P3 Orion aircraft on fire at PNS Mehran - Source: Dawn.com/AFP

Gunfire and explosions rocked Pakistan Navy’s PNS Mehran base in Karachi last night. Recent reports have confirmed at least 8 casualties and two aircrafts destroyed at the high security facility. P3 Orion aircrafts are operated by Pakistan Navy for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Navy has become the most targeted wing of the armed/security forces in Pakistan with four terrorist attacks spanning over the last two months. All four have taken place in Karachi targeting buses carrying Navy personnel and now an air-base. The first ever attack on naval interests in Pakistan during the current war on terror took place on March 4, 2008 when the Naval War College in Lahore was attacked by two suicide bombers killing at least 8 people.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the affected families and friends of our brave military men who’ve lost their lives in this incident. Inna lillahe wa inna illehe rajioon.

We all pray in unity for peace in Pakistan!

Much like the rest of the Indian Sub-continent, Lahoris are bursting with adrenaline rush for ‘the’ clash between Pakistan and India. The South Asian arch-rivals will battle for a slot in the finals of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to meet Sri Lanka in Mumbai on April 02, 2011. What are Lahoris planning for the clash of the titans? Well, there is a mass-fever going on with projector screenings planned in public parks, open spaces, university campuses and even mohallas. Special arrangements are being done by corporates to entertain their employees with a company sponsored party. DHA Cinema and Cinestar both are selling over-priced tickets for the grand affair while all the happening eateries in Lahore including cafe’s, bistros, restaurants, hotels and even dhabas will play the match live from Mohali. Still, the majority of Lahoris will enjoy the match in comfortable confines of their homes with their close family and friends. Facebook and Twitter are already overloaded with over-optimistic, gladiatoristic rants and ‘naaras’ while the media on both sides of the border are buzzing in overdrive.

Whatever the consequence of tomorrow’s ultimate clash (or Thursday’s in case of rain) , the whole nation will stand united for one day at least. We do hope that Pakistan wins and beats ‘India’, yes, we do want to beat ‘India’ first and win the World Cup later. :)

Reposted from Mubarakpur

Ahmed Rafay Alam, in his recent article published in the The Tribune, pretty much summarizes the flaws of recently inaugurated Kalma Chowk underpass project. He writes,

“Investment in public transport (and removal of private automobiles from roads) is the only long-term solution. Three years ago, the Punjab government launched the Lahore Transport Company with the promise to import some 1,300 buses into the city within three years. Well, it’s been three years and no such buses have been imported. Meanwhile, the Lahore Transport Company continues to pay salaries to its many officers and employees. The construction of the Kalma Chowk overpass excuses the failure by the Punjab government to adopt any long-term public transport alternatives. This should not be so and taxpayers should be informed of the reasons why no public transport is being provided, as promised.”

Following the success of Groupon in the West and similar sites like SnapDeal in India, a Pakistani company Allainet has recently launched Groupin.pk.

This platform is based on the principle of up to 90% discounts offered on group activities. For instance, if there’s a deal on Groupin.pk, you can get its alerts after an easy 3 step subscription process i.e. via email, Twitter, Facebook and SMS. Once you register for that deal, you’ll be issued with a coupon via either of these mentioned means.

If successful, this model will create an interesting channel for merchants & small businesses to achieve scale and offer their products and services to a wider audience. In addition, more established businesses will also benefit by reaching out to customers by offering customized deals to specific segments.

Groupin.pk is currently offering it’s services in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar & Quetta. You can try it by registering at their website and get a chance to win an iPhone.

A beautifully decorated Masjid on the Mall

In Lahore, masjids and other important buildings were illuminated beautifully to celebrate the occasion and rallies were held to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s arrival in this world. Security was on high alert in order to avoid any untoward incident and the day passed happily and peacefully.

Image & Blog Repost Source: Mubarakpur

See pictures at Mubarakpur.

“Not a very long time ago, the city of Lahore woke up to birdsong and chirping. These sounds, however, are being silenced by unchecked and unsustainable development and human settlement. So much so that now, as compared to the 240 bird species that were recorded in Lahore in a study conducted in 1965, only 101 bird species were recorded during a study conducted in 1992. Ornithologists estimate there are currently only 85 bird species left in Lahore, including resident and migrant species.” Read full article here.

