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Page 1: To Wards Pakistan
Page 2: To Wards Pakistan

A MAGAZINE FOR PPG MEMBERS

ISSUE 1 VOLUME 1 OCT-DEC 2007

TowardsPakistanPhotography is a system of visual editing. At bottom, it is a matter ofsurrounding with a frame a portion of one's cone of vision, while standingin the right place at the right time. Like chess, or writing, it is a matter ofchoosing from among given possibilities, but in the case of photographythe number of possibilities is not finite but infinite.

EditorialTowards Pakistan has been like a dream cometrue.

The idea behind this magazine is to help thetourism industry of Pakistan at one place byhighlighting the beauty that is surrounding allaround us while on the other hand promoting theyoungsters and new talent in field of Photography.

In order to achieve this, we will be carrying outinterviews, first impressions, travel pieces,articles and much more for you. The magazine isa part of PPG- Pakistani Photographers Group whohave successflly made their mark felt onflickr.com with being the biggest community ofPakistani Photographers on any platform.

In just one and half years PPG has growntremendeously in terms of members andphotographic approach. It has not been easy task

ContributionsIf you think that you can contribute for towards Pakistan Magaizne, then drop us a line andlet us know. Please email us at [email protected]

to come out with this idea but I am really thankfulto all my friends, members, admins who helpedme achieveing the goal. Speical thanks to AliMohani for designing the PPG logo.

As part of the first issue, I would like to thank myfriends Michael Foley, Omar Khan, Zaheer Sattar,Seth Lazar and Jacob Simkons for taking time outfor contributing articles and pictures for themagazine, without their sincere help and belief inmy efforts it wouldn’t have been possible.

I would like to thank Rizwan Ghias, UsmanAhmad, Engineer J, Irfan Ahson and YousafFayyaz who managed the group very efficientlywhen I was away and helped me a lot in comingout with this magazine. We all are a part of thisand I would appreciate your suggestions,contributions and help in this regard. - Yasir Nisar

� A STROLL THROUGH OLD

LAHORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

� BULLEH SHAH URS . . . . 6

� RUSH LAKE . . . . . . . . . . 9

� EXPLORING MUSLIMARCHITECTURE IN PAKISTAN11

� REMEBERING EARTH QUAKE

2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15� NISAR MALIK . . . . . . . 17

� PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB OF

PAKISTAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

COVER PHOTO: MICHAEL FOLEY

Page 3: To Wards Pakistan

About Michael Foley

I am from Ireland but I am currentlyliving in Washington DC. I travel alot to developing countries and liketo take pictures of people and theirenvirons. Most of my pics are onApple’s Homepage (http://homepage.mac.com/mikespix)andiWeb or

www.michaelfoleyphotography.comTowards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

“ This is not a guide to OldLahore, just one person’sreaction to an amazing city

It was after dark when I strolled down

through the bazaar of old Lahore one

night last December, a slight nip in the air,

but feeling warm and replete after my dinner

in Cooco’s Den restaurant. As I dodged the

traffic whizzing by me on the narrow street it

was the apple seller pushing his cart that

caught my attention. He had a good face and

his shawl was tied around his head and under

his chin. He would make a good photo

subject.

With no language in common I resorted to

my tried and tested method of requesting

permission to take a picture. I held my

camera up, tilted my head a little, raised my

eyebrows and shrugged as if to say; “may I?”

His answer was a figure of eight shake of the

head which, if you did not know the custom,

you would think it meant ‘no’. But I was

experienced enough with the ways of South

Asia to understand that it was actually a ‘yes’

and that he did not mind if I took the picture.

Yet I always ask a second time, just in case.

Not a problem, I could go ahead.

Now I needed a prop to support my little

compact tripod. I never use flash in these

propping up against a wall, or on the bonnet

of a car or the seat of a parked motor bike.

In this case there were no such ready prop so

I asked a shopkeeper if I could borrow a

stool he had. Again, not a problem, but the

stool was too short. The shopkeeper saw this

immediately so he told his assistant to get

another one and he placed it one on top of

the other, his interest in the shoot rising as he

got more involved. Meanwhile a small crowd

of guys was gathering, fascinated by this

stranger doing strange things with stools and

his camera. Now I was ready, but then the

apple seller took off his shawl to stand

formally the picture, as he thought, out of

respect. But I wanted him with the shawl, and

the “audience” could see that I wanted it too.

So they began to direct the poor apple seller,

interpreting what I wanted and then passing

on the instructions. Everything was done with

shouting and laughter and gesticulating. It was

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Page 4: To Wards Pakistan

hilarious. I got my shot, the crowd was

entertained and the apple seller was delighted

to be the center of attention. This is one of

my abiding memories of my first night in

Lahore

Walking down a street in a strange city with a

camera in hand can transform a relatively

solitary experience into a wonderful

interaction with local people. Barriers of

culture and language fall away with a smile, a

nod, and a gesture of permission granted. I

cannot think of a better vehicle than

photography to help me engage with ordinary

people on the street because it gives me a

reason to stop and “talk”. At first it can be

intimidating, being sometimes the only

foreigner on the street, with no common

language and no obvious reason to be there.

Having a digital camera and immediately

sharing the results helps enormously. All of a

sudden shyness disappears as everyone wants

in on the fun, crying “me, me”, or “take him,

take him!”

