Friends of Pakistan Celebrate Pakistan's Independence Day

On 14th August this year, Pakistan celebrated its 70 Independence Day as it was on this day in 1947 when the British Indian empire finally came to an end and resulted into its division into Pakistan and India. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, commonly known as Quaid-e-Azam (the great leader) was at the helms of the affairs to win over Muslim majority areas of the British India in the shape of Pakistan.

However, the Indians with their tacit relations with the then Viceroy of India Mountbatten had the roads leading to Kashmir amd included city of Gurdaspur in India - thus creating a long standing rivalry between Pakistan and India, which still continues till date. Pakistan supports the just struggle of majority Muslim population of Kashmir but the world concious continues to sleep to keep their eyes closed on the atrocities committed by the Indian Army to curb the just struggle movement of the Kashmiri Muslims to join Pakistan.

While we in Pakistan celebrate our independence day, Kashmiri Muslims in the Indian Occupied Kashmir also celebrate the day with Pakistani flags hoisted all over Kashmir despite brutal efforts by Indian government and army to silence their support and love for Pakistan. We in Pakistan hope that one day Kashmir will be free from the Indian yoke and join our part of Kashmir, God Willing.

This year, the 70th independence day celebrations were joined in by our Turkish and Saudi friends who sent their air force contingents to participate in the biggest air show in Pakistan ever and show their love for brotherly Pakistan.

The grand show started with excellent air show by Pakistan Air Force Mirage, F-16 and JF-17 Thunder air craft, followed by Puma SA-330, Augusta and Mi-17 helicopters of Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Army.

JF-17 Thunder, pride of Pakistan Air Force and a joint venture of Pakistan and China

The appearance of “Solo Turk”, the acclaimed Turkish aerobatic team of Turkish Air Force with Pakistan flag's crescent and star painted on their under bellies won the hearts of thousands of spectators below including the president of Pakistan, diplomats and other dignitaries.

The acrobatic show by the famous “Saudi Hawks” of Royal Saudi Air Force was simply spectacular and awe inspiring. The colours of coloured smoke and the roar of the Hawks filled the arena and dominated the show.

At the end, the para troopers of all three services of Pakistan Armed Forces after having had the free falls landed in the arena to end the day of heart winning festivities joined in by our Turkish and Saudi brethren.

About the Photos: All photos above have been courtesy Faisal Khan, a wonderful photographer who has been gifted with the aesthetic ability and the eye for the right moment and shoots it with a professionals eye. 

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New Year Celebrations at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, Germany

We have seen the new year celebrations the world over since the dawn of 2016 on night 31 December 2015 and 1 january 2016. Some of the fireworks were really spectacular and awe inspiring. One could not resist the aesthetics of those who designed the fireworks to welcome the new year - 2016.

Like all countries, Germany too celebrated the new year in almost all its major cities - Berlin being one of these. The venue for the new year celebrations was the famous Brandenburg Gate - the 18th-century neoclassical triumphal arch and one of the well known landmarks of Berlin. 

My son, seen in photo above (a screen shot from the video) who is studying in Kiel, Germany also took a double decker bus to Berlin on the morning of 31 December and was there at Brandenburg Gate to enjoy the show.

Words  alone cannot express the fiesta and the fireworks when the new year 2016 dawned. My son made a short video to save the event for us to see. 

Watch the video below and see the enthusiasm of the crowd which stood there for hours, some even as long as six hours to watch the new year to dawn amid a massive display of fireworks:

Stood there non-stop...for more than "6" hours just for this moment! Happy new year everybody! :)
Posted by Wahaab Jalal Bhatti on Friday, January 1, 2016

So that is it - Happy New Year 2016 to all of you. May this new year brings peace and hope for the future. Ameen

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Are Nadal's glory days over as he exits Wimbledon 2015 race

Rafa glory days

There were times when Rafael Nadal was world number one with fourteen Grand Slam titles to his credits - and it seemed that one day he would stand tall over the rest of his contemporaries by bagging yet many more Grand Slams.

