Quratulain Balouch shines internationally

By Sher Khan

Published: September 30, 2011

QB is currently working on her first album which is due to be released this year. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE: 

Upcoming pop singer Quratulain Balouch, popularly known as QB, recently won the ‘Pakistan’s Youngest Achievement Award UK and Europe 2011’ in Britain. The third annual Pakistan achievement awards were held on September 16 and included 500 nominations for 11 award categories.

Balouch, who came into the spotlight during this year’s “Coke Studio”, has busied herself with touring and recording her first album, the name of which has not been finalised yet. The album, she says, will be ready for release by the end of the year.

The award, which has been presented to several distinguished personalities including famed boxer Amir Khan, came as a pleasant surprise to QB. “I was approached for the Pakistan Youngest Achievement Award UK and Europe 2011 and was thrilled to get an award that is recognised internationally,” says Balouch. “People in London love Pakistani music and appreciate it to the fullest,” she adds, while highlighting that Pakistan’s music was growing and taking over other countries, including India.

Recently, QB recorded the soundtrack for Hum TV serial “Humsafar”, a song that not only capitalises on Balouch’s unique voice but has also been well-received by critics. “The lyrics of the soundtrack have been crafted by Naseer Turabi and the beautiful song was also sung by Abida Parveen. I was truly honoured to be given this chance.”

Meanwhile, speaking on her singing style, QB adds that she hopes to maintain her own unique personality, adding that not being a classical singer — despite having a classical voice — allows her to better identify with the people. “I find it hard to completely change the overall image of being traditional because of my voice, although I agree my music is totally different from how I present myself, I’d rather keep it natural than make alterations in my appearance,” states the 23-year-old.

Being one of the younger musicians in the currently passive music industry means that there are numerous challenges for her in terms of growing and succeeding in the profession. However as a ‘new kid on the block’, QB says her experience has been incomparable as she has been extremely lucky so far. “Some people have it ingrained in them, while others have to work a little harder to get where they want. I would say focus and determination are very important. Another key point is to know what one is capable of,” she adds.

Rueing the fact that the industry is on the decline, QB laments, “Unfortunately, the music scene is fading in our country and the right platform for newcomers is hardly something to count on. I feel our music industry needs passionate people.”

The chances of Balouch following the footsteps of several Pakistani musicians, who enter the acting fold, are slim at the moment as the young artist is currently not interested in the said field.  “I’m a very bad actor; it wouldn’t be the best decision for me to even think of acting,” quips Balouch, adding that music is her passion and she plans to stick to it.

It's a sick relationship


Beyond the recent verbal confrontation between US and Pakistani officials about the Haqqani network lies a delicate political-military effort to draw the Haqqanis into an end-game strategy for the war in Afghanistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, the departing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, rebuked the Pakistani spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, for using the Haqqani network as its "veritable arm" in Afghanistan. But US officials know that the ISI also facilitated a secret meeting during the last several months between the US and a representative of the Haqqani clan. This is the double game that's always operating in US-Pakistani relations.

Some US officials believe that the recent wave of attacks by the Haqqanis on US targets in Afghanistan may, in fact, reflect the determination of hard-line members of the clan to derail any move toward negotiation. The US wants the Pakistani military's help in isolating and destroying these "unreconcilable" elements of the network.

The sparring with Pakistan illustrates the wider dilemma of the Afghan war. How does the US bring pressure on the Haqqanis and other Taliban factions, even as it withdraws troops with a 2014 deadline for completing its mission? As Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, has said: "The more the U.S. says it wants to leave Afghanistan, the harder it will be to leave."

What angered Mullen and other US officials was Pakistan's failure to act on intelligence reports about planned Haqqani attacks. A timeline helps untangle the threads of the dispute:

On September 8, General John Allen, the Nato commander in Afghanistan, is said to have warned General Ashfaq Kayani, the Pakistani army chief, that two truck bombs had been assembled in Miran Shah, the Haqqanis' base in North Waziristan, and were headed for Afghanistan. Kayani is said to have pledged he would take action.

On September 10, one of those truck bombs struck a Nato base in Wardak, east of Kabul, wounding 77 US soldiers. That triggered Mullen's anger. Some senior officials concede that Pakistan may not have had enough time, or precise 'actionable' intelligence, to stop the bomb-laden truck.