This kind of thing happened so often during

my visit to Lahore. I came to the city without

any preconceptions, except, as a western guy

from Europe, with a little trepidation about

wandering around any Pakistani city on my

own. Unfortunately the perception, learned

from the media, is that cities in Muslim

countries might not be the safest places for a

“white guy” like me to wander around in. Nor

did I know much about the architecture or

heritage of old Lahore, or if it had any

treasures to reveal. I was there on business,

with just a little bit of spare time, not as a well

researched tourist, and so my expectations

were low.

How wrong could I be, and on all counts.

Lahore was a revelation to me and remains one

of my favorite cities in Asia. The mayhem in

the old city that night, with motor bikes, three

wheelers, cars, horses and carts, all churning up

the dust and roaring by, the sellers up the steps

in their open shops, the color of the fabrics, all

of it was intoxicating. Contrasting with that

was the grandeur and quietude of the Badshahi

Masjid (mosque), especially at night when it is

floodlit against the evening sky. Above all

though, it was the friendliness and the sense of

fun of the people that I met in the old town

that captivated me. How could have I felt

afraid? This was the friendliest place on earth!

I do accept that it is important for the image

of Pakistan abroad that its modern institutions

and architecture is known and that it is seen as a

modernizing society. I did visit the Faisal

Mosque while in Islamabad (and I am rather

“My first sight of the old citywas at night when I went toCooco’s Den, owned by theartist Iqbal Hussain.

MICHAEL FOLLEY

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 5: To Wards Pakistan

pleased with the photo I took there), and one

of the reasons to visit Lahore was to meet with

faculty in LUMS, a world class private university

and business school. Needless to say I was

impressed with the architecture and quality of

both places, but what attracted me, as a visitor

to Pakistan, was what I do not have in Europe

or in the US, and that is the unique heritage of

the old walled city of Lahore. Much of it has

decayed away through neglect, but if you look

closely at the buildings and through doorways

you will see details that have survived the

ravages of time; balconies on the first floors of

“havelis” (traditional residences), Islamic art in

inconspicuous mosques, hidden gardens, and

quiet squares. I was heartened then to hear of a

cultural heritage project being prepared by the

Government of Punjab, funded by the World

Bank and supported by the Aga Khan Trust for

Culture, which will restore some of the old

architectural treasures along the Royal Trail

(Shahi Guzargah) which stretches from the

Lahore Fort to the Delhi gate. The project also

aims to develop sustainable livelihoods for local

people which would be based on the tourism

potential of the city. There is a treasure there of

which maybe even many Lahorians may not be

aware.

My first sight of the old city was at night when I

went to dinner at Cooco’s Den, the famous

restaurant which is owned by the artist Iqbal

Hussain. While the food itself is not remarkable

(but not bad), it is the whole experience that is

unique. As one approaches the restaurant it

appears that it is surrounded by street vendors

barbecuing chicken and lamb and all kinds of

succulent food. I turns out that these food

stands are the kitchen of the restaurant, and the

food is hauled up on ropes to the rooftop

where the diners sit! The real magic however, is

the view. The rooftop restaurant is situated

right outside the walls of the grand Badshahi

Masjid (Mosque), which at night is floodlit

in a very tasteful way. It is one of the most

spectacular sights from a restaurant table

that I know of in the world. Well worth a

visit.

This is not a guide to Old Lahore, just one

person’s reaction to an amazing city. From

the majestic Badshahi (day or night it is an

extraordinary sight), to the sprawling

Lahore Fort opposite and on down through

the bazaars and into various mosques such

as Masjid Wazir Khan near the Delhi Gate

you have sufficient for a day and an

evening of wandering. But it always

rewards a return visit – I can’t wait for my

next one.

Take a look at my pictures of Lahore

on Flickr in the sets called “Old

Lahore” and “Lahore Walled City” at

w w w . f l i c k r . c o m / p h o t o s /

michaelfoleyphotography/ .

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 6: To Wards Pakistan

Bulleh Shah Urs“August 27, 2007. I m honored to join

Syed Abul Hasan Rizvi to travel to Kasur

(Pakistan) from Lahore in order to cover

the urs of Baba Bulleh Shah on behalf

of Pakistani Photogrphers. Yes I would

have joined the Urs even without a

photographic motive but joining Rizvi

sb towards Kasur is a big additional plus

for me. It was about 70 minutes drive,

while we kept talking about the rural

frames which were passing by us on the

road, some-where inside some other

things were resonating inside me !”

photos & text by Dr. Zaheer Sattar

Year 1758 AD. Syed Abdullah Shah, a

member of the distinguished Muslim

Syed family dies in Kasur, and his body

is denied a burial in Kasur’s graveyard and is

left without funeral proceedings out-side the

town for some days until a non-native stranger

arrives their to perform Syed Abdullah Shah’s

funeral. Commonly known as Bulleh Shah, the

sufi had a long list of charges against him by

the prominent relatives and citizens of his town

to deserve this treatment, relating to his out-

right revolt against the prevailing interpretations

and rituals of Islam at that time !

Sometime before his death, the sufi said:

1)

(Bulleh Shah will never die, it is some-one else

who lies in this grave !)

