Pakistan will raise it’s flag to half mast on Thursday, July 29 as the whole nation mourns the loss of 152 passengers flying from Karachi to Islamabad on Airblue flight ABQ-202.

Inna lillahe wa inna illaihe rajioon!

Scene of the Airblue A321 crash site - Source: AFP via DAWN.com

At 9:40 AM Wednesday morning, the ten-year old Airbus A321 aircraft, flown by Airblue since 2006, plunged into the Margalla Hills about 8 KM from Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport after making an earlier unsuccessful attempt to land. The weather was torrential as it poured heavily enough to hamper rescue efforts and emergency relief operation. All 146 passengers and 6 crew were unfortunate to have boarded the flight as there were no survivors of what became the worst air disaster in Pakistan’s history. A list of everyone on board is available here.

May the souls of the deceased rest in peace and may God grant patience to their family and friends. Please pray and recite Dua-e-Maghfirat for everyone.

Pakistan Software House Association (P@SHA), TiE Lahore and Sofizaz in colboration with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) are organizing an interactive talk with Imran Sayeed who is an entrepreneur and technologist from the US. The event is supposed to be held at NIB Auditorium in LUMS and is a good learning and networking opportunity for entrepreneurs and people who are interested in entrepreneurship.

The event is free but everyone must register to attend. The details are as follows;

Event: Interactive Talk with Imran Sayeed
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Date: July 29, 2010
Venue: NIB Auditorium, LUMS
Register for Free at: http://bit.ly/a4Tn2t

Imran Sayeed’s Profile.

Imran Sayeed, a serial entrepreneur, a consultant, an engineer, a mentor, a rainmaker, and a great supporter of many initiatives in Pakistan including the OPEN-MITEF initiative is going to be in Lahore on July 29.

Imran is Senior Vice President, Global Architecture, Application Development and Management Practice and leads all commercial sector industry practices for Keane, a global BPO and IT Services company with ~14,000 professionals worldwide. Industry practices include Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceutial, Manufacturing, Retail, Hospitality & Travel and Energy, and together comprise most of the key business lines and customers for Keane.

To read more about Imran Sayeed and the event visit Jeahan Ara’s blog post Interactive talk with Imran Sayeed.

Don’t forget to read the last line on Jehan’s post to know what will be served after the event. ;)

Amid all the chaos and disillusionment that our country is going through right now, all we can and should do is talk about hope. After all, this is our country and we have to bring things in order on our own by uniting our minds and sharing ideas that can bring change for the good.

TEDxLahore is just about one such opportunity that shows hope for Pakistanis that there still are people who can turn things around for our society, country and the greater world at large by using the power of collective genius. Yes, ‘Collective Genius’ is the theme for this year’s TEDxLahore.

For starters, TED (Technology, Entertainment & Design) is a non-profit organization that has provided a platform through their annual conferences, talks and website for sharing ideas that can bring change in this world. Notable speakers at TED talks over the years have included Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Gordon Brown, Bill Gates and various notable individuals. In addition to TED talks, the movement encourages independently organized events hosted by colleges, communities and people across the world to share ideas worth spreading in their own context. These events are termed as TEDx.

Into it’s second year, we are glad to have another TEDx event happening right here in Lahore on 31st of July 2010. Being supported by the Planning Commission of Pakistan, TEDxLahore 2010 will provide an opportunity for individuals of the highest caliber to express their views and share their ideas for change.

To give you a tentative idea about things to expect at this year’s TEDxLahore, the list of speakers is as follows:

Arif Hasan – An architect, teacher and social researcher.
Dr. Nadeem ul Haque – Head of the Planning Commission of Pakistan.
Omer Sheikh and Jabran Rafique – Super Mappers (Google MapMaker)
Dr. Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani – A researcher on the effects of herd behavior on impulse shopping
Ajmal Kamal – Editor of AAJ journal for Urdu literature
Dr. Asher Hasan – Founder and CEO of Naya Jeevan
Saima Zaidi – Author of ‘Mazaar, Bazaar’ – an exhaustive review of Pakistan’s visual culture.
Rafay Alam – A lawyer & environmental activist.
Mudassir Zia – Founder & President of Message Welfare Trust.
Beena Raza and Noor Zehra Kazim – Artists, Sitar players and teachers.
Dr. Aamir Khan – Epidemiologist, founder and Executive Director of IRD since 2004.
Zubair K. Bhatti – Ex-DCO Jhang & The Asia Foundation’s Director of Programs, Pakistan.
Dr. Tariq Rehman – Professor of Sociolinguistic History & specialist on Language Change.

You can find a detailed profile of all the speakers here, which will be more than enough to increase your excitement & eagerness to be a part of TEDxLahore as a present or virtual audience this year.

Let’s all look forward to what TEDxLahore brings for everyone on 31st of this month. Till then, keep following…

Website: http://www.TEDxLahore.com

Twitter: @TEDxLahore

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TEDxLahore

Live Viewing Parties: (click for more details)

Karachi – T2F

Islamabad – Civil Junction

Den Haag (The Hague) – Pakistan House

Three suicide bomb blasts have killed at least 30 people at the shrine of Hazrat Data Gunj Baksh in Lahore. More than 40 (some sources even quoting 80) people have been injured, some of them seriously, and taken to various hospitals in the city. Two of the blasts happened inside the compound while another one blew in the adjoining bazaar. Geo TV reports that even a hand grenade was found in the ablution area of the shrine. Thursdays are very busy days at Sufi shrines, especially Data Darbar, where thousands of Lahorities and people from across the country come to pay respects to the great Saint.

One of the blasts took place just outside the Shrine - Source: Dawn News

Lahore derives it’s Sufi heritage from dozens of saints and holy men out of which Data Sahib shines out the most. The city itself is lovingly known as ‘Data di Nagri’ (Data’s Town). An attack on this very symbol of harmony, humanity and peace, as well as at something more like our city’s identity, strikes at the very heart of every Lahori.

The news comes as a very sad and shocking reminder of the fact that these terrorists have no religion, faith or humanity left  in their hearts. These people are bloody killers who do not target minorities, Shias or Ahmedis only, rather, they would go to any extent in order to spread what they call ‘terror’. But they are badly mistaken for with every such incident, resolve of the people of this city against their twisted ideology becomes stronger and firmer.

We pray for the souls of the deceased – may all of them rest in peace. Amen!

(There is another rumor of an attack near Mizar of Bibi Pak Daman – the news has not been confirmed so far)