Barcelona match can kick start our season, says Montolivo

Riccardo Montolivo believes the right result against Barcelona can kick start AC Milan's faltering season.

The Rossoneri will take confidence from last year's meeting between the two when they beat Barca 2-0 at San Siro in the first leg of their last 16 encounter, only to lose the second leg 4-0 in Camp Nou.

Milan have yet to reach their full potential as they lie in eighth position in Serie A, but their captain insists a positive performance against the Liga champions in Group H will give them the boost they need.

'We must have great concentration and attention, limiting the spaces between the lines and exploiting counterattacks like in last year’s game,' Montolivo told reporters.

'The team spirit, the attitude and the right approach to the game will be essential to do well against Barcelona. We believe [in a good result].

'This team can still give a lot and has not fully expressed its full potential yet. This match can give us the necessary boost to grow as team.'

Milan have a number of injury concerns ahead of the match, with forward Stephan El Shaarawy ruled out while Mario Balotelli is also a doubt. The Italians sit second on four points with Barca top of the group.

The Real deal

Carlo Ancelotti assured that we would see a different Real Madrid against Málaga, and his team proved him right. Not just in terms of how the players looked - there are figures to back up this affirmation.

On practically all fronts, Real improved with respect to the team's average in the league. It shot on goal more, it was more aggressive, more intense, and had more possession.

Ancelotti knows that the best attack starts with a good defence. Against Málaga we saw a much keener, eager Real. At last here was a Real side that tackled more and got the ball back from Bernd Schuster's men. 81 successful tackles in all, compared to the average of 65 that the team has so far this season.

This improvement in tackling has meant that Real enjoyed more possession of the ball, which was also above its average (67% instead of 62.48%). This is something that Ancelotti's teams have always had. The manager said on his arrival at the Bernabéu that the team needed to display some spectacular football in line with its history. And possession is one of the best indicators of just that.

Real has developed its game, as Ancelotti wants. For instance, the team gave more good passes than in previous games - 580 in the Málaga game against the average of 506. The idea of putting Illarra on next to Khedira also worked in every way, both in creating moves as well as getting the ball back off the opponent.

Real fixes up and looks sharp

Real Madrid's performance against Málaga was the first sign that it is developing into the effective, yet classy side its fans expect. It was a deceptively narrow and utterly routine victory with little by way of fireworks.

Ancelotti's men went back to basics, keeping it simple and coming up with the goods all over the pitch. 'Los Blancos' were totally up for it and meticulous, simply outclassing Málaga, with only a masterclass from Caballero keeping the score down.

The introduction of Morata was greeted with vociferous cheers on the Bernabéu terraces

Having admitted matter-of-factly that his side couldn't "get any worse" ahead of the meetings with Málaga, Juventus and Barcelona,Ancelotti made a series of personnel changes and was vindicated with Real's most assured display of the season.

The reshuffle in the line-up was headed by the introduction of Morata, a move that was greeted with vociferous cheers on the Bernabéu terraces. There can be no doubting the supporters' eagerness for the youngster to succeed.

Another improvement was seen in the roles played by Illarramendi and Khedira. While a bizarre role reversal had seen the pair struggle in previous matches, with each asked to do what the other is better at, a return to their more natural game against Málaga did both the world of good.

While Khedira kept the ball moving impressively and surged into space on the break, Illarra hardly put a foot wrong in his playmaking duties. The young Spaniard looked accomplished throughout, never overcomplicating things and barely misplacing a pass.

This or that?: Maha Burney, Sadia Nawabi

Once again, we were dazzled by the fashionistas of K-town, who walked the red carpet at the launch of Red Mango. Just like the fro-yo outlet promises ‘sweet inspiration’, the two ladies, who gave us just that with their casual yet sleek looks, were fashion designer Sadia Nawabi and stylist Maha Burney. Here is a breakdown of how they looked.

Maha Burney

Hair and make-up

Maha never fails to impress us with her chic sense of style. Her side-swept hairdo with loose waves enhanced her trendy and rugged look. Her eyes were perfectly lined in black and her peachy cheeks and lip colour demonstrated how less is always more! 

Outfit

The stylist looked fab in a black and mustard top with a pair of blue skinnies. And one can never go wrong with a black blazer! It can style up the most subtle of looks. Her simple avatar was perfect for the event! 

Accessories and shoes

Maha wore a rugged black and red bib necklace that looked great with her outfit. She carried a bronze-coloured crossbody bag, which enhanced the subtlety of the look. We love the faux snakeskin platforms!

