Positive vibes Pakistan

[Lone Shooter]

Gypsy Mela concludes with calls to protect nomads’ rights

LAHORE: The two-day Gypsy Mela, which was being held at the Children’s Library Complex, concluded on Wednesday with a call to acknowledge and safeguard the rights of nomads – the most neglected community in the country.

The event, which was full of fun and enthusiasm, aimed at bridging the gulf between gypsies and other segments of society and addressing the needs of the homeless community.

The fourth Gypsy Mela and Women Expo was organised by the Social Welfare Department in collaboration with the Grass-Root Organization for Human Development (GODH), which is striving for social well-being of the gypsy communities.

According to the organisers, around 70 NGOs under the auspices of the Social Welfare Department participated in the colourful event and set up their stalls, which displayed various products, like handicrafts, decoration pieces, toys, earthen pots, puppets traditional dresses and specimens of art work.

Gypsy artists from all over the country, specially from Cholistan and Thar, took part in the festivities and enthralled the visitors. Gypsy singer Krishan Lal Bhail performed folk songs with his troupe at the opening and closing ceremonies.

A large number of visitors, including students, professionals and families, enjoyed the event. Thousands of gypsies also attended the event, which offered them a platform to interact with the general public and exhibit their talents.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Lone Shooter]

10-day Lok Mela kicks off in capital

ISLAMABAD: The 10-day folk festival of Pakistan, popularly known as ‘Lok Mela’, opened at Shakarparian on Friday.

This mega cultural event has been organised by Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage). Ministry of National Heritage and Integration Federal Secretary Asaf Ghafoor inaugurated the event.

More than 500 artisans and artists from different parts of the country, including remotest regions, are participating in the festival, bringing with them their creativity in arts, crafts and innovation. The festival includes a number of important features such as artisans-at-work exhibition, provincial cultural pavilions, folkloric song and dance ensembles, rural music, cultural evenings, promotional stalls by public organisations and NGOs, general assembly of craftspeople, an exotic craft bazaar, traditional cuisines, food stalls and special attractions for children.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Lone Shooter]

A view of Lahore Canal

 

[Al Bhatti]

April 8, 2012

Pakistanis urged to stop bashing their homeland

Motivational speaker promotes positive attitude

Irfan Mustafa, author of ‘Mera Passion Pakistan’, stresses a point during his talk where he encourages his fellow Pakistanis to think and speak about the good things in their home country.

Stop ‘**** bashing' and talk positively about your country as it is the key to bring the change you want to see in your homeland, a prominent motivational speaker urged his compatriots.

Irfan Mustafa, author of Mera [my] Passion Pakistan spoke his heart out at a gathering of what he calls a ‘silent privileged community' of Pakistanis living in the UAE, most of whom just do not actively stand up to change the plight of their country but just like to criticise and talk negatively about Pakistan—an attitude normally termed ‘**** bashing'.

His interactive session and harsh facts about Pakistanis tarnishing the image of their own country provoked many into venting their frustration, blaming the system and the government. Their reaction was what he called negative thinking.

"What can we do when Pakistan's leadership is corrupt, there is no electricity and water, there is no law and order, lives are not safe, the country is marred by terrorism, etc," were are some of the concerns highlighted by the audience.

"That is where you are wrong and thinking negatively," Mustafa said, adding that people blame each other but don't do anything themselves.

He challenged those present to tell him what they have done for their country aside from thinking and talking negatively and his question was met with complete silence.

"First thing [what] we need to do to improve our state and the state of the nation is to think positive. We can't change what's happening around us but we can change the way we think. Everyone of us has to be part of this process."

He said positive intentions lead to positive actions

"We don't have to lament that Pakistan's glass is half-empty, we need to celebrate that it is half-full. All of us have to stand up and be counted with tolerance and discipline," noted Mustafa, who has been actively involved in social and community-based projects that focus on the development of youth, education and poverty alleviation.

Mustafa also told his audience some facts about Pakistan they can be proud to tell others.

He said that despite all that is negative about Pakistan, more than 400 multi-national companies are operating in Pakistan and are making money.

Output

Of all the countries in the world, Pakistan is the second largest exporter of clothing, fourth largest cotton producer, fifth largest milk producer, tenth largest workforce in the world, seventh largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world and 28th largest economy in the world worth $1 trillion (Dh3 trillion) and stands at number two in terms of per capita charity donations after the US.

The country has the fifth largest coal, copper and gold reserves in the world worth $65 billion and its stock exchange was the world's third best performing last year despite all the troubles.

Muneer Mahmoud, chairman of the Pakistan Professional Wing (PPW) which organised the function, said that the main objective of holding such motivational talks is to encourage Pakistanis residing in the UAE, especially the youth, to promote the soft image of Pakistan through their contribution in the local society.

The PPW initiated the series of events as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations being held this year.

gulfnews : Pakistanis urged to stop bashing their homeland

 

[Lone Shooter]

A warm, secure welcome for the 'British Universities'

British Universities AAF XI captain, Kamal Alam writes about his wonderful experience touring Pakistan:

…We arrived in Lahore for the first cricket tour of Pakistan by a foreign team, apart from Afghanistan, since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team. We are the Afghan Appeal Fund XI (AAF) – a charity team captained by Kamal Alam and comprised of MCC, Durham and Oxford University players – and are here to play four matches, to promote the AAF and also, crucially, to help the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in their bid to bring international cricket back to the country...