And that has proved right for the remainder of

249 years after his death. The very descendants

of the people who denied the burial, crave for

their own burial after their death nearest to

bulleh Shah’s shrine today. A great sufi poet, the

prevailing face of classic Punjaab, the poetry of

which scores parallel to Rumi and Tabraiz, has

left a tremendous legacy of love for humanity

and moderation for all of us to follow which

most of us are found to seen attempting to

import form west these days !

The word urs means the day of celebration, a

festival, a death anniversary which masses

celebrate to their maximum delight. In sufi

school, it marks the very day when that

particular sufi left this material world and met

his God, when a river vanished into the sea

………..to become the sea !

2)

( Say the prayer of departure and pray o

people …………. Abdullah lost himself in his

Beloved !)

It is agreed that Bulleh Shah was born at Uch

Sharif (Distt. Bahawalpur, Pakistan) in the

learned Gilani family. He was formally taught

all the Islamic formal education to excellence.

During his childhood his family shifted to

Kasur. The extensive formal education couldn’t

bring peace for Bullah’s internal world ….. and

he kept seeking for his Murshid ( the spiritual

elder ). After years of drifting, he found one,

as a single gaze of Anayat Qadri ( a sufi elder

from Lahore ) changed Bullah’s world .

Murshid’s company made Bulleh see things

NAME : Zaheer Sattar

Nick Name My mom and fathergave me : Baboo

Official Age : 35

Profession: Doctor (well I keepwondering :)

City ( I physically belong to:) :R.Y.Khan, Pakistan.

Me and My Photography : I DONOT cherish the moment i pickedup the camera first time in 1991.Still unable to justify my pres-ence and purpose with cameraor other-wise in the world, aperson in violent transition. Idont control my viewfinder,rather its the other way round !I guessed I would be a nature /landscape photog-like-thingsome day , but for that oneneeds to have some ground be-neath one’s feet ! For me thehardest thing to shoot are ......people and faces ! I do collectall types of camera if found forfree ! My biggest short coming.......... I still have to learn howto lie !

My Dream List :1) Canon 1 Ds Mark 2 whichcomes with 3 ‘L’ lenses of mychoice free of cost !

2) Shooting Pakistan my way !

3) Shooting infarred on a pan-orama camera !

4) I dont mind if Canon comesout with a digital analogu of F1n............. Or Nikon with FM2n.......Or Pentax with K-1000. Ikeep dreaming of shooting withFuji 6x17 along-side SHIROSHIRAHATA in Karakorams.......... and facing the bitterlycold stretches of the Snow Lakein full moon ....... alone !

RELIGIOUS

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 7: To Wards Pakistan

beyond worldly constraints as his internal flame

flourished.

3)

(The chief Murshid of ours resides at Baghdad,

and the immediate Murshid at the throne of

Lahore ….. they and we are all the same

……..for they are the kite and they are the thread

!)

But this surrender of Bulleh Shah before a non-

syed sparked anger in Bullah’s family, and he

was not forgiven this even after his death.

4)

( My sisters and folks come to me to back off

and say being the descendant of the prophet

Muhammad (PBUH) and ALI ( R.A.), you have

let the family down. Pay attention to what we

say and leave your murshid who is Araeen by

cast !)

During the spiritual journey under his murshid

Anayat Qadri (R.A.), Bulleh Shah was hit by a

spiritual disaster. Murshid became deeply

annoyed over something and decided to punish

Bulleh Shah physically and spiritually. Bulleh Shah

was not allowed to see Murshid and he was left

to face spiritual drought for many many

months. Bulleh’s poetry took a sharp turn here

as is evident in his lines such as this :

5)

( what the havoc my beloved has done to me

…….. oh , I was struck with no one but a

mugger of Lahore!)

During this mentally and spiritually splintered

phase, Bullah joined nomad singers and dancers

and lived a nomad life in the quest of re-

enrollment under his lost murshid. After a long

time Bullah found his murshid in a social

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Bulleh Shah willnever die, it issome-one elsewho lies in thisgrave !

Page 8: To Wards Pakistan

gathering while he was singing and performing

there as the nomad singer. While all the singers

and dancers were finished with their job,

Bulleh’s dance and his song kept on and on and

on . His famous kaafi goes like this :

6)

( Your love is really planted inside me, it is me

who is the culprit of drinking from this

poisoned cup, run towards me and save me oh

my clinician as ‘m facing certain death, your love

keeps driving me to dance forever !)

We are back in our times at the urs . Rizvi sb is

shooting in his own way and I am attempting to

be original in myself. Here we have countless

drummers who are drumming continuously in

small groups of dancing people. Here we have

colourfully but elegantly dressed sufis who are

offering their attendance at the sufi’s grave. Here

we have followers reciting holy Quraan in large

numbers around the grave peri-meter. Here we

have a huge gathering of men, woman and

children of all sorts and all sects who are sitting,

eating and walking on the floor with a festival at

their hands but with a certain respect which

cannot be seen but can be felt all across ! The

Qawaal party is presenting the famous ‘tere ishq

nachaya’ …. and all of us are witnessing a

dancing man in trance !

It’s a spiritual hospital where all of us are

welcome regardless of our sect or faith, a place

which doesn’t promise us hell out of our

intentional and un-intentional wrong-doings, a

premises which treats us as humans and nothing

else . Here people perform their rituals out of

shear love and faith. But scattered amongst

these celebrating masses are the very eyes which

can literally see through me and recognize me

……. not to harass me of hell …….. but to

make me question my self, to make me strive

towards internal tranquility and to lead me to

the journey of truth !

