Something is cooking…..

One fine day, this picture leaked. It was one of those ordinary days when daily news drips of poison and pain. But then came a picture that brought with it… a dash of hope and some excitement. The picture was of Strings men Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia with Atif Aslam. It first surfaced on Strings’s official website (www.stringsonline.net). Soon it turned into one of those uncontrollable cyberspace stories that gets picked up almost instantly. And speculation brews with each passing day. The news cycle runs on its own. And that of course is because of the collective power of Atif Aslam and Strings.

Both Atif Aslam and Strings have confirmed the newsbyte. Something is definitely cooking in the studio.

“Bilal (Maqsood) suggested the idea of doing a song. We met up later and had four meetings, we came to some solid conclusions and it began from there,” says Atif .

“Something is definitely cooking. We are recording a song together and soon we’ll be hitting the studios. The structure of the song and the lyrics have been finalized. It’s quite uplifting. All of us are really excited about it. This song has nothing to do with United for Pop. It’s our own little effort towards something positive. So, I guess, you just have to wait for that…” trailed off Bilal Maqsood of Strings.

Recording together has brought the young Atif and the pros of pop Strings closer.

“Atif is a great guy. He’s down to earth and easy to work with. He is young but there is no doubt that he is hugely talented. He is successful yet grounded and a lot of fun,” says Faisal Kapadia about Atif.

And Atif is all praises for Strings just the same.

“They are what… 13 year older to me, maybe? I grew up with the sound of Strings. I’ve sung their songs at schools and college competitions. I am humbled that I’m working with them. It’s been an interesting process.”

The tune that is still going through the creative process of recording has input from both artists.

According to Atif, the lyrics are written by Bilal Maqsood whereas his interest was more towards song structure.

“We worked together on some melodies and structure because I am really interested in that part. The composition towards the end, its direction was mine whereas the rest is Bilal,” says Atif candidly.

Champagne supernova

Atif Aslam is a pop chameleon. He can roll with commercial Bollywood (remember those days of ‘Aadat’ remixes and ‘Lamhey’) and in the same vein, he can sing with Ustad Riyaz Ali Khan with vigour, respect and a doze of infectious youth as seen and heard on Coke Studio.

They call him the star of this decade. But Atif Aslam’s latest fixation is neither being a star nor looking back. Between Olper’s raging hit commercial and researching how an actual music industry should function and what it entails in the local scene, Atif is also excited about working with Strings. This isn’t the first collaboration for him. He sang with Hadiqa Kiyani the tune, ‘Meray Pass Pass’ for a television series. And it was absolutely brilliant. And after the experience of Coke Studio, this should be a walk in the park for the boy who has become such an aadat for us in the past few years.

On the other hand, if Atif is pop chameleon of this decade, Strings have been doing it for almost two decades with five solid records to their credit. With gems like ‘Sar Kiye’ ‘Aaj Din Bhar’, ‘Jab Say Mein Ne’, ‘Duur’, ‘Anjaane’, ‘Khirki’, ‘Na Jaane Kyun’ among countless others – this is one band that can’t be written off even if they take wee bit longer in releasing a full-fledged record. Their collaboration with Indian act Euphoria, ‘Jeet Lo Dil’, in 2004 was also a positive musical blast from the duo. This one is more personal because it brings together two generations that define contemporary music in Pakistan.

With their last record Koi Aanay Wala Hai, Strings roped in John Abraham for the video. But John Abraham tied up with Sony Music via his own company and was more than just a model in the video. It was the first music product John’s company had put out. That’s Strings for you. And their talent that hasn’t ceased yet.

Now imagine the power of these three men together. We do hope though that Strings and Atif release this tune as an official single, as is the norm with collaborations around the world. And that a video is in the works soon.

The commitment that will last forever!!!!!!!!

The topic speaks for itself. We have entered the month of august according to the calendar followed these days.

The month of august holds a great importance in Pakistan's history, and who can know of it better then us, I mean the Pakistani's.

It was the 14th of this month when a new nation took birth on the world map with the name of Pakistan and astounded everyone. Many critics regarded Pakistan as a failed state and stated that the nation won't be able to survive for a decade.(Such statements are still stated today by anti-pakistani critics).

But against all odds "The nation" has survived. Many leaps and bounds came but we survived and this is where the world looks astonished that how we survived such critical times and the answer to this question is quite clear i.e our belief and commitmment to our motherland which will surely last forever and this particular aspect really worries or I should rather say envies some of our so called friends(friends of Pakistan) and few other nations.

If we sneak back in the history we will find out some great sacrifises, some supreme examples that have turned the tables around for our nation and those prior names have been written in history with golden words.

But i won't be just indulging myself in history. I would be talking about the present aswell. Last evening I was hearing a youngster on radio complaining about the lack of oppurtunities in this nation and I myself felt quite disgraced as a pakistani by the complains and comments made by him for our very dear nation.