On September 13, insurgents from the Haqqani network attacked the US embassy compound in Kabul. Though Mullen mentioned this attack in his denunciation of ISI-Haqqani links, US officials don't see clear evidence of a Pakistani role in planning or executing the operation, a message the CIA privately communicated to Islamabad. But in the days after the bombing, US officials presented Pakistan with a series of 'what ifs', to convey the danger of the situation: What if the 77 soldiers at Wardak had been killed? What if the US ambassador in Kabul had died?

What then?

On September 18, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the Pakistani foreign minister and delivered the first of a series of US rebukes, asking how Pakistan could promote the Haqqanis as a prospective negotiating partner and yet sit by idly while they attacked Americans.

On September 25 and 26, two long-time congressional supporters of Pakistan, Senators Lindsey O Graham and Mark Kirk, warned of a halt in military aid. But scheduled military discussions continue, with General James Mattis, the head of US Central Command, visiting Islamabad last weekend and warning that Pakistan had to choose sides.

The message seems to have gotten through to Pakistani military leaders, who reportedly concluded at a secret commanders' conference on Monday that they don't want a confrontation with the US. But surely, this is a sick relationship when the partners have to go to the brink of open confrontation to get the other side to listen.

With all the noise about the Haqqanis, it's important to remember that the real issue here is the larger war in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama's goal remains a political settlement with "reconcilable" elements of the Taliban, and secret contacts have been continuing around the world. The message to the Haqqanis is that they can protect political power in their ancestral homeland in Paktika, Paktia and Khost provinces by coming to the table now.But does the Taliban - or the Pakistani government, for that matter - take the US strategy seriously? How can the US gain enough leverage to tip the process toward negotiation? That's what this war of words was really about.



The views expressed by the author are personal.

David Ignatius, The Washington Post
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/752089.aspx

All eyes on crucial APC today

ISI not exporting terrorism: Lt Gen Pasha

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will host a crucial All Parties Conference (APC) today (Thursday) in an effort to evolve national response to the US threats to invade North Waziristan Agency that Washington blames Haqqani Netwrok is using as a safe haven.

Director General ISI Lt General Shuja Pasha briefed the All Parties Conference (APC) about the challenges the country was facing at the military front.

According to sources, Lt General Pasha said that the ISI was not exporting terrorism and denied US accusations of supporting the Haqqani network.

Sources further add that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said that there must be some reason that the world was leveling these accusations against Pakistan. Sharif called for all issues to be presented before parliament and added that the world would not believe Pakistan unless parliamentary resolutions were implemented.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani replied to Sharif that he would eliminate his concerns.

Chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party Mehmood Achakzai also reacted to Lt General Pasha’s statements and said that if the ISI wanted it could achieve peace in Afghanistan within a month. 

Angeline Malik

Angeline Malik is a director as well as an actress in Pakistan. She is hugely popular, and won the Lux Style Award for the Best Direction in 2006. She was also nominated for the best actress in the same year. Currently, she is regarded as one of the top five directors in Pakistan. She also produces drama serials, and her own production house entitled Angelic Films.

Angeline was born in London and spent her initial childhood there only, after which she shifted to Islamabad. She is known for directing some of the best drama serials such as Mystery Theatre, Jantay Jantay, Laila Ki Film Lahasil and Lillian.


Lahasil. Lahasil On Hum Tv. drama serial Lahasil On Hum Tv. best drama serial Lahasil.Greatest pakistani drama serial Lahasil On Hum Tv.
Script Director: Noorul Huda Shah,
Produced by: Momina Duraid,
Written by: Umera Ahmed,
Direted by : Angeline Malik,
CAST: Fahad Mustafa, Angeline Malik, Nauman Ejaz, Sunny Tanio, Seemi Pasha, Yasir Akhtar, Sajid Hassan,Shahi, Mikaal, Beenish Chohan,

Taliban says US wants to weaken Pakistan govt over Haqqanis

In an unusual step, Afghan Taliban Tuesday batted for Pakistan over the issue of ISI-backed terror strikes in Afghanistan, claiming that the US "wants to spread chaos in Pakistan" and weaken its government.

In a statement issued in the name of 'Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate', the Afghan Taliban claimed US officials had launched a campaign of blaming Pakistan for an "uptick in the thunderous strikes" in Afghanistan in order to divert attention from their "ignominious defeat".

"America wants to spread chaos in Pakistan through various means, weaken its government and make it dependent upon them.

"That is why it is trying to make this government collide with its citizens and with this excuse, make them fight each other to show that there is what they like to call terrorist sanctuaries there (in Pakistan)," the statement said.