7)

( Neither ‘m a muslim standing in a mosque,

nor ‘m a tradition of infidelity

Neither ‘m a dirty being amongst the cleanest,

nor ‘m Moses or ______

O Bullah, what do I know about who am I ???

)

Neither ‘m a muslim

standing in a mosque,

nor ‘m a tradition of

infidelity

Neither ‘m a dirty being

amongst the cleanest,

nor ‘m Moses or ______

O Bullah, what do I knowabout who am I

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 9: To Wards Pakistan

Rush Lake is a high altitude lakelocated near Rush Peak (5,098 m). Atover 4,694 meters, Rush is one ofthe highest alpine lakes in Pakistan.It is located about 15 km in the northof Miar Peak, Spantik Peak (GoldenPeak) and Malubiting Peak (whichare in the Nagar valley). Rush Lakeand Rush Peak can be reached viaNagar and Hopar and via the HoparGlacier (Bualtar Glacier) and MiarGlacier, (which rises from the Miarand Phuparash) peaks. The trek toRush Lake provides spectacularviews of Miar Peak and PhuparashPeak.

RUSH LAKEA beautiful short trek to Rush Lake at4694 m with the ascent of Rush Peak(5200 m). The trek starts in Hoper(2790 m) and climbs up to Rush Peakat 5200 m where it is possible to seeK2 and Broad Peak. The scenery isspectacular with all the giant peaksof Hunza visible. Across the Hisparvalley there is a wall of four peaksfrom 7025 to 7885 m high. In additionthere are great views of Rakaposhi,Ultar and Spantik. On the return toHoper we cross to the western side ofthe Barpu glacier. No other short trekoffers such magnificent mountainscenery!

Text by Omar JavedPhotos courtesy: LAS Website

I have always been passionate about trekking

and hiking in Pakistan and one of the

foremost reasons is that I am in deep love

with this country and the beauty that it offers on

the northern side. The passion for loving

mountain is not new for me as I remember

when I was a kid and my parents used to take us

to muree, Every time I used to ask my father to

climb a mountain either by car of either on foot.

But as far as my trekking and adventurous

activities is concerned, I don’t have much

experience in that stuff but still I have a lot of

knowledge and confidence and that is why by

the grace of Allah Almighty year by year I’ll go

through each and every trek of this country. I

have been through mountain biking and trekking

tour last year and rush lake trek this year

I have been enthralled over my Rush Lake Trek

as it was really a great experience to reach

Pakistan’s Highest Lake at almost 15400 feet.

Most of the people don’t know about this lake

as it is not that popular or known to the people,

even in Hunza, some locals don’t know about

that and it was very much strange for me.

The popular route to trek Rush Lake is that you

first need to reach Hunza then Aliabad. From

Lahore you can directly take a bus for Pindi and

from Pindi you can take a seat in NATCO bus

for Aliabad, Hunza direct. From Hunza then

you need to go to Karimabad which is 30 min

drive from Aliabad.

It is better to rest for a day before leaving for

Rush lake, hence rest for a day in Hunza and get

your stuff ready. We started our journey from

Hunza to Hoper village by jeep and from there

the trek for rush lake started. It took around

two hours to reach Hoper village.

Next morning on reaching Hoper we took a

breakfast and without wasting time we hired a

porter for Rs. 3400 for complete rush lake trek

to balance the weight with us and left for Rush

lake. From hoper suddenly we have to trek

down almost 500 feet and then you enter the

mighty Baulter Glacier and It is not difficult to

cross. The only thing that you need to do is not

to leave the path which your porter is following.

It took us around an hour to cross that glacier

and after that we climb a bit and find ouot

another glacier on our way known as Bapru

glacier. This glacier is a mixture of mud and ice

and it again took us an hour to cross that glacier.

After crossing that glacier and climbing a bit we

reached a big Plain. There is so much direct heat

that it may damage your skin, in order to avoid

that don’t forget to use a good Sun block. After

a continuous trekking for five hours we reached

the first camping site named as Bari Chakor and

it is a very nice and beautiful camping site as

LAKES OF PAKISTAN

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 10: To Wards Pakistan

Possible Iternity

1 Drive to Chilas.2 Drive to Karimabad3 Daytrip to Ultar Meadows4 Drive to Hopar. Trek toBericho Kor5 Trek to Chidin Harai.6 Trek to Rush Lake7 Climb Rush Peak8 Trek back to Hopar anddrive to Karimabad9 Drive to Chilas.

there is just a stream coming from the Miar

Glacier(white glacier). This ends up our trek for

the first day.

We were quite tired after trekking for

continuously five hours and hence we camped

us though our porter was continuously saying

that come on boys as It is just 10% of the total

toughness of trek.

Anyways, next day the real climb started. At Bari

Chakor, our porter showed us the peak which

we had to climb and just one look at it made us

wonder and only those words could utter from

our mouth, OH MY GOD. Keeping in view the

roughness of the trek we got up early in the

morning at 4.30 am and left Bari Chakor at

5.30 am. The real climbing started now and we

reached the top of first peak after 5 hours, we

rested there for 15 min and again started

climbing and trekking as there was a gradual

climb for an hour and after that there was a

steep climb once again. After so many hours of

trekking and climbing we were feeling lack of

Oxygen. It was finally after 9 tough hours

constant trekking and climbing that we finally

saw the first view of Rush Lake and after seeing

this suddenly only these words came in our

mouth SUBHANALLAH.

