Pakistan Rock Music / Al Jazeera Video

LINK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkBaQDOerYE

A short video by al jazeera channel, pakistani rock music in recent years have been making waves around the world, with many of the pakistani songs taken in bollywood movies also.

singers like Atif Aslam , Ali Zafar, Call Band, Junoon, Strings, Jal Band, are famous in India as well as Pakistan,and whereever urdu and hindi is understood.

Pakistan music combines east with west.

There are a lot more underground bands making their way into the mainstream rock scene in pakistan in recent years,. With singers like Rahat Fateh Ali giving background music for Mel Gibson movie, Appoclypto, and Salman Ahmed from Junoon, www.junoon.com, singing the title song of American t.v. series CW channel' Aliens in America.,and collaborating with artistes like , Melissa Ethridge,

Pakistani music sure has a long way to go.

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3888722-paistan-rock-music-al-jazeera

NRI wife paraded ..

JALANDHAR: In a shocking and brutal retribution for being "seen" with a man, a 30-year-old wife of an NRI was allegedly paraded naked in front of her children, mother-in-law and relatives as a bunch of angry villagers cheered on while some also recorded it on video.
The woman, in a complaint filed with police on Tuesday, said she had merely called a painter to her house as it was the festive season and she wanted a whitewash done. "But the sarpanch and some other villagers barged into my house and not only beat me up but also captured my image on their cellphones as they paraded me naked in front of my two children and relatives," the residentof Atta said.
Sarpanch Lakhbir Kumar is known to her and a few are even related to her. Dismissing her allegations, he said he played moral police and said a villagerhad seen her through "a cracked window" in a compromising position with the painter.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Jalandhar_NRI_wife_paraded_naked/articleshow/3596874.cms

Rioters burn Muslim family of 6 to death in south India

APPublished: October 12, 2008, 14:03
Hyderabad: Rioters in southern India killed six members of a Muslim family by setting fire to their home after earlier clashes between Hindus and Muslims left four others dead and 15 injured in the same village, officials said on Sunday. Tensions have been high in Vatoli village since Friday when violence and looting erupted between the two sides, leading to four deaths, said Andhra Pradesh state Home Minister K. Jana Reddy. Authorities imposed a curfew on Friday, but were unable to stop the deadly arson attack, which apparently occurred before dawn on Sunday, Reddy said. "It is a beastly and barbaric act," Reddy told reporters. "Police are investigating the case and we will catch the culprits." Three children, including a 2-year-old, were among the six burnt to death, he said.


Vatoli is in Adilabad district, 275 kilometres north of the state capital of Hyderabad. Muslim leaders called for better protection for minorities, especially in rural areas. "Despite our repeated pleas and appeals, the government has failed to provide protection to the Muslims who live in remote areas and who have a very small population in those places," said Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of the lower house of the national Parliament

Delhi tops crime charts for fifth year in a row

1 Jan 2008, 0349 hrs IST, Vishwa Mohan,TNN


NEW DELHI: Delhi continues to be the undisputed 'crime capital' of the country. It is not only No 1 among 35 big cities with the largest number of crime cases but also has the dubious distinction of having topped the list for five years in a row. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in its latest annual report—Crime in India: 2006—also points out that Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore together accounted for more than one-third of all crimes reported in Indian cities having a population of over a million people, for the second year in a row. The national capital occupies the top slot for almost all violent crimes, including murder, rape, dowry death, molestation, kidnapping and abduction. The report also notes the disturbing trend of young people taking to crime in a big way. It shows that 44.6% of the total arrested criminals during 2006 belonged to the 18-30 year age-group. In 2005, the figure was 44% and the trend was uniformly high across the 35 big cities under survey. Besides the top three cities, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Indore and Pune are the other mega cities which figure prominently in NCRB’s list for reporting relatively higher number of cases. The 35 mega cities collectively reported a total of 3,26,363 cognizable crimes in 2006, an increase of 3.7% over 2005. According to NCRB, the country reported a total of 51,02,460 cognizable crimes, of which 18,78,293 related to murder, rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, abduction, dowry death, dacoity, molestation and other violent offences. The remaining 32,24,167 incidents were cases registered under the Arms Act, Gambling Act, Prohibition Act, Forest Act, Railways Act and other special and local laws. Although the overall crime in the country recorded an increase of 1.5% in 2006 as compared to 2005, the ‘crime rate’ (number of crimes per one lakh population) declined by 0.02%. Predictably, Delhi bucked this trend as well and the crime rate here grew to 357.2, more than double the national average of 167.7. The crime rate is universally accepted as a more realistic indicator of crime. These figures reveal the dismal state of women in the capital. Dowry death (120), rape (533) and molestation (629) rates in Delhi were much higher as compared with other mega cities. Delhi, in fact, accounted for 31.2% of the total rape cases reported in big cities. Among the states, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rapes (2,900), accounting for as much as 15% of the total. NCRB’s figures for Delhi endorsed what the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) of the home ministry had recently mentioned about the city while referring to a study/survey. That study, conducted by the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS) at the behest of BPR&D, had concluded that the "absence of visible police patrolling" and "the police's attitude towards women complainants" in the national capital had substantially reduced the trust-quotient of police, particularly among women. As far as states are concerned, NCRB has found that Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes (1,94,711) followed by Maharashtra (1,91,788), Andhra Pradesh (1,73,909), Tamil Nadu (1,48,972) and Rajasthan (1,41,992) during 2006. Among violent crimes, India reported 32,481 murders, 19,348 rapes, 7,618 dowry deaths and 36,617 molestation cases in 2006.