Birds of Lahore - Pigeons & Sparrows - Image Source: Wildlife of Pakistan

Sadly, she is right as there were many species of colorful birds and migrant creatures from Siberia that used to enrich bird watching in and around Lahore. All of these are becoming a rare sight due to unrestricted human development and unplanned urban expansion of the city’s boundaries. As for every other aspect, environment is going through extensive degradation in Pakistan and urban built ups like Lahore and Karachi are the most affected areas. I hope someone in the right state of mind notices and guides the urban planners as well as officials that run this city in order to prevent further loss of nature around us.

There’s a very comprehensive article on the Birds of Lahore by The Birdwatchers Club of Pakistan. You can learn more about the Birds of Lahore here.

Blog re-posted from Mubarakpur.

Pakistan Peoples Party has cancelled all events celebrating Zulfiqar Bhutto’s birthday and declared two weeks of mourning. The Punjab Government has announced a local holiday for tomorrow across Punjab as things become tense in Lahore. All roads leading to the Governor’s House in Lahore have been sealed. There was extreme panic amongst people in Lahore and other cities as everyone closed down shops and rushed back home anticipating violent protests by PPP jayalas.

Salman Taseer’s body will be driven or flown back to Lahore tonight where his Namaz-e-Janaza will be said at the Governor’s House on Wednesday.

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Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer has just been assassinated in Islamabad. According to media reports, Taseer died of bullet wounds when his car was fired upon at the capital’s Kohsaar Market.

Governor Punjab, Salman Taseer

Considering the reputation and temper of PPP jayalas, it is very likely that there might be violent protests and demonstrations in the city. People in Lahore are highly advised to take extra precaution and preferably stay at home till things become clear.

Egerton Road after first rain of the season - Lahore, December 30, 2010

See more pictures here: Mystic Misty Lahore

Egerton Road skyline - Lahore, December 30, 2010

Film, whether amateur, commercial or art, is one of the most powerful media in terms of depicting a society’s values and current thinking. From Hollywood to Bollywood to Iranian cinema, this medium has been used to highlight issues pertinent to a society’s existence while many a time, also used as a tool for propaganda and diplomacy.

With the fall of Pakistani cinema from grace over the years, there have been a few platforms for amateur film-makers to experiment and present their art to a thinking audience. Kara Film Festival was a beacon of hope that, to some extent, brought Pakistani artists, directors and documentary makers into limelight. While an impressive achievement in its own right, Kara is still far off to many amateur artists who cannot afford the budget or time to cope with the frenzy of such a film festival.

Then came FiLUMS; the landmark event of LUMS Media Arts Society, that provided a reachable platform to budding film-makers regardless of their backgrounds, nature of subjects of interest and any budgetary constraints. Since it’s inception in 2006, FiLUMS has been a regular occurrence that grows even bigger and better with each passing year.

This year, FiLUMS is gearing to be the biggest and the best to date with entries from as far as Turkey, Serbia, Abu Dhabi, Ireland and the United States. Along with film premiers and screenings, the three-day festival (February 11 – 13, 2011) will feature workshops and talks judged by the likes of Adeel Hashmi, Ayesha Khan, Omar Khan, Bilal Lashari, Fasi Zaka, Syed Noor, Adil Sher and many more.

Highlight of the event will be the award night at the third and final day of the festival on February 13, 2011.

Participation Procedure:

“Participants can register through the revolutionary submission system, known as Withoutabox (a division of IMDb), which is used by major festivals around the world. Alternatively, they can also register through our Standard Procedure, where participants are required to fill in a brief Online Registration Form available on the website by 15^th January 2011. Once your film is ready, download the Submission Details Form and submit it to subform@filums.com.pk. Finally, the submission DVD’s of the participants must reach us before 1^st February 2011.”

Categories:

- Short Films

- Animations

- Documentaries

- Feature Length Films

- Any other creative exception

Festival Proceedings:

Refer to the FiLUMS schedule here.

Contacts:

Website: http://www.filums.com.pk

Register for FiLUMS at: http://www.filums.com.pk/register

Email at: info@filums.com.pk

Call for Registrations and Submissions at: +92-347-5189196

Facebook Support Group: http://www.filums.com.pk/facebook

Follow FiLUMS at Twitter: http://twitter.com/filums2011