The Afghan Taliban, which has usually refrained from commenting on the situation in Pakistan, issued the statement as tensions spiked between Pakistan and the US over allegations that the ISI had backed the Haqqani network in carrying out a string of high-profile terror attacks.

US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen had described the Haqqani network as a "veritable arm" of the ISI.

The Obama administration has stepped up pressure on Islamabad to act against the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region.

However, the Afghan Taliban statement claimed, "Neither are our bases in Pakistan nor do we need residence outside of our country in uncertain conditions.

"All the military and civilian activities in the country are our own initiatives and our own actions."

It said Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Haqqani network, was one of the "honourable and dignified personalities" of the Afghan Taliban movement and receives guidance for operations from Mullah Omar, the head of the movement.

The Afghan Taliban contended “it would be better for America and her allies to put an end to the occupation of Afghanistan as quickly as possible and do now what must inevitably be done”.

The statement further asked the people and government of Pakistan to "deliberate on America's two-faced and implacable politics" and give precedence to "Islamic and national interests".

US frustrations over Pakistan 

boil over

Adm Mike Mullen's comments that the militant Haqqani group is a "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence service the ISI is just the latest and most extreme in a series of statements that will be seen in Pakistan as incendiary.

Not only will this generate concern in government circles, but the wider public will also be very worried about the implications of this war of words.

Pakistani media coverage of a string of outspoken comments from the US on Pakistani relations with militants have reflected these fears. People are worried that the Afghan war is coming to their side of the border.

All of a sudden the Americans are talking openly about suspicions they have harboured for years and at an extremely senior level.

For years, US statements have trod delicately about the issue. They have talked about "elements" of the Pakistani "establishment" having "links" with militant groups.

The new accusatory terminology is instructive and lays bare the gulf that has opened up between these uneasy allies.

'Common enemy'

The question is what will it really achieve in Pakistan and what options are open to the Pakistani government?

The first position, as is clear from past experience, is denial. Pakistan denies the allegations and this has been a consistent position over the years. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has demanded evidence.

"We demand that US provide us proof that the Haqqani network is based in tribal areas, so that we can eliminate our common enemy," he told the BBC.

He also says that while there are militants in the tribal areas, the responsibility for attacks on Afghanistan also lies in what he calls "some weakness on the other side of the border".

The government will be keen to remind the wider world that Pakistan too has been in the grip of terror for years as militants launch deadly attacks across the country.

But many argue that one simply has to look at the number of militants arrested or killed on Pakistani soil. Most famously, Osama Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad, but countless other high profile Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders have been arrested or killed in the country. The Pakistanis may well issue denials, but analysts will point to such history.

The Haqqani network - and Pakistan's alleged relationship with it - has been a source of frustration for the US.

It is a matter of record that Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the network, was nurtured by the Pakistani secret service while fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Indeed he was also assisted by the CIA.

Some analysts believe the links between the militants and Pakistan's intelligence are still alive. But others say that Pakistan's secret service no longer has control over the potent militant groups it helped create.

'Diplomatic glue'

There is some evidence, locals in Pakistan's tribal areas close to the Afghan border say, of cross-border support, such as food supplies being provided to militants. Some analysts even allege that elements of the army admit assistance in Waziristan.

But this is flatly denied by Pakistan's military and the ISI, through its various channels, has also denied such links.

What is clear is that the Haqqanis play a significant role in the militant affairs of Pakistan's north-west. They are the "diplomatic glue" of the various militant groups in the area, mediating when there are tensions between competing clans and tribes in Waziristan.

The real question, for most analysts in Pakistan, is not whether the Haqqanis are here or whether the Pakistan military supports them, but what the Americans are going to do now.

They will want Pakistan to go after the Haqqanis, but the Pakistanis are reluctant to undertake a military operation, particularly one that will prove unpopular in a country bruised by the latest US comments and unilateral actions such as the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

And the last Pakistani offensive against militants in Waziristan simply shifted many militants to neighbouring regions.

If there are links, they have so far eluded mapping and conclusive proof. It is now up to the Americans to show if there is a smoking gun.

Gilani calls Rabbani back from US visit


The ties between United States and Pakistan dipped further with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raja Gilani reportedly called its Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar back from US on Sunday. Khar was in US to attend United Nations General Assembly. 

The development came after repeated accusations from US that ISI is supporting rogue Haqqani Network.