The temperature was below zero on the lake and

due to that factor there was very much cold on

the lake. We were having swear headache at the

lake because of height, we prepared the food

and put our camps and just entered in it at 5.30

PM because the weather was really out of

control and the chilling winds had also started

blowing. We spend the whole night shivering in

our sleeping bags. We had a plan to go to rush

peak (17000 feet) as it is just besides the rush

lake and is not very much difficult to climb. Also

if the weather is clear you have a chance to see

K-2 far away.

But say it our bad luck, next morning at around

4.00 am, the rain started and when by 5.30 am

we came out in rain we saw that that the rush

peak was completely covered in snow. At that

time our porter advised us to leave rush lake

immediately as if the rain continues the snow

would also start falling within no time. As it was

already too cold so we packed our stuff in the

rain and left the lake. As we just left the lake, the

snow falling has started but it ended soon. We

made our trek back to Barichakor in 5 hours.

We camped at night over thee and next day we

trekked back to hoper.

Well, in short it was a great experience to visit

and trek the Rush Lake which is known to be

one of the most beautiful lakes and is known

for very serious trekkers. It is a beautiful place

worth visiting but is never recommended for the

beginners because of tough climb and height

sickness, the beginners should start mainly from

Kaghan Valley or Rakaposhi Trek than planning

out this trek.

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 11: To Wards Pakistan

Seth Lazar is a a photographer andacademic from Oxford, UK, with aspecial interest in the Indiansubcontinent. He loves thearchitecture and scenic beauty thatcome across in places like Delhiand the Hunza Valley. The picturesthat he keeps looking are alwaysthe portraits and the streetshots.

http://www.pbase.com/sethlazarTowards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Seth and I have travelled together to

many countries, but our two week

journey through Pakistan in the summer

of 2006 left a lasting impression on both of

us. Here was a country with so much history

and beauty, and with a people so memorably

hospitable. Armed with cameras, notebooks

and open minds, we immersed ourselves,

knowing that whilst time was short, the

country’s treasures were vast and many.

We began in Lahore. In the old

town, Aurangzeb’s Badshahi Mosque stands

proud beside the Lahore Fort, both of which

were a pleasure to behold and explore. In the

evening, crowds gathered around the mosque

and in the neighbouring Iqbal Park, making

this a nice place to meet the locals and take a

sunset walk. The nearby tombs of Nur Jahan

and the great Mughal Jehangir were easily

visited by auto-rickshaw. At Jehangir’s

splendid red sandstone and white marble

tomb, built in the seventeenth century, I was

reminded of the Indian film, ‘Mughal-e-

Azam’, inspired by the legend in which

Jehangir falls in love with the courtesan,

Anarkali. This love, forbidden by the

Emperor Akbar, was supposedly put to an

end when the Emperor ordered that Anarkali

be concealed within a wall, there to remain

until her starvation and death. Her name is

now given to a bazaar in the Old City. Such

stories suit the atmosphere of Lahore, which

whilst chaotic, with its swirling traffic and

busy markets, is really a romantic city at heart,

with as much poetry in its air as exhaust

fumes! At the Lahore museum, an excellent

selection of miniature paintings were on

display. Among the finest were a 19th

century Kangra School painting of Baz

Bahadur and Roopmati on horseback, and a

17th century Basholi school piece showing

Krishna lifting the mountain of Govardhan

to shelter the villagers from the rain brought

on by the angry Indra. At the end of each

day, we loved to hear the azan echoing

through the streets, and to enjoy a (non-

alcoholic!) beer in the Gulberg district whilst

reflecting on the day’s events.

Our adventures in the north took us

up the famous Karakoram Highway to the

Hunza valley and the mountain town of

Karimabad. This involved several days of

bus travel, and for the first time we were able

to see life outside of the cities – ravines,

rivers, plains, small towns, enormous

mountains – more of Pakistan revealing itself

Page 12: To Wards Pakistan

to us at every turn. I had never seen houses

like the ones that we saw between Gujrat and

Rawalpindi, built in block-like layers, and with

walled courtyards. We stayed overnight in the

town of Besham, where Seth bought a

shalwar kameez, envious of how comfortable

and smart the Pakistani men we had met so

far had looked. From here, we continued

along the steep, narrow highway. The

Karakoram Highway is prone to landslides

and has claimed many a life since its existence,

yet to travel on it is intoxicating for the

traveller, who becomes part of journey that

has been taking place amongst these

mountains for century upon century. Soon

after passing through the town of Chilas, we

could see the 8125 metre high Nanga Parbat,

its snow covered slopes glowing orange in the

sunset light. Our next overnight stay was in

Gilgit. From here we visited the Kargah Nala

cliff-face to see an ancient carving of the

Buddha etched into the rock. The following

day, we reached our destination, the town of

Karimabad.