But it seems that two time Wimbledon champion's glory days are over - at least for now as he was ousted from the Wimbledon 2015 race right in the second round by a German qualifier Dustin Brown 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4.

Presently down to number 10 in the world ranking from the top of the world just a few years back, the heavily injured Spaniard sees a bleak future for him though he vows to continue for the better days - no where in sight as of now.

He himself confesses that: "I don't know if I will be back to the level of 2008 or 2010."

With a confidence level at a much lower shade than before, many see end of Nadal's glory days. Blame his injuries which he has been suffering from for the last few years, it is sad to see a resilient and forceful player slipping and fading away much sooner than expected. 

Photo Credit

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Tattoo Show

Many won’t know what a Tattoo Show is, since the word tattoo has now been limited to tattooing on human bodies. The real Tattoo Shows are in fact a display of massive work of art performed with brightly lit torches, which were once the hallmark and a prime entertainment feature of the armed forces around the world. Over hundred performers exhibit dozens of combinations with the torches which presents a spectacular show at night. However, this should not be tried by individuals or untrained hands as handling burning torches can be very dangerous and can cause burn injuries.

This photograph was shot in Abbottabad, Pakistan on 12th April night 2008- to commemorate a 33 years long association of friendship, comradeship and dignity. The show lasting over an hour was their lives first for the many visitors present that day. Such events are very rare to witness and even rarer to forget.

I first saw a tattoo show at Fortress Stadium, Lahore during the Annual Horse and Cattle Show, when I was a small kid. The Horse and Cattle Show at Lahore was once a very lively, spectacular and interesting event to mark the arrival of spring in Lahore. However, over a period of time, the event has faded away in the history, leaving behind its beautiful memories.

Related Link: Watch the video of Tattoo Show (Jalalspages)

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Pakistan is Asian Games Hockey Champion

Bravo Pakistan Hockey Team!!

Pakistan beat Malaysia 2-0 to bag yet another gold medal for Pakistan. In fact this gold has been awaited for the last 20 years when Pakistan won the gold in 1994 Asiad in Beijing. This time too China brings good luck to Pakistan.

Today Pakistan also won gold in squash team event by beating Malaysia. So in a day Pakistan beat Malaysia twice and both times filled their bags with gold. Pakistani girls also won gold in the women cricket earlier in the ongoing Asian Games. Pakistan got lucky as McKenna did in the final scene of the epic movie McKenna’s Gold.

The winning goals were scored by the drag flicker specialist Sohail Abbas and striker Rehan Butt. The win today is Pakistan’s eighth in the Asian Games and gold after 20 years. The victory today washes away the miserable and abysmal 12th of 12th in the recently held Commonwealth games.

It was Pakistan’s eighth Asiad hockey gold, ending a drought that stretched back to Beijing in 1990, and handed them their first major title since winning the World Cup in Sydney in 1994.

Pakistan ended the year on a high after a disappointing eight-month period in which they finished a humiliating 12th out of 12 at the World Cup in March and took sixth place at the Commonwealth Games in October. This was Malaysia’s first entry into the finals.

We wish Pakistani Hockey team the very best for the London Olympics in 2012.

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World Tourism Day

27th September each year is celebrated since 1980 as the World Tourism Day under the auspices of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide. This year the theme for the day is “Tourism –Celebrating Biodiversity.” Official celebrations will be hosted by China on 27 September, with many other events taking place around the world, including the 30th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the UNWTO.

The theme selected for this year would help focus on the world’s cultural wealth and role of the tourism industry in revitalizing local traditions and making them flourish as these cross other cultures. The local customs and traditions are generally reflective in the languages, food, architecture, religion, attire and even the natural environment.

Like all other countries, the culture and traditions of Pakistan are unique, attractive and awe inspiring. These are a fine blend of our millennium old cultural heritage stemming from the Mehrgarh Civilization, which as old as 9000-7000 BC, and the following Moenjodaro, Kot diji, Taxila and Gandhara civilizations. With the arrival of Islam in the 7th century and the incursions from the North by the Mongols, Turks, Afghans and the Moguls, Pakistan has become a showcase window of the cumulative effect of all these civilizations, religion and empires.