Now the answer to that complain which was made by an immatured and confused thought is that there is a conspiracy which is going on against our youth by some Mir Jaffer's within us and also by some foreign powers. Therefore we have to be very carefull with it, we have the potential to achieve what west has not even achieved yet but the issue is the "Direction". We need direction and for that we have to respect our social and culutural values and have to strengthen our religious beliefs to a valuable extent and oppurtunities do not come by and knock at one's doors, you have to make them come to you, oppurtunites are created at first then they are utilized for one's betterment.

This was my message to you all for this years' independence day that just have a strong belief and take that commitment along which you have made to your nation InshaAllah you will achieve great for yourself and for your beloved nation. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pakistan slaps India with evidence of RAW’s involvement in Terrorism inside Pakistan!!!!!!!!!!

1.In the Sri Lankan cricket team case, Indian operatives crossed the border from Indian to join other Indian-origin or Indian-trained terrorists who traveled all the way from Afghanistan to Lahore
2. Indian terrorism training bases, intelligence outposts and personnel in Afghanistan identified
3. In some cases, Indian intelligence was indirectly supporting attacks against US soldiers in Afghanistan in order to worsen Pak-US military relations
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was stunned when Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani handed him a dossier containing photographs of Brahamdagh Bugti and other terrorists meeting Indian agents not only in Afghanistan but also during their visits to India and the names of the Indian officials who met them. This was part of more evidence about India’s involvement in recruiting, training, financing and arming terrorists in Afghanistan and sending them to Pakistan. India’s links to the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore and other high profile terrorism cases have been established, shocking even Indian’s many advocates in Washington. Mr. Gilani gave this surprise to the Indians behind closed doors. Now India fears that Pakistan would use this meeting to expose Indian connections with two anti-Pakistan terrorist leaders and their foreign-funded terror armies: Brahamdagh Bugti and his BLA [Balochistan Liberation Army] and Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, both being supported from bases in US-controlled Afghanistan.

Pakistan orders attack on Taleban leader Baitullah Mehsud

Pakistan has ordered its army to attack Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taleban, in his mountainous stronghold of South Waziristan – also believed to be the hiding place of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda chief.
The order to open a new front was announced last night by Owais Ahmed Ghani, governor of North West Frontier Province, and confirmed by the army, which is already fighting the Taleban in several regions across the northwest.
The announcement will be welcomed by the United States, which has been pushing Pakistan to attack South Waziristan, although some officials and experts have raised concerns about over-stretching the Pakistani army.
Mr Ghani blamed Mr Mehsud for a suicide bombing that killed eight people yesterday in the town of Dera Ismail Khan - the latest in a spate of attacks since the army attacked the Taleban in the northwestern region of Swat in late April.

Baitullah Mehsud is the root cause of all evils,” Mr Ghani told reporters.
“The military and law enforcement agencies have been ordered to carry out a full-fledged operation to eliminate these beasts and killers by using all resources."
He did not give a timetable for the attack on South Waziristan - part of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas which border Afghanistan -- although he made it sound as if the operation had already begun.
The army has been pounding areas near South Waziristan with heavy artillery and aerial bombing since last week, but had insisted until yesterday that these were retaliation for individual incidents, rather than part of a new offensive.
A US pilotless drone also hit a target in South Waziristan yesterday, killing at least five people, in the first such attack since mid-May.
Major General Athar Abbas, the army spokesman, confirmed last night that the army had received the orders to attack Mr Mehsud, but said only that they were being “evaluated”, without giving details of the timing.
Military officials declined to comment further this morning.
Under US pressure, the army has launched several offensives on South Waziristan and neighbouring North Waziristan since 2004, but each has ended in a short-lived peace deal with Mr Mehsud and other tribal leaders.
Mr Mehsud is the leader of the Tehrek-e-Taleban Pakistan – also known as the Pakistani Taleban – and is believed to have about 20,000 men under his personal command, mostly from the Mehsud tribe.
He is also blamed for the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and opposition leader, although he has denied any involvement in her death.
Analysts say the army will fierce a much fiercer battle in South Waziristan, which has been controlled by the militants for most of the last eight years, than in Swat, which only came under their control early this year.
Some have long advocated a new offensive against Mr Mehsud, arguing that the entire northwest cannot be stabilized as long as the militants have a safe haven in the region in which to regroup and re-arm.
They say many local tribesmen have turned agains the Taleban, including a rival Mehsud tribal leader called Qari Zainuddin who is said to have mobilised 3,000 followers and offered to help the army defeat the militants.
Others have warned the army against moving into South Waziristan until it has consolidated its gains in Swat and other tribal areas where it is still embroiled in heavy fighting.
They cited reports yesterday that the army had killed at least 20 militants since Friday in the tribal area of Bajaur, where the army said it had defeated the Taleban in February after a six month offensive.
Zakir Hussain Afridi, the top government official for Bajaur, said the fighting over the weekend was in the Charmang valley, a stretch he described as now largely under Taleban control.
There was also fighting between Pakistani forces and the Taleban in the tribal area of Mohmand, which lies next to Bajaur, over the weekend.
Aid workers and analysts have also expressed concern that a new offensive could cause a fresh wave of refugees, adding to the almost 2.5 million who have already fled fighting in Swat and surrounding regions.