Sadia Nawabi

Hair and make-up

Sadia looked downright glamorous by letting her hair down. Her golden brown highlights complemented her look. Sadia’s tightlined eyes and rosy cheeks and lips looked great with her casual outfit. 

Outfit

The designer wore a printed Zara top and blue Forever 21 jeggings. While Sadia went formulaic with her look, she pulled it off with grace and style. 

Accessories and shoes

We love Sadia’s chunky necklace and rings from Forever 21. Her nude Steve Madden wedges were eye-catching! She carried a signature Gucci handbag, which enhanced her conventional yet chic look.

Coke Studio: Fariha Pervez is ecstatic — but we beg to differ

Singer makes Coke Studio debut with renowned qawwal Moazzam Ali Khan, Serbian house band and the in-house dhol group. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

LAHORE / KARACHI: 

Unlike previous seasons, Coke Studio’s much-awaited season six took off with just one single — a jazz-reggae spin on a traditional qawwali Jogi by Fariha Pervez and renowned qawwal Moazzam Ali Khan.

The veteran singer has developed quite a following over the years due to her repertoire with the audience as well as her versatility and tells us that her debut this season materialised when she approached the famed platform herself. “I never tried to be a part of Coke Studio before but this season, I asked Rohail and he immediately called me over through his team,” Pervez tells The Express Tribune.

Working with Rohail is something that many artists have cherished, and Pervez’s experience was no different. She says that Rohail’s charm lies in the fact that he allows musicians to decide their songs for themselves.

“Rohail is a music lover and is willing to work with anyone who is good or has potential. But what makes it an awesome experience is that he makes artists feel comfortable and lets them sing whatever they want,” she says. She highlights that Rohail gave her the opportunity to perform live in Turkey with Turkish musicians.

For Fariha, the timing of her debut with Coke Studio couldn’t have been better, because for the first time the hit show is featuring a diverse group of international musicians. Her performance features the contributions of a Serbian house band alongside a brass section and a string orchestra, complemented by Coke Studio’s dhol group that provides the essential Punjabi folk element to the track.

“The opportunity to perform with people from abroad provides a totally different experience not just in terms of enjoyment but also in terms of learning. This will allow us to not only hear a whole new variety of music but will also put Pakistani music on an international stage,” asserts Pervez. “International musicians
are definitely going to create a different sound [for the platform],”
she adds.

As far as her performance is concerned, Pervez feels that it provides a different ethos to the original version and gives it a fresh appeal. “This song is really important to me because it was a source of inspiration growing up. The rhythm is entrenched in my genes,” says Pervez. The original version has been composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and written by Bulleh Shah.

“Moazzam provides flavour to the song and gives a certain amount of variety to the qawwali. Also, he is from Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab’s family and for that reason alone it was an unforgettable experience,” she adds.

The verdict

While Pervez is happy with her performance, we beg to differ. One of Western music’s primal pleasures is the way the kick drum locks in with the bass guitar and Jogi is proof that a great rhythm section can add grease to even the driest of productions. That and the tasteful brass section salvage an otherwise ordinary track. Though not as overly-produced as its predecessors, the song is still too slick for its roots. The silence between the strumming and the humming is a bit too obvious.

It wouldn’t have been unreasonable to expect a fire-starter to set the mood right for a much-anticipated season six of Coke Studio. But what is served instead is a non-starter — that turns cold even before the seven minutes are over. Fariha Pervez fails to make an impression of any sort — her vocal delivery has neither the power of soul nor the charm of a diva. First is the worst? We only hope!

The solar solution

Pakistan would appear to be an ideal candidate for photovoltaic power generation. PHOTO: FILE

Taken as a whole, Pakistan sees nine hours of sunshine a day on average and would appear to be an ideal candidate for photovoltaic power generation. This is particularly so, as much of our power is currently generated using oil, which is the most expensive method of producing electricity known to man. Solar power units have been in Pakistan on a limited scale since the mid-1980s but there has never been a major push to exploit our considerable potential for the production of power from a renewable source other than hydro. That now seems as if it will change and the announcement of a major solar power project at Noor Sar village in Cholistannear Bahawalpur could be the start of something very big indeed.

