I have always enjoyed the hospitality of Lahoris: Naseeruddin Shah

Indian actor-director Naseeruddin Shah PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE: I have always enjoyed the hospitality and love of the people in Lahore, said Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah on Wednesday.

Speaking to students at Lahore College for Women University(LCWU) on Wednesday, the 63-year-old actor-director said that he believes Pakistan and India have similarities in their culture and language, and therefore they should work for better ties and every individual has to play his part in eliminating the fog of misconceptions.

He added that he wishes to visit all of Pakistan but cannot make this possible because of limitations of time.

However, Shah admitted that he wants to see young Pakistani theatre actors across the country. Vice Chancellor Dr Sabiha Mansoor and head of Benazir Bhutto Chair Muneeza Hashmi welcomed the actor at LCWU.

Students from Kinnaird College and Beconhouse National University also joined the discussion with Shah.

During his talk, Naseeruddin Shah termed acting as the comprehensive medium of expression. While replying to the students’ queries he said that theatre is more difficult for an actor as compared to cinema because theater does not offers retakes.

Answering a query about whether he found theatre difficult as compared to other performing arts, Shah said had this question been asked about film he would have listed a lot of difficulties but as far as theatre was concerned he never found it difficult. Instead it has always been a source of enjoyment and pleasure to him.

He said doing theatre was such a joy that it could not be found in films. The kind of enthusiasm and team spirit one enjoyed doing theatre could not be experienced while doing a film, he added.

In addition to his views on the differences between theatre and film, Shah also spoke about Pakistani poet Faiz.

The veteran actor recited Ghalib’s poetry at the  students’ request. Muneeza Hashmi said hopefully Shah would return to Lahore next year for stage performances and dedicate a night for reciting poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz.

Box office review: Katniss or the Queen?

Catching Fire, starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, was released on November 22 and is doing rather well. PHOTOS: FILE

LOS ANGELES: Action film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire led the North American box office with ticket sales of $35.6 million over the first two days of the long US Thanksgiving weekend that began on Wednesday, while Disney’s animated Frozen, sold a hefty $26.3 million.

Catching Fire, the second installment of the Hunger Games franchise, grossed $14.9 million on Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day holiday according to studio Lions Gate. That broke the record previously held by Toy Story 2, which earned $13.1 million on Thanksgiving in 1999, according to Rentrak.

The film, starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen, was released on November 22 and has earned $222 million at the domestic box office to date. Industry insiders are projecting that Catching Fire is likely to take $90 million from Wednesday to Sunday.

Disney’s Frozen, inspired by The Snow Queen fairytale, is the story of a Scandinavian princess who must reconnect with her sister, the Queen, who has the power of freezing anything into ice with her hands, and accidentally sets off a long winter that is destroying their kingdom. The film is projected to earn upwards of $40 million at the domestic box office according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Superhero film Thor: The Dark World, part of Disney’s Marvel universe, had ticket sales of $4.3 million between Wednesday and Thursday, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $175.6 million since its release on November 8.

IOC throws weight behind POA

It is pertinent to mention here that Hasan had maintained that POA is an independent body which only follows Olympic Charter. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

KARACHI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially endorsed the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) led by Lt. Gen (retd) Arif Hasan after reviewing the status of sport bodies in the country and their relationship with their respective international counterparts.

An official email was sent to the Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Federal Secretary to the IPC Faridullah Khan and Hasan by the IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

In it was stated: “It is finally expected that all disputes must be resolved and fruitful cooperation between the government authorities, the national sports federations and the POA will be established in the best interest of sports and athletes of the country.”

Earlier, the IOC had said that the sports policy must be compatible with basic principles of the Olympic Movement for sports federations and had asked the government of Pakistan to urgently review the pending issues in relation to the sports policy.

It is pertinent to mention here that Hasan had maintained that POA is an independent body which only follows Olympic Charter.

The email further read: “The sports legislation/revised sports policy will be fully compatible with basic principles and rules of the Olympic movement and allow for the national sports organisations to comply with all national and international requirements. The POA composition will no longer be called into question and all members will act strictly within the framework of the structure of POA as recognised by IOC.”

Return the treasures Britain looted, Chinese tell Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

BEIJING: British Prime Minister David Cameron faced demands for the return of priceless artefacts looted from Beijing in the 19th century on Wednesday, the last day of his visit to China.

Cameron travelled to the southwestern city of Chengdu on the third day of what embassy officials said was the largest ever British trade mission to the country.

British officials say £5.6 billion-worth of deals have been signed so far on the trip, but Cameron has been derided by both Chinese state-run media and the country’s sharp-tongued Internet users.

The prime minister last Friday set up his own microblogging page on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, attracting more than 230,000 followers by Wednesday.

He invited netizens to ask questions, saying that he would aim to reply during the visit.

One of the most popular questions was posted by a prominent Chinese think-tank, the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, which is headed by former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan and includes as its members many top government officials and leading economists.

“When will Britain return the illegally plundered artefacts?” the organisation asked, referring to 23,000 items in the British Museum which it says were looted by the British Army, part of the Eight-