Gilani described the allegations by US as a "propaganda blitz against Pakistan that vitiates the atmosphere ". Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leadership has welcomed Gilani’s decision as it has badly affected the country’s image. 

Ties between Islamabad and Washington plunged to a new low after US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen stepped up accusations that the ISI was aiding the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, blamed for an attack on the US Embassy in Kabul last week.

Earlier, Khar said if the US wanted to cut its ties with Pakistan, then Islamabad was also ready to “pay the price”. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said, "India always believe that ISI and Haqqani Network are working together.” 

As tension prevails between the United States and Pakistan, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani summoned Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar back to Islamabad on Sunday for the All Parties Conference (APC). 

Khar’s presence is said to be vital during the APC as she was one of the few members of the civilian leadership to have been directly approached by US officials regarding allegations of Pakistan running a proxy war in Afghanistan via the Haqqani network.

According to the Pakistan embassy in the United States, Khar will be cutting her trip short and likely flying back to Pakistan tonight. She will meet both Gilani and President Zardari on arrival, say sources.

Gilani on Sunday contacted leaders of various political parties to develop a consensus over the US allegations against Pakistani security institutions via the APC.

Talking tough: ‘Pakistan not responsible for security of US forces’

Pakistan cannot be held responsible for the security of US, Nato or Isaf forces in Afghanistan, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in a policy statement at a donors’ conference on Saturday.

Condemning the “propaganda blitz against Pakistan,” the premier said that the public recrimination is “most unfortunate … vitiates the atmosphere and is counter-productive.”

The policy statement comes amid increasingly strained ties between Pakistan and the United States, following a volley of accusations vis-à-vis Pakistan’s alleged ties with the Haqqani network.

The blame game tends to ignore the sacrifices by the people of Pakistan and negates all that the country has endeavoured to achieve over the last so many years, the premier said.

Gilani added that the allegations “betray a confusion and policy disarray within the US establishment on the way forward in Afghanistan.”

“While there have been terrorist attacks in Kabul and Wardak, there have also been numerous attacks on Pakistan launched from sanctuaries and safe havens in Nuristan and Kunar in Afghanistan. It is as much the responsibility of the Afghan National Army, Nato and Isaf not to allow such cross-border militancy,” the premier was quoted as saying.

“Let’s be objective and not get carried away by emotions,” the premier bluntly suggested to the United States.

Warning against unilateral action

Pakistan talked tough for a second straight day and warned the United States against any unilateral action on its soil, as head of the US Central Command General James Mattis met Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani here on Saturday.

The US embassy in Islamabad confirmed that the meeting took place but refrained from sharing any details while the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), initially neither confirmed nor denied the meeting.

“I don’t have full details of the meeting between Gen James and Gen Kiyani but I can confirm that Gen James arrived here on the weekend and has met Gen Kiyani,” said spokesperson for the US embassy in Islamabad Mark Stroh. “It is a regularly scheduled visit,” he added.

Sources said the Haqqani network and overall security situation of the region were discussed during the meeting.

“We have already made clear (to the US) that there will be a strong reaction to any unilateral offensive within our borders,” a Pakistani military official said. Gen Kayani also protested over cross-border attacks on Pakistani territory emanating from the Afghan soil, sources said.

Meanwhile, according to CBS news, cell phones recovered from the killed insurgents who had attacked the US embassy in Kabul last week revealed that the phones were used to call Pakistani intelligence operatives before and during the assault.

It is this evidence that led US Joint Chiefs of Staff chief Admiral Mike Mullen to announce in public that the Haqqani network is a “veritable arm” of Pakistani intelligence, CBS News reported on Saturday.

Khar stays on offensive

Over in the US, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, on Saturday, also warned the United States against sending ground troops to fight the Haqqanis.

Khar said that there are red lines and rules of engagement with America, which should not be broken.

“It opens all kinds of doors and all kinds of options,” she was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. The comment was in response to a question about the possibility of US troops coming to Pakistan.

Khar, however, insisted that Pakistan’s policy was to seek a more intensive engagement with the US and that she would like to discourage any blame game.

“If many of your goals are not achieved, you do not make someone a scapegoat,” she said.

Retaliation possible

“There should be no ambiguity in any one’s mind that we will be unguarded again,” said a military official, referring to a possible unilateral strike like the May 2 operation when US helicopters entered deep inside the Pakistani territory undetected and killed the al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

“It will not happen any more … if two bullets are fired from the other side, we have to respond with two. This is standard procedure in such situations,” the official added when asked about the military strategy in case of a ground offensive or an aerial strike, besides drones, by the US forces.