LINK:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2665983.cms

India records highest number of murders in world

NEW DELHI
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
INDIA has recorded the highest number of murders in the world, a latest study by a government agency shows, news reports said yesterday. Data put together by the National Crime Records Bureau, a department of the Federal Home Ministry, showed that the number of murders in India, was three times that of Pakistan and double of the United States.There were more than 32,000 incidents of murder recorded in India over 2007-2008, whereas there were nearly 16,700 murders in the US and about 9,700 in Pakistan, the NDTV network reported.India is closely followed by South Africa which registered nearly 31,000 incidents of murders. However, the survey clarified that the rate per population of murder and other crimes in India was much less compared to other countries.India has the world's second largest population after China with an estimated 1.13 billion people.The murder and rape rate in India was three and four per 100,000 population respectively, whereas South Africa had rates in the two categories as 65.27 and 115.8 respectively, the Times of India daily said in its report.The NCRB said the data was compiled in 22 countries which included Australia, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Japan, Canada, Britain, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand and Sri Lanka.According to the NCRB, the US topped the crime list with 23 million cases including murder, rape, sex and drug offences, while India reported 5 million incidents of crime.The top number of rape cases were reported in the US, which recorded 93,934 such assaults. More than 54,900 rape cases reported in South Africa and 18,359 rape cases were reported in India over 2007-2008.Indian crime rate has been increasing every year.DPA

LINK:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/asia_news/2008/06/03/india_records_highest_number_of_murders_in_world

Indian Film Industry

Indian film industry the so called bollywood is a dying industry ….
With over 800 movies a year ..most of them are copied from Hollywood exactly the same ..including the dialogues …..and the songs are copied from either Pakistani, English or Arabic music…and all this bollywood does in the name of Inspiration..without any credits given.

There is no originality in Indian movies…its only glamour and nude dancers they are selling their movies…leaving very few countables on fingers, which can be named as good cinema…

And now with increasing jealousy and war of egoes in between some major big names in bollywood, like shah rukh and amitabah, salman and shah rukh, …and many to name….
This industry is for sure going towards a disaster…..just for how long can u sell movies with half naked ladies dancing around with fast copied music playing in the back ground… they are selling only because of glamour nude dances.…

Happy Independence Day to all the Pakistani and Indian friends out there.

German Rapist to die in Delhi

Rapists to die
Delhi An Indian court sentenced two taxi drivers to death for raping and murdering an Australian tourist four years ago. Emelie Griggs, 59, arrived in Delhi on March 17, 2004, to enrol in a meditation course, but was raped and killed. (Reuters)

