is replete with examples of Pakistanis depending entirely on the savior figure only to be disappointed afterwards. Even Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who remains so revered in Pakistan, died one year after creating the country. … There are already danger-signs as some old faces who have done the rounds with different parties have now jumped onto Imran’s bandwagon. The balance between making deals in order to chip away at the power base … and maintaining his integrity will be crucial.

 

Inspired by Akbar Ahmed http://ow.ly/8lLdX image source twitter http://ow.ly/8lLkY

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