The town, at the heart of the beautiful

Hunza Valley, is surrounded by mountains,

including the magnificent Rakaposhi (7790

metres high.) The climate was deliciously cool

during our two days there, and we loved

relaxing on our hotel balcony, eating bread

with Hunza honey, and seeing the Hunza River

flowing through the valley below, shining in

the sunlight. There are many walks and treks

to be taken in the area. Seth embarked on

one such morning trek whilst I went to

explore the intriguing Baltit Fort, which

perched dramatically on the hill above the

town and was painted bright white. I was the

only visitor that morning, and my guide, Isa,

was able to give me a real idea of how life

had been in the fort, which dates back eight

hundred years, and hasn’t been lived in since

the forties. Isa showed me the store rooms,

the prison, the communal living areas,

bedrooms and the royal rooms of the Mirs

of Hunza. Here, the heads of ibex were

mounted on the wall, alongside one of a

massive Marco Polo sheep. It struck me, as

Isa showed me artefacts in the cooking and

storage area, that many of the cooking

techniques used over the centuries in Hunza

were still in use now. He showed me a

goatskin used for making buttermilk – it was

just like the one I’d noticed hanging in a

restaurant the day before! And the apricots

that had grown in the valley for centuries were

still made into soup and juice and tea by the

locals. Hunza’s cuisine, in fact, is almost as

famous as its beauty. Before leaving, I chatted

with Mr Almagir-ji in the Baltit Fort ticket

office, and we ate some peaches from his

orchard. Then, at Isa’s recommendation, I

tried kurutze daudo at a local restaurant, a

thick soup made with the local hard, sour

cheese and chapatti strips. Truly delectable.

When Seth returned red faced and exhausted

from the mountains, I had lots to tell him

about.

Next, we retraced our route along the

Karakoram Highway all the way back to

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

The Karakoram Highway is

prone to landslides and has

claimed many a life since its

existence, yet to travel on

it is intoxicating for the

traveller, who becomes part

of journey that has been

taking place amongst these

mountains for century upon

century.

Page 13: To Wards Pakistan

Rawalpindi. From there, we visited the capital,

Islamabad, and were impressed by its modern,

Hi-tech feel. It was Pindi, however, that stole

our hearts, and we spent a happy day exploring

its bazaars, taking tea with friendly locals and

watching artists paint colourful designs on the

lorries and trucks that you see brightening up

the roads all over the country. From there,

we travelled south to the city of Multan. Due

to unrest in Balochistan at this particular time,

we were accompanied by policeman

everywhere we went. This took some getting

used to, and I was worried that we would

disturb the peace at the shrines, but the

policemen were kind, and were able to drive

us to places we may not have otherwise known

about. One of them was a poet and a singer,

and he even sang part of an impressive ghazal

for us. We visited the beautiful Eidgah

Mosque, saw the imposing white domed tomb

of Sheikh Rukn-i-Alam and fed pigeons

outside the grand tomb of Baha-ud-Din

Zakaria. Each of these incredible buildings

had blue tile work, so when we visited the

tomb of Shams-ud-din Sabzwari, we were

struck by its lime green dome and coloured

tiles. Whilst based in Multan, we also took the

opportunity to visit Uch Sharif by car. This

small town has some stunning ruined shrines,

and whilst Seth photographed them, I drew

sketches, and we were joined by many curious

locals who gathered around to see what we

were up to. I will never forget the sunset over

the shrines of Bibi Jawindi and Jalaluddin

Bukhari, and the sound of muezzins calling for

the evening prayers.

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

It was Pindi, however, that

stole our hearts, and we

spent a happy day exploring

its bazaars, taking tea with

friendly locals and watching

artists paint colourful

designs on the lorries and

trucks that you see

brightening up the roads all

over the country.

Page 14: To Wards Pakistan

Our trip concluded in Lahore, and

both of us were sad that it was over.

There were places we missed that I now

long to see - the fort at Rhotas, the

Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, and the city

of Karachi to name a few. In just two

weeks, Pakistan had cast its spell over us.

It had been challenging at times to travel

there; there had been dust storms,

torrential rain, bus rides that lasted more

than twenty hours, forty five degree heat

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

and, as a woman, I had needed to get used

to wearing a headscarf very often, and

abiding by different customs than in my

own country. All of these challenges were

infinitely worthwhile, as the character of

the people, the beauty of the land and the

majesty of so many of the buildings was

inspirational. Until our return, it is in

Seth’s photographs and within my own

writings that I will warmly remember this

great country.

Page 15: To Wards Pakistan

Remebering Earth Quake 2005Though we cannot forget,,,,

But lets remind ourselves, a bit more strongly,

What they went through.

On that eventful day, and eversince.

Lets join our hands in prayer.

Lets look again, if we can still give

They aren’t on their feet again, yet

Lets rekindle the flame that burnt so high by the grace

of Allah,

Which made us a nation, again.

Lets hope and pray,,,

Lets show the world we don’t need something like

that,,, to be one.

Just the memory will strengthen the bond.

Text by Surgeon Asim

Photos by Muzaffar Bokhari, Rizwan Ghias, Jacob Simkons & Yasir Nisar

Page 16: To Wards Pakistan
Page 17: To Wards Pakistan

Documentary is one medium that attracts many andis one of the passions for those who wants toseriously make a career in that. With the loads ofinternational channels making invasion on the tele-screen, we are unfortunate enough in notpromoting the heritage and the beautiful placesthat we have in Pakistan. With all the promotionthat media has mainly given to the tube and filmdirectors, still there are many professionaldocumentary makes who have never beenexploited. Nisar Malik is one such name, who isone of the few educated and professionally traineddocumentary makers of Pakistan who have thecredit of getting their work on the internationalchannels like National Geographic, Animal Planet,

Discovery and BBC.