Security around Islamabad Red Zone Tightened

The law enforcement agencies have been directed to intensify the security of Federal Capital further especially around Red Zone in view of the recent wave of terror in the country, media reports said on Saturday.
The law enforcement agencies, the report said have been directed to revise security plan in twin cities as terror hit the two cities Lahore and Nowshehra killing more than a dozen people.
SSP Islamabad Tahir Alam Khan has confirmed the news saying the government is taking serious measures to reinforce security arrangements as the mounting ratio of terrorists’ attacks compelled the authorities concerned to improve the security network to meet any unpleasant situation in Federal Capital.
“The entry and exit points are being checked while check-posts have been established in various nooks and corner of Islamabad to avoid happening of any untoward incident”, he said by ading that the vehicles entering Red Zone will be carefully checked while cars having special passes will be allowed to go ahead in this regard.
To a question he said, it was also directed to ensure foolproof security arrangements on key government installations on the occasion of presenting the Federal Budget of 2009-10 fiscal year on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Islamabad Police have arrested more than 20 suspected militants during search operation in the federal capital and recovered four Pistols and two Kalashnikovs from their possession near Red Zone area on Friday. The Secretariat Police Station also confirmed that around 20 suspected militants have been apprehended during search operation against the suspected elements was underway in different areas of Islamabad for some days.

Pakistan’s efforts against Taliban ‘successful’: US

WASHINGTON: Acknow-ledging widespread public support behind the Pakistani government’s ongoing military operation in Malakand, White House National Security Adviser James Jones on Wednesday described the country’s effort as “impressively successful”.
This particular statement from our" government officials second home" I mean the white house makes it quite clear that United States of America is happy with the current role of Pakistan in war against terrorism and believes that it is not being betrayed like it was by the former President Musharraf. But the thing that is worrying states are Pakistan's nuclear assets, because if Pakistan sets off to its own policy then we could possibly see the generation of a third world war,which in my perception is looking quite impossible.
But the good news is that America is happy and I think this is the right oppurtunity to get our demands from states as you never know when their mood gets off and they get another dictator in..............................................
PAKISAN ZINDABAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extremism "Biggest Threat To Pakistan"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pakistan has been one of those third world countries which has suffered alot from a so called thought known as "Extremism". It has also been a major victim of terrorist acts which are being carried out but different extremist groups in the country. Pakistan has been under a so called state of war since the 80's(President Zia-Ul-Haq's reign) and has not been able to come out of it uptil now.
Now here the question stands what are the reasons due to which Pakistan has not been able to clear the dirt(Terrorist groups) from the country.
There could be many reasons for this:
1. Some could say that the policies of States are not helping the cause.
2. Some could the stand taken by the government is not proper or worth being appreciated.
But I won't be playing the "old blaming games" anymore, no matter how we fight them either using our land forces,gunship helicopters or also the very famous drone planes.
We have seen it quite clearly that it is not helping the cause that well.
The only solution in my perception remains that we have to change the mindsets. If we try to analyze things we will find out that the Pakistani society comprises of two groups and both possess very extreme thoughts.One of them are know as liberal and the other are known as extremists or fundamentalists.
There are quite few who can be called moderate in our society. Due to such two different school of thoughts our society is unbalanced and one takes quite a long time to get him/her self in this westo-eastern society.
Now coming upto the major issue"Extremism".What is extremism?It is a perception or a thought which a person possesses in which he remains quite extreme with his approach,ideas and philosophy.
Why extremism is the biggest threat to Pakistan? The reason stands quite clear,now adays extremism is regarded as that school of thought which is inclined towards religion more then a normal person in the society and these extreme mindsets also lead to certain disasters because they are not able to interpret the religion in a positive manner due to which they become unable to take the world and the religion along,this whole situation unbalances their thought, therefore they try to express it and as they do not possess sich positive approach therefore they take wrong cuts to express themselves which leads to certain mega disasters which one cannot even think of and that is what is going to happen in Pakistan if the mindsets of these people are not changed because the pressure has exceeded the limits and the pressure cooker(extreme approach) will soon burst which will turn the whole country into a place equal to that of hell.
Therefore we have to move on with a positive approach and have to change the mindsets of the people who possess extreme approaches instead of sitting at home and hoping for a miracle or waiting for a new musharraf to come.

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!