Baby of a surrogate Indian mother in legal limbo

The future of a 12-day-old baby girl born to an Indian surrogate mother hung in legal limbo Wednesday after the Japanese couple who planned to take her home divorced. Manji Yamada was born last month after eggs from an Indian donor were fertilised using the Japanese man's sperm and implanted in the womb of the surrogate Indian mother. Her biological father split from his wife after the fertilisation process, and his former spouse no longer wants the baby.
In the absence of a surrogacy law in India, the child -- who is an Indian citizen -- will have to be adopted by her Japanese father Ikufumi Yamada, 45. But Indian law does not allow the adoption of a girl by a single father, lawyers and doctors said. "There is a legal complication as the father is alone and Indian adoption law says a single male can't adopt a girl," Sanjay Arya, the doctor who is looking after the baby, told AFP by phone from western Jaipur city. Manji cannot leave the country without a passport and is being looked after in Jaipur by her paternal grandmother and an Indian friend of the father. "Yamada went to the local passport office. He was told to go to the Japanese Embassy, which asked him to get a document from an Indian court to get custody of the child," Arya said. "He felt like a football." The baby's father and grandmother were present at the hospital for her birth. Yamada has since returned to work in Japan, and is expected to come back to India after some headway has been made. "I spoke to him today. He can't plan anything till the baby's passport is made," said Ikufumi's friend, Kamal Vijayvargiya, who consulted legal experts. Arya, the doctor, said lawyers would file a court petition on Thursday seeking adoption by the father and temporary custody of the child by the grandmother till then.
"The surrogacy doesn't matter. He is, after all, the biological father," the doctor said.
Manji was born on July 25 in western Gujarat state. The child's father, identified by the Indian media as a Tokyo surgeon, moved her to Jaipur city in Rajasthan state after serial bomb attacks in Gujarat in which some 50 people died. "The baby is alright, but the grandmother is very tense," and wants to take the infant back to Japan as soon as possible, Arya said.
The baby's fate made front-page news in Indian dailies. "Conceived in Japan, stuck in Jaipur" read the headline of the largest-selling English daily, The Times of India, saying the baby could become the country's "first surrogate orphan" if the problems were not resolved.
"With India emerging as a destination for surrogate pregnancies, a law (to regulate surrogacy) will have to be brought into effect," leading lawyer Indira Jaising told the Indian Express newspaper. Critics call the practice "wombs for rent," but surrogacy has emerged as a booming business in India. Gujarat's Anand town -- where the baby was born -- has emerged as India's surrogacy centre after the high-profile case of a woman who gave birth to her own grandchildren on behalf of her British-based daughter in 2004. Surrogate mothers in Anand charge about 100,000 rupees (2,500 dollars) for a pregnancy and have been approached by a number of overseas Indian and foreign couples who can have a surrogate baby at a fraction of the cost in Western countries. Surrogate mothers are often poor women who opt to carry a stranger's baby to help pay education and housing costs for their own families.

Abhijeet shown the door

Controversy erupted on the sets of Ek Se Badhkar Ek because playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya objected to the participation of a Pakistani singer in this weekend reality show. Consequently, Abhijeet—as he puts it —quit the show. Others say he was shown the door. Abhijeet Bhattacharya and choreographer Ahmed Khan were judges on Zee’s weekend reality show which features TV actors and singers performing in jodis. Among the new entrants in the wild card round, there were Sanober Kabir and Mussarat Abbas. Pakistani contestants have often participated in the various channels’ music reality shows. Past objections Mussarat Abbas was a contestant from Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007. Abhijeet has earlier protested against Pakistani singers. In 2003, he even petitioned the government seeking a ban on Pakistani singers performing in India. This time, he said, “If Mussarat sings, I will not judge him.” Abhijeet said that to allow foreigners to participate in the show was unfair to Indian talent. On another note, referring to Pakistani singers giving playback for Bombay’s movies, he said, “It’s a matter of great shame that our music directors should go to Pakistan to get Atif Aslam to sing because he didn’t get a visa to come here. Yahaan hamare singers bhukhemar rahe hain (Our own singers are dying of starvation here).” Fired or quit? Media reports have said thatAbhijeet had been shown the door due to his behaviour. But the singer states, “I spoke to the channel. They said they couldn’t change the format, so I have quit. It was mutual. But it’s sad that I had to leave because of a non-entity Pakistani singer.” Tarun Mehra, programming head of Zee, states that he isn’t aware of the fact that Abhijeet had walked out. According to him, “We can’t change the format of the show.. it’s about singing and dancing. We will have to find a replacement.” Diplomatically, Mussarat says that he will miss Abhijeet on the show: “I understand what he means. The fact that Indians aren’t allowed to perform in our country is amatter of embarrassment to us.We have such deep cultural and family links.”