South Punjab has long been something of a development backwater. Bahawalpur is relatively prosperous, but much of the rest of the region lacks even the basic necessities and jobs outside of agriculture are hard to come by. The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Energy Project will cost Rs200 billion, will have the capacity to generate 1,000MW of electricity and will be delivering 100MW into the national grid by the end of the first quarter of 2014. The project will generate jobs, encourage the growth of business in the area and will be linked to an upgrading of the local airport. New hotels are reportedly in the pipeline — the area has considerable tourist potential for the six cooler months of the year — and will be a significant boost to the local economy in the years it will take to construct. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the biggest project in the history of Bahawalpur and may go some way to mitigate the many grievances of those who complain of a lack of investment in the region. The project will be sans political appointees, according to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and local people will get the first chance when it comes to recruitment — which will be a first if true. Renewable energy really is the way forward, and going solar is the clearest route.

Changing fortunes: Time to revive 1,400 closed units in K-P

According to a report, with the closure of these units 60 percent of the industrial workers previously employed were rendered jobless. PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONS

KARACHI: Karachi’s population explosion can be defused to a great extent if the new Khyber-Pakhtunkhaw (KP) government takes effective measures to restart over 1,400 closed industrial units in the province. Though there is no doubt that the main beneficiary will be the people of K-P, it will definitely help in restricting the migration of a large population to the financial capital of the country. In fact, on the contrary, people may start migrating from Karachi back to their native towns. Naturally so because after the closure of those factories about 1.5 million people who migrated to Karachi in search of bread and butter will prefer to go back to their hometowns to take their rightful place back in their respective industries.

With a dynamic person like Imran Khan at the helm of affairs it is hoped that the PTI government of K-P will do its level best to revive all those closed manufacturing plants to stamp out unemployment in the province, which is the main cause of terrorism. According to a report, with the closure of these units 60 percent of the industrial workers previously employed were rendered jobless. It is worth mentioning here that while it is the third largest province, population-wise, it can employ less than a meagre 7 percent workforce of the nation and that too when all its closed units are made operational. Right now the industry in K-P is employing less than three percent of the nation’s industrial workforce.

Asad Omar is undoubtedly a name to reckon with in the corporate world and he is definitely playing a pivotal role in the policymaking of the PTI. Historical facts reveal that all the developed countries of the world broke the vicious circle of underdevelopment by industrialisation. So the expectations from the present rulers of K-P are very high, more so because they have a dynamic team which can deliver.

The provincial government, therefore, should work out a plan to restart the over 1,400 closed plants on an urgent basis. After the revival of the shut units it must also devise ways to encourage setting up new industries in the province.   Free schooling and free medical service will not solve the problem, because at the end of the day, the people need hard cash to buy food for the dependants. Therefore, the foremost task before the government is to strengthen the base of industrial growth in the province.

But for a man who can build one of the best hospitals in the country, bringing in investors and entrepreneurs should not be a very big problem despite the prevailing situation in the province. The K-P government also must realise that the salvation of the province solely depends on industrialisation and nothing else for every hundred thousand jobs that industry provides directly, it creates three times as many jobs downstream.

The PTI government should begin with Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate for the revival of industry in the province. If it succeeds in Gadoon, it will be easier for the government to set up more industrial zones in other parts of the province. Initially 228 units were established in Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate, with a total investment of Rs9.123 billion and employment provided to about 20,000 workers. The process of industrialisation in the province suffered a setback when the incentives and concessions granted to the investors and entrepreneurs either stood expired, or were prematurely withdrawn by the government during the period 1991-95. As a result, industrial units started closing down.

A comprehensive plan and concerted efforts could improve the situation and finally would take the province into an era of progress and prosperity. The federal government should consider the provision of some sorts of incentives in the form of reduction in the price of electricity, permission for the export of goods from EPZ Risalpur, transportation subsidy and establishment of stock exchange, etc., for the development of industrial sector in this backward region.

The province is bestowed with rich natural resources, a hardworking population and immense opportunities for investment. However, industrially the province is backward and its share in the total installed industrial units is just 7.5 percent. Industries in K-P could not contribute significantly to the economic development of the country, because majority of the industrial units are not working, for one reason or the other.

The K-P government can take full advantage of the Law of the SEZ which has been made to meet the global challenges of competitiveness to attract the FDI. The Law allows creating industrial cluster with liberal incentives, infrastructure, investor facilitation services to enhance productivity and reduce cost of doing business for economic development and poverty reduction. The Law further envisages reducing processes through the SEZ in Pakistan. The establishment of the SEZs will attract both domestic as well as international investors. The writer is a freelance contributor and a PR consultan