We at Towards Pakistan, feel honored to featurehim as the first Person in focus in our first issue.

by yasir nisar

1. Tell us about yourself, briefly?

My family comes from Mansehra while I was

born in Lyallpur, grew up in Karachi and then

went to study in Abbottabad where I got my

first taste of the mountains. From the mid

seventies till the early eighties I traveled all over

Pakistan on a motorcycle – especially the

northern areas. My work experience has taken

me from Breeding and Farming to Security

Systems, from Fire Fighting to the News world

and from training the Motorway Police to

creating wildlife and extreme sports events and

documentaries. I am a 49 years old married

man having four children and currently settled

in Islamabad and do windsurf, swim, kayak,

trek and generally enjoy the outdoors.

2. How did you get your start in the

production of documentaries?

I had worked with international TV companies

for almost two decades and mainly did current

affairs in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2003 I

gave it up and used the same skill base in

setting up Walkabout Films, a small but very

“potent” field production unit in Pakistan. I

made a conscious decision to get out of the

news world and into my passion for

exploration, using media. Since then we have

grown into a specialist unit and are supported

by some very senior and world renowned

freelancers in the Natural History scene, from

around the world.

3. Your first break was the documentary

on three high altitude lakes in

Pakistan, how do you feel about it and

what provoked you to work such a

different and difficult theme?

I have always been good at water sports and

done open sea diving, survival and rescue as

well. Windsurfing always fascinated me and I

taught myself in Oman. I also windsurfed in

Karachi while living at Sandspit for over a year.

I had windsurfed at Khanpur, Tarbela, Saif Ul

Maluk and Lulusar lakes before I got news of

a 24 part series called Adventure Challenge that

was being launched by National Geographic. I

applied to the producers with my challenge,

which was to windsurf three high altitude (The

highest was Karambar at 4300m) lakes in the

north of Pakistan. As none of these places

were ever covered before in any international

documentary – they agreed and I went for a

25 day trip from Sheosar (Deosai Plains) to

Karambar (Ishkoman) and finally to Sirkhan Jui

(on the border with Afghanistan (Wakkhan

Corridor). The episode is called Surfing the

Northern Frontier and first ran on Adventure

One, then Nat Geo and it has since run on

over 30 channels internationally. Exploration is

PERSON IN FOCUS

NISAR MALIK

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

My work experience has taken

me from Breeding and

Farming to Security Systems,

from Fire Fighting to the

News world and from training

the Motorway Police to

creating wildlife and extreme

sports events and

documentaries. I am a 49

years old married man having

four children and currently

settled in Islamabad and do

windsurf, swim, kayak, trek

and generally enjoy the

outdoors.

Page 18: To Wards Pakistan

and a first for Survivor to be filmed in

extreme mountain conditions), Planet Earth,

the series – The “Mountains” Episode(A

BBC Natural History Unit Production)

Walkabout Films and I worked on the

segment on Pakistan covering the Baltoro and

Karakoram area. The unit used High

Definition helicopter mounted cameras to

film the amazing footage. We also managed to

capture (on film) the first ever HD shots of

Snow Leopard at close range, Markhor,

Golden Eagles and wolves etc in Chitral.

Snow Leopard – Beyond the Myth, (A

BBC Natural History Unit production which

is set in Chitral and is a 50 minute stand alone

program). I was asked to be the presenter on

the program and it has been narrated by Sir

David Attenborough. The program will air

late 2007 on BBC2 and early 2008 on Animal

Planet and Discovery. We regularly upload our

short clips and videos on our website

www.walkaboutfilms.tv.

5. Your work is very different than many

other people who are mainly working

on commercial productions that air on

the local channels? What is the reason

behind that?

We all have our calling. I have always been

drawn to the natural makeup of our country,

in terms of its Natural History. I got the

opportunity and have made it my mission to

part of the human soul and it would not

mean much if it was not difficult!

4. What other documentaries and

productions have you done so far?

I have done numerous short documentaries

and corporate videos for Toyota and UN

agencies etc. Our main work has been in the

field of Natural History and Extreme Sport.

We also develop events and then document

them. Some of our work includes The Indus

Blind Dolphin (A look at the story of the

dolphin and its struggle for survival), Uch

Sharif (A look into a special heritage, the

problems and solutions), When Mountains

Weep (We literally cleaned Lake Siaf Ul Maluk

and all of Naran. During this week long

sponsored event, we collected and disposed

off over 40 TONS of rubbish from this

fragile place), Freeride 2004/5 (Skiing the

Karakoram’s and the Himalayas in Pakistan.

This was our in-house effort to sponsor and

invite 6 extreme professionals from Europe

to survey the north for its ski potential), Kite

and Flight 2006 (The efforts made during

the Freeride project allowed us to hold the

first ever international extreme ski and

snowboarding event at the Deosai Plains in

Pakistan), Survivor Pakistan (Pepsi

sponsored the world acclaimed series and we

did all the field production while the Interflow

team did the post production. It was the first

program of its kind to be filmed in Pakistan

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 19: To Wards Pakistan

make programs in areas where there is amazingnatural beauty but no facilities for the locals. Byworking in these areas we give a lot back tothese wonderful and colorful people – theyreflect our true image and are the real Pakistan.Our main stream work does not offer us thecommercial opportunities locally due to costof production and lack of professionals in thenatural history field, but as all things new ordifferent, someone has to do it! It makesworking here difficult but we believe in ourcountry and its potential and our work reflectsthat. We believe that some day someone willsee the images we have brought to the worldand finally support this type of filmmakinglocally Pakistan by Pakistanis!