‘Ramchand Pakistani’, a unique India-Pakistan co-production

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) “Ramchand Pakistani”, the latest India-Pakistan collaborative film venture, is unique because its protagonists belong to the minority Hindu community in Pakistan, says producer Javed Jabbar. The film, which is set to release in Pakistan next month, highlights the problems faced by border communities, especially Hindu minorities, during bilateral tensions.
It revolves around a family that belongs to the Kohli Dalit caste of the Hindu community of that country. And critically acclaimed Indian actress Nandita Das plays a lead role.
“The struggle of a poor and a lonely woman for physical and psychological survival is a major aspect of the movie,” Jabbar told IANS via e-mail from Karachi.
Though Pakistani actress Shameem Ara played a Hindu character, Shakuntala, in “Lakhon Mein Aik” in the 1960s, this time it’s an Indian - Nandita - who plays Champa, the key character around whom “Ramchand Pakistani” revolves.
Champa’s eight-year-old son, Ramchand, inadvertently crosses the border, and her husband Shankar, while looking for their son, is mistaken for a Pakistani spy by the Indian security forces.
The film, the directorial debut of Jabbar’s daughter Mehreen, depicts Champa’s struggle to get her family back and the psychological trauma she undergoes. Mehreen has directed several Pakistani television serials earlier.
Though the officers of the Pakistani Rangers empathise with Champa’s emotional crisis, they cannot secure any information about her husband and son from the other side of the border.
“Such examples of silence and non-confirmation are fairly common in bilateral relations, especially when the relations are tense between two neighbouring countries, as Champa’s predicaments pointedly reveal,” Jabbar said.
Through Champa’s tale of woes, “Ramchand Pakistani” seeks to subtly refer to the suspicion with which majority communities of both India and Pakistan tend to look upon the minorities.
“But as I have said, the movie set in 2002-03 is essentially a story about a poor and lonely woman’s struggle for physical and psychological survival under unfriendly circumstances,” the Pakistani producer stressed.
Though there have been instances of cross-border participation in Pakistani and Indian films earlier, this is the first time that a large mix of artistes have come together in a single venture.
Apart from Nandita, “Ramchand Pakistani” has Debajyoti Mishra as music director, Shubha Mudgal as a lead singer along with Shafaqat Armaan Ali Khan and Aseem Sinha is the editor.
Mishra has composed songs for Rituparno Ghosh’s “Raincoat” and Bhavna Talwar’s “Dharm”.
The cast also includes Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazal Ahmed, who plays Ramchand, Nauman Ijaj and Maria Wasti.
“The movie has been made in Urdu-cum-Hindi because the story evolves on two parallel tracks on either side of the border. There is an overseas version with English sub-titles too,” Jabbar said.
“Ramchand Pakistani” evoked a good response when it was screened at the New York Tribeca Film Festival held between April 28 and May 4. The New York Times described it as a “poignant” movie.
Percept Picture Company, which released “Khuda Ke Liye” in India, may release “Ramchand Pakistani” too.
“We are in talks with the producer of the film. But nothing has been finalised,” Ashok Ahuja, the company’s marketing director, told IANS.





http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/ramchand-pakistani-a-unique-india-pakistan-co-production_10050907.html

Pakistani Rock Band Junoon in Kashmir to heal wounds

Pakistan’s hottest rock band Junoon plays in Srinagar, Kashmir on Sunday, in what must rate as the biggest music show in decades in one of the world’s most militarised regions.
Junoon, or madness in Arabic, will play in a heavily fortified auditorium on the banks of the Dal lake, but its Sufi music and soaring guitar riffs should resonate far beyond, given that this is where Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism, struck roots in the subcontinent.
The idea of a Pakistani band playing in the centre of Kashmir, which has been at the heart of 60 years of unremitting hostility between the neighbours, is itself remarkable, a testament to the change that is quietly taking place.
It would have been unimaginable a few years ago, Ïndia’s NDTV quotes a local college professor as saying.
Both nations have faced challenges in recent days; India, the blasts in Jaipur which at another time would have almost reflexively been blamed on the neighbour, and Pakistan renewed bombings and a civilian coalition government that is dangerously drifting apart barely weeks after it was formed.
The neighbours have been tested in Kashmir itself recently with reports of cross-border incursions and gunbattles but they have kept their counsel, and resumed peace talks this week.
So what’s the subtext to Junoon in Kashmir, if at all ? Yusuf Jameel, who has reported extensively on the region, says the political connotations of their presence in the disputed territory are not lost on anyone, and authorities are trying to ensure there is no trouble.
The concert has been organised by the South Asia Foundation, a non-government organisation, and is part of celebrations marking the inauguration of the Kashmir Study Institute at Kashmir University. Indian President Pratibha Patil is expected to attend the show as also other government leaders which obviously complicates the issue.
“After all, Islamabad has not officially given up its claim on Kashmir, though to many both in the neighbouring country (Pakistan) and here in Jammu and Kashmir, it is only dragging its feet from what it would until a few years ago insist is its jugular vein,” writes Jameel. The hardline elements in Kashmiri separatist groups are not going to be very pleased with the Junoon act, he says.
But the band that sometimes has been likened to U2 has been down this kind of road before. Founder Salman Ahmed, who trained to be a medical doctor, says inspired by the music of Led Zeppelin he traded his stethoscope for an electric guitar because he thought that was a better instrument to heal his deeply wounded society.
Blending traditional Sufi music with western instruments and melodies, the band has created a new genre of pop music, Sufi rock. And their songs call for harmony and peace instead of nuclear proliferation and corruption, making them a constant thorn on the side of Pakistan’s ruling authorities.
In the early 1990s a law was passed - aimed directly at the band - banning “jeans and jackets” from appearing on television. The group did a video for a song called Accountability which proved too much for then Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

And they have done their bit on the other side of the border too. They were in India playing the week New Delhi stunned the world conducting nuclear tests in the summer of 1998.
“We want cultural fusion, not nuclear fusion”, young Indians waved a banner in a packed concert. Junoon denounced the arms race, saying India and Pakistan couldn’t afford it and were better-off giving their citizens clean drinking water, jobs and health facilities.
The Indian tests were followed by a similar series by Pakistan that month.