Tuesday, January 21, 2014

A big slap on the judges of Pakistan Idol!

For every 3 assholes in this TV studio...there are 300 kind spirits waiting outside!

Best of luck to this amazing girl!



watch the video!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Don't Deport Ali Choudhry



Although I think it is harsh to say that Pakistan will immediately imprison him. There are plenty of gays that live there albeit a closeted life. However, if Ali has managed to find love and choose to live in a country where he can be more open, he needs to be supported!

Dear Scott Morrison,

Please grant Ali Choudhry a visa to remain in Australia. Ali is facing deportation to Pakistan this Wednesday after his application for a visa was refused, despite being in a relationship with his partner Matt for nearly four years. If deported, there is a risk Ali could be imprisoned for life in Pakistan, where being openly gay carries a long jail sentence. Having grown up in the United States, Ali is also unable to read or write the local language.

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You can sign the petition here!

Outrage at JFK as Customs men smash a musician’s instruments




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Boujemaa Razgui, a flute virtuoso who lives in New York and works with many US ensembles, was returning to base over the holiday when Customs officials at Kennedy Airport asked to see his instruments.

Bourjemaa carries a variety of flutes of varying ethnicity, each made by himself over years for specific types of ancient and modern performance. He is a regular guest with the diverse and enterprising Boston Camerata.

At JFK, the officials removed and smashed each and every one of his instruments. No reason was given.

We have been unable to reach the distressed Boujemaa but a swell of outrage is rising among his musician friends. One ensemble director tells us: ‘I can’t think of an uglier, stupider thing for the U.S. government to do than to deprive this man of the tools of his art and a big piece of his livelihood.’

Boujemaa needs all the support he can get. Messages of sympathy on Slipped Disc will reach him one way or other.

A Canadian citizen, based in New York and with a green card employment permit, Boujemaa was flying home from Marrakech, Morocco, when his baggage was opened by Customs at JFK.

‘I told them I had these instruments for many years and flew with them in and out,’ he said. ‘There were 11 instruments in all. They told me they were agricultural products and they had to be destroyed. There was nothing I could do. The ney flute can be made with bamboo. Is that agricultural?’

Boujemaa was both upset and unwilling to risk a confrontation with the US authorities. We did not press him for further particulars. He does not know what to do next. But he does appear to be the victim of state injustice. What do the lawyers among our readers think he should do?

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A Pakistani woman killed her 10 year old maid!

In other sick, sad news!



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ISLAMABAD: Police in Lahore have arrested a woman for beating to death her 10-year-old maid after accusing the girl of stealing a few rupees, less than a dollar's worth.

The girl died on Thursday, after her employer had brought her to hospital.

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The article.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

La Maison - A restaurant in Pakistan which does not allow Pakistanis



what next? a separate water fountain for Pakistanis in Pakistan? How dare they??? I remember growing up in Islamabad I always had issues with foreign diplomats live like kings in our country and then look down upon our country and its people. As I once told an angry European woman in traffic screaming about how much she hated the country "Then fuck off back to your own country?"

I am sorry but this is unacceptable.

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I didn’t hear about journalist Cyril Almeida’s investigation and subsequent tweets against the restaurant ‘La Maison’ through the news or any blogs he might have written. I heard about it from my friends on Facebook, people who are otherwise active in liberal circles and rightfully vocal against the many injustices of Pakistani society.

But the injustice that they were complaining about was Almeida’s outrage that a restaurant in Islamabad bans Pakistanis unless they hold a dual nationality.

Read that again.

They were complaining about his actions, not the restaurant’s policies.

The restaurant, for its part, insists this policy is out of respect for ‘Muslim sensibilities’ since its menu consists entirely of non-halal food.

Interestingly enough, those ‘Muslim sensibilities’ don’t matter when it comes to hiring someone to assist in cooking, serving and cleaning up after this non-halal food, nor is it something worth mentioning when looking for a bartender.

So what they’re saying is that it’s acceptable to hire Muslim/Pakistani waiters who will handle non-halal food but Muslim/Pakistani customers aren’t allowed, and this is their way of respecting us?

The owner, Philippe Lafforgue, even went through the trouble of emailing Almeida, ending with words,

“By the way this weekend I was reading the ads in the newspaper and all the ads for renting houses in Islamabad were for foreigners and multinational companies only. Swedish villas in Lahore are only rented to foreigners. They refuse Pakistani people. The International club in Lahore and Sindh Club in Karachi do not accept Pakistani people, even as a guest. If I go to the Diplomatic Enclave, all I’ll have to do is show my passport. Whereas you will have to get a ticket, pay the fees and go by bus. The guest house right close to mine is reserved for Chinese people only. I will stop here because I don’t want to waste your time. But yes, there is a lot of discrimination in this country. But I don’t…”

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I am sorry but we all need to join this social media rally! Alright readers, how can we get involved to help Cyrus Almeida!

The article

Mathira's new music video - Jhoota!



I guess its a prequel to her next music video Chootia!


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013-14: The Express Tribune awards

Interesting and I agree!



Big shout out to my readers Gauhar Rashid and Meher Jaffri (Seedlings)!

Looking forward to seeing more of you guys making waves in 2014!

Oh and glad to see that Taher Shah has made the list too! After how he rose above and was the bigger person at the Amir Liaquat show, I have been a fan ever since!

Here is the complete list!