6. Your work is mainly on the unexploredareas of Pakistan, the hidden treasuresand beauty which are not in the publicdomain, how do you search for theseplaces?

Actually it takes a lot of research, explorationand word of mouth. There are a lot of verytalented and traveled people in Pakistan.Sometimes it just makes sense to pack up andgo out there – you are sure to find somethingnew on each trip. The main thing is that youmust have eyes to see!! Most of us have lostthe ability to see things around us – this is not aprofound statement, just the truth!

7. What are the quality issues that onehas to face while working for highprofile quality channels like the BBCand National geographic?

Everything stems from VHW (very hardwork)! Lots of research!!! One of the reasonsthey do such great work is based on theamount of time and money they spend onresearch.

8. You seem to be very passionate aboutthe beauty of Pakistan, so what drivesyou to these areas?

Have a look around you – you would have tobe seriously lacking in some way not to bemoved by Pakistan’s natural history! I amdriven by nature and people who live in thisnature and believe me, we have tons of it! Iwould like to add that while I am passionate, Iam also very concerned that we are destroyingthe very beauty we are trying to promote.These areas MUST be protected – it isunacceptable that we decimate forests, pollutestreams and build without any guidelines, allunchecked and the people who have beengiven the trust and opportunity to dosomething just turn a blind eye.Pakistan is a land of some of the mostamazing nature found anywhere on the planet– we are fast destroying it due to our apathy –mark my words, this destruction will haunt usin the years to come in the form of floods,water shortages and extreme climate reactions.We are destroying our north which is thesource of all our water – an area that has takennature millions of years to build.

9. What are the major challenges whileworking on these productions?

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 20: To Wards Pakistan

Finding the right professionals locally andfinding the funds, the work itself is veryinteresting and a lot of fun!

10. What documentaries and projects areyou currently working on?

We are working on a three part series onPakistan that covers the Mountains, Plains andCostal. This is a high end series that would beaired domestically and internationally. We havea lot to show the world and this is one subjectin which we are second to none! Plus, we areworking on a series of short documentaries onPakistan and highlighting the people and eventsthat we seldom hear about. Another series isabout wildlife across Pakistan possibly a sequelto the Snow Leopard story. Then there is aWinter Resort Project – it is an amazing projectsuited for our country. We spent over six yearsresearching and developing the project andshould be speaking to the right parties in thenear future.

11. What do you mainly aim to achievethrough these documentaries?

Three things:• Share Pakistan with Pakistanis and the

world• Create awareness so that there are positive

efforts made after seeing the “unknown”.• Create downstream economic benefits/

effect by working in very remote areas andlocations

12. What are your favorite subjects andthemes in production anddocumentaries and which one of your

documentaries is your favoriteamongst them all and why?

Without a doubt, Natural History and Sport –Surfing the Northern Frontier becauseeverything was by chance – the story, theopportunity and for the fact that it took me tothe most beautiful places I have ever seen aswell as the people and the history of the area.It was like living a dream!

13. Which areas have you captured mostand what is your best work to date?

The northern areas would figure the most inmy work but I have worked in the low landsand the coast as well. My best work wouldhave to be my latest piece, Snow Leopard –Beyond the Myth. There is magic in the eyes ofthis cat – she is by far the most beautiful felineon the planet and it is an amazing honor tohave filmed and seen this animal where the best

names in the business could not!

14. How can youngsters contribute toyour cause?

We are a country of young people but what issad is that we do not have enough activity forthe youth – if I were in a powerful position, Iwould make Pakistan into a sport and activitybased nation. Make it mandatory to play andparticipate in our natural history – to explore,to be responsible for and to protect. As far ascontributing to my cause is concerned? Well, itis not just the young – we all have a duty tolook after what we have been gifted – we

must take ownership of it.

Page 21: To Wards Pakistan

INTRODUCTION

Photographic Club Of PakistanThe Photographic Club of Pakistan is an

online community of Pakistani photogra-

phers (www.flickr.com/groups/

pakistaniphotographers/) both fromwithin the country and settled abroad.

The main objectives of the club are to;

(i) build a positive image of Pakistan inthe eyes of international community bysharing great photographic work on Paki-stan, covering; landscape, nature, wild-life, people and culture, environment,architecture, so on and so forth, all aboutPakistan, and

(ii) provide an online forum for Pakistaniphotographers to learn photographic tech-niques from each other and share theirknowledge and experience in this field.

Last year, the club arranged an exhibi-

tion of photographic work of its membersin Lahore. This was the first-ever exhibi-tion of its kind where all process of sub-

mission, short-listing, and selection of

pictures was done online usingwww.flickr.com. The physical exhibitionwas held at Nairang Art Gallery in Lahore

and it received a great coverage both from

print and electronic media. Apart from thatthe club has also conducted several one-

day workshops on different technical as-pects of digital photography.

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com

Page 22: To Wards Pakistan

ACTIVITIES

PPG Meet Ups

Towards Pakistanwww.towardspakistan.com