Our initial experience security-wise has been only positive. Everyone we have met – from our bus driver to batting-legend Javed Miandad – has been incredibly welcoming, betraying the size of the hole left by the absence of touring teams. And they all echo the same sentiments – what one reads in the media back home is not the reality. While the stigma created by the 2009 attack on Sri Lanka’s team bus remains strong outside Pakistan, we have encountered nothing thus far to support negative claims. The Punjab Police’s black t-shirts – with their ‘No Fear’ motifs – serve as a useful nudge to the ICC and Test playing nations alike, showing the attitude required to bring international cricket back to Pakistan...

[...]

Tour Diaries | Cricket Blogs | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Sugarcane]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s social game developer is well-poised to join the club of global gaming giants, Atari and Kabam in the list of 6waves the largest Facebook game publisher in the world, earning laurels and glory for the country in the IT sector.

According to a news release issued here, Islamabad’s White Rabbit Studios is the only Facebook gaming studio from Pakistan and in fact the entire South Asian region, to get featured in the list of key social game developers.

As a result of this partnership, the company will gain access to more than 30 million users in 6waves’ gigantic Facebook user network, said the release.

White Rabbit Studios is a 3 year old game development company which is primarily and solely focused on content creation. The Islamabad-based set up is already considered to be a veteran in the social gaming scene.

It is funded by a prominent Pakistani-American entrepreneur and first came to the fore in early 2010 with the release of Pakistan’s first social game on Facebook, Feline Frenzy, the release added.

White Rabbit’s Facebook partnership with 6waves will lend it an opportunity to become one of the leading content creation companies in South Asia a rare feat in the services dominated IT sectors of Pakistan and India.

“It’s very exciting to see our company’s name mentioned along the likes of Atari and Kabam”, said Hassan Baig, 29, CEO of White Rabbit Studios.

“We’re very confident in our ability to compete with the finest minds in centers of innovation across the world. We can do everything they can, and at more favorable economics. We may be considered underdogs at present, but the future, beyond any doubt, will belong to us”, he expressed.

The multi-billion dollar social gaming industry is reported to be growing at a faster pace than Hollywood, the press release stated adding, 6waves has previously published several hit games on Facebook and their partner vetting process is considered one of the most rigorous in the industry.

Overall, White Rabbit’s strategic partnership with 6waves not only bodes well for the future of the IT sector in Pakistan and portrays a new face of the country to the world, but also scripts an interesting new chapter in the history of tech rivalry between Pakistan and India, observed the release.

Pakistani developer joins elite club of gaming giants | DAWN.COM

 

[Lone Shooter]

Club Caramel - Zindagi :: Official Video (HD) - YouTube

 

[Lone Shooter]

Pakistani lifestyle exhibition in India

Pakistan’s first ever premium exhibition, Lifestyle Pakistan has been inaugurated in the Indian capital of New Delhi with over a hundred exhibitors from Pakistan showcasing products in fashion apparel, home textiles, leather goods, furniture and marble handicrafts. The four-day exhibition was inaugurated by Pakistan Commerce Secretary, Zafar Mahmood and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma jointly.

Pakistani lifestyle exhibition in India | DAWN.COM

 

[Lone Shooter]

Pakistani student wins silver medal in International contest

Islamabad: A Pakistani student has won silver medal by bagging second position in an international environment competition held in, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Muhammad bin Qasim, a class 8 student in the Pak-Turk International School and Colleges, Peshawar got the medal in the 6th International Environmental Project Olympiad which took place on April 4-8.

Over 100 projects from the students of 42 different countries were presented in the contest.
Qasim 14, represented a research on a plant to find out treatment for the patients suffering from diabetes. The plant called Tecoma Stans (Yellow Elder) is found in abundance in the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa province.

He analysed the plant in the laboratory conditions form various perspectives and eventually reached to the conclusion that the herb is very useful for the patients of diabetes.

Prof. Dr. Mirza Hakim Khan and Biology lecturer Huseyin Gursoy supervised the research.

Pakistani student wins silver medal in International contest | The News Tribe

 

[Lone Shooter]

Islamabad Fashion Week 2012 at Pak China Friendship Center

For more pictures:-

Event Gallery | The Nation

 

[Lone Shooter]

Usman Riaz - Firefly

Check him out. seriously telented

Usman Riaz - FIRE FLY - YouTube

Pakistani guitarist Usman Riaz has been chosen as one of the nineteen people from the world to be part of the TED fellows.

 

[SHAMK9]

Islamabad Fashion Week 2012 at Pak China Friendship Center

For more pictures:-

Event Gallery | The Nation

there were 4 fashion weeks this week but none of them got international attention

 

[VelocuR]

there were 4 fashion weeks this week but none of them got international attention

well, every countries has fashions show, there is no attentions from the worldwide, it is just stupid fashions for the customer requirements.

 

[DRaisinHerald]

 

[Lone Shooter]

Pakistani Talent at Harvard

Pakistani Talent at Harvard - YouTube

This guy is amazing