The city of Lahore is rich in its cultural heritage while remains of Mehrgarh (Balochistan), Moenjodaro and Kot Diji (Sind), Taxila and Harrapa (Punjab) and Rehman Dheri and Buddhist remains (Khyber Pakhtunkwa) provide an insight into our rich cultural heritage. The customs and traditions of Pakistan are diverse in nature and each province has its own peculiar traditions that are found in their way of life, food, languages, music, festivals and literature.

Pakistan is also a haven of natural wonders and landscapes. From the snow covered pinnacles of the north, that include the K2 (the second highest mountain after Mt Everest) and many other peaks that top in the world listing, lakes with picturesque view. The lush green Deosai Plains are the highest plains in the world. Punjab offers vast green pastures, while Sind and Balochistan have wide tracts of desert and semi desert terrain. Near Ziarat (Balochistan) one finds the second largest Juniper Forest of the world with trees as old as 5000-7000 years. The Arabian Sea that skirts the 1200 kilometres coastline of Pakistan along Balochistan dn Sind provinces is home to still virgin beaches. The mangrove forests in Sind are unique in the world.

Pakistan is also home to some of the endangered species like the Snow Leopard, the Marco polo Sheep, Markhor, Hooubara Bustard, the Himalayan Brown Bears and the Blind Indus Dolphins. Besides Pakistan attracts millions of migratory birds from around the world each year in search of warm waters to its countless wetlands and lakes and is an ideal place for the bird watchers.

The people of Pakistan are extremely simple, hearty and hospitable. Those who venture out to Pakistan carry back pleasant memories of love and care by their Pakistani hosts. It’s fun to be in Pakistan, despite many misconceptions.

Related Reading: Pakistanpaedia (the mini pedia of Pakistan)

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Abu Ji – Tusi Great Ho (Father – You are Great)

Like all sons and daughters, my sons also celebrated the Father’s Day in their peculiar style as usual. They were busy preparing for the exam today and had gone for collective study at a friend’s place. They returned at around 10 PM and quietly put an envelope under my plate on the dinner table. I will talk about it later. But first the dinner and the celebrations.

My wife had cooked aromatic and spicy chicken biryani which was the best she cooked over all these years using a new technique and recipe. And I devoured it to my more than full. After the meal, my sons opened a bag of pastries – nutty and crunchy. While my wife still had mangoes. So that’s how the was celebrated almost when it was over. I thanked my wife and sons for the dinner and the pastries they had arranged with so much of love.

Now the envelope. When I opened, it had a yellow card in it (not the yellow card shown in football). It looked beautiful and I thanked my sons for the card and remembering the day. But they insisted to read it aloud (something they never asked before). Thinking something special about it, I read and what I read was both amusing and almost describing me. So I thought to share with you all. The card read:

Abu ji tusi great ho
Thoray say bulky, thoray over weight ho
Sab ke tusi mate ho
Kaabl-e-appreciate ho
Casual approach ho
Na jaldi ho na late ho
Jab “naa” ek dafa kaho to phir na kaabl-e-format ho
Jo aap se takra jae, wohi maliamate ho
Puranay aur naye ka haseen amalgamate ho

Wow!! What a fine description of me. Thank you my sons for this great gift and your love for me. May Allah bless you both. Ameen.

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Celebrating the First Day of 2010 with my 100th Post

Well I started blogging on the behest of good old pal SAJS about three months ago and was really very skeptical about myself as I was never into writing thing. But once I got into it, I found it be very creative and soul satisfying. One could write whatever one wanted to, as all other millions of bloggers are doing, and share it with the others. I haven’t been able to gather a large community around me as it would take time maturing my write-ups / posts, but it is satisfying that I do get sizable number of visitors that encourages me to stay on the scene.

So today on 1^st of January 2010 while the world welcomes and celebrates the New Year, I join everyone too, but at the same time I also celebrate this 100^th post of mine into my blog. A 3 PR also encourages me to go on and continue to share whatever I want to tell the world. 

Happy New Year, world !! – be happy and pray that peace prevails all over during this year and thereafter in the following years.

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