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
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
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
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
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
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 !
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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