Musical heritage: 

The last of the sitar makers

In a room five feet by 10 feet, Zia, 64, and his son Imran, 25, attach strings to a wooden frame, a meticulously carved structure with white embellishments. Imran works on the body, inlaying diamond-shaped pieces of plastic and polishing it, while Zia fixes and tunes the strings.

“This one is for a collector of classic musical instruments,” says Imran. “He realises this is a disappearing craft.”

Sher Muhammad Sitar Makers, the small shop in Bansanwala Bazaar where Zia and Imran’s family has been making and selling the iconic classical music instrument since 1948, used to compete for customers with Bombay Music, the only other sitar makers in town.

But Bombay Music, also in Bansanwala Bazaar, stopped producing sitars some 20 years ago after the owner and main craftsman died. They now repair various musical instruments.

Zia, who is also a professional sitar player and winner of a Pride of Performance, says business was good until the 1970s. “My son and I are here by ourselves now. But from 1948 to 1970, my two elder brothers, my father, and I worked here with seven other employees. Sometimes we had to delay orders because we were too busy.”

Today, they sell about 15 sitars a year. Most customers come for repairs. “The good players come when they need the jawaari (a part of the instrument) adjusted to improve the sound,” says Imran. “The beginners come when they’ve broken something.”

They make two kinds of sitars, one for beginners and one for professionals. Each sitar takes about four months to make and sells for between Rs10,000 and Rs60,000. Most of them are sent to shops outside Lahore. “They are sold without a sticker or a stamp to vendors who display or resell it,” Imran says.

They make six or seven sitars every year for students of Home Economic College, he says. The National College of Arts and Lahore Art Council have their own stock of sitars for their students.

So the shop doesn’t go the way of Bombay Music, Zia taught his son Imran how to make sitars, and another son – Kashan, 20 – is learning to play and will later learn to make it too. “I think knowing how to play it will make it easier to learn how to make or repair it,” Kashan says.

“The tradition of sitar making is sacred to me. I feel blessed that my sons will continue doing it after I’m gone,” says Zia.

Imran started learning how to make sitars when he was 10. Now 25, he says he still has a lot to learn from his father, such as his incredible ear for tuning the instrument. “My father never asks me to help tune the strings. It takes a lifetime to master the skill,” he says.

To try and improve business, Imran also learned to make harmoniums, tanpuras, guitars and violins, but the shop is still primarily recognised for its sitars.

Zia, the youngest of three brothers, moved to Lahore from Amritsar with his family in 1947. His father Sher Muhammad set up the shop, which Zia has run since the death of his two elder brothers. Zia has three other sons besides Imran and Kashan who are not involved in the business.

Shahzad Khalil, a professional sitar player, gets his sitar maintained at Sher’s. He says like most artists here, he bought his sitar from India because of its wider selection. He says there used to be a few shops selling sitars in the Walled City, but they either closed down or now sold only harmoniums, tablas and anklets.

“Some make replicas for decorative use only,” Imran says.

Sarwat Ali, who heads the musicology department at the National College of Arts, says the shop makes good quality sitars. He said a lack of skilled craftsmen as well as players meant it was unlikely to pick up as a business. “They are export quality instruments. But India has a much bigger and established market,” he said.

Rakae Jamil, a young sitar player and teacher at Aitchison College, said he did not believe there was a strong future for the sitar in Pakistan. “There are few serious players,” he says. “Most beginners quit after a while.

US must not cross ‘red lines’, 

says FM Khar

Pakistan’s foreign minister on Saturday warned the United States against sending ground troops to her country to fight an Afghan militant group that America alleges is used as a proxy by Pakistan’s top intelligence agency for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan.


The warning came as a top US military commander was in Pakistan for talks with the army chief at a time of intense strain between the two countries. The US Embassy said Gen. James Mattis, head of US Central Command, arrived in Pakistan late Friday, and that he will meet the army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Ties between Islamabad and Washington are in crisis after American officials stepped up accusations that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence was aiding insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan, including those who took part in an attack on the US Embassy last week in Kabul.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in an interview Saturday that there are red lines and rules of engagement with America, which should not be broken.

”It opens all kinds of doors and all kinds of options,” she told Pakistan’s private Aaj News TV from New York. The comment was in response to a question about the possibility of US troops coming to Pakistan.
Khar, however, insisted that Pakistan’s policy was to seek a more intensive engagement with the US and that she would like to discourage any blame game.

”If many of your goals are not achieved, you do not make someone a scapegoat,” she said, addressing the US.

The US allegations have seen a strong reaction from Pakistan.

Kayani, the Pakistani army chief, said on Friday that the charges were baseless and part of a public ”blame game” detrimental to peace in Afghanistan. Other Islamabad officials urged Washington to present evidence for such a serious allegation. Khar warned the United States is risking losing an ally in the war on terror.

The row began when Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Thursday accused the ISI agency of supporting Haqqani insurgents in planning and executing last week’s 22-hour assault on the US Embassy and a truck bombing that wounded 77 American soldiers days earlier.

Kayani said the allegations were ”very unfortunate and not based on facts.”

The claims were the most serious yet by an American official against nuclear-armed Pakistan, which Washington has given billions in civilian and military aid over the last 10 years to try to secure its cooperation inside Afghanistan and against al-Qaeda.
The Haqqani insurgent network is widely believed to be based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area along the Afghan border. The group has historical ties to Pakistani intelligence, dating back to the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The relationship between the two countries has never been smooth, but it took one of its hardest hits when US commandos slipped into Pakistan on May 2 without informing the Pakistanis of their mission and killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a garrison town not far from Islamabad.

Pakistani scholar nominated for

 “World Technology Network” award

Pakistani scholar Dr. Athar Osama has been nominated for the prestigious World Technology Network (WTN) award and has also been elected as a fellow of the WTN.


In a press briefing released on September 5, WTN recognised www.Muslim-Science.com as an agent of change founded by Dr. Athar Osama and has been named as a finalist for the Science and Innovation Media Journalism category.
The WTN will host this award at the World Technology Summit in association with TIME, Fortune, CNN, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and MIT’s Technology Review.

The WTN awards are widely seen as “Oscars of Science and Technology.” The Previous WTN award winners include Al Gore (US former Vice President), Mohammad Yunus (founder of Grameen Bank), Mark Zuckurberg (Facebook founder), Larry Page (Google) and Tim Berners – Lee (Inventor of Internet), however, no Pakistani has won this award as yet.

The awards to be distributed in the World Technology Summit, to be  held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, USA on October 25 – 26, 2011.

Akhtar shoots at Sachin and Musharraf in new book

Pakistan’s most controversial cricketer Shoaib Akhtar invited a little more drama on the eve of his book launch, tearing into Indian greats Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid while also taking shots at former national captain Wasim Akram and even the country’s former president Pervez Musharraf.


In the book titled “Controversially Yours” Akhtar says, “I think players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren’t exactly match winners to start with, nor did they know the art of finishing the game.”
He then zeroes in on Tendulkar saying, “I bowled (Sachin) a particularly fast ball which he, to my amazement didn’t even touch. He walked away! That was the first time I saw him walk away from me-that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad.”
Excerpts of the book released to the media have managed to create much hype but it is surprising that the bits about Tendulkar and Dravid were made public considering the fact that the autobiography will be first published in India.
But Akhtar is not one to shy away from such a situation and said in an interview to Times of India, “What I’ve written is my experience, put as honestly for others to know. This is the truth – for the world, it may be a big controversy.”
Akhtar, who called time on his career following the 2011 World Cup, has also shockingly admitted that he tampered with the ball claiming, “everyone tampers with the ball. I did so too. Tampering should be legalised.”
He has also dug deep into the working of the Pakistan cricket- the administration, his early career, former and current players and the class discrimination in the setup.
Taking a dig at Shoaib Malik, Akhtar has stated in his book that the Pakistani all-rounder was PCB’s stooge.
“Shoaib Malik doesn’t deserve to be captain and was made captain because he was a stooge of the PCB Chief Naseem Ashraf,” states Akhtar.
Another shocking revelation is one where he claims Wasim Akram attempted to finish his career.
“Wasim Akram threatened to walk out with half the team if I was included in the team. General Tauqir Zia backed Shoaib against Wasim,” Akhtar says of fissures previously unheard of.
Javed Miandad, Pervez Musharraf, Shah Rukh Khan and Lalit Modi have also come into the crosshairs in the autobiography.
The book is tentatively scheduled to be out today in India.

“Shoaib Malik doesn't deserve to be captain and was made captain because he was a stooge of the PCB Chief Naseem Ashraf,” Akhtar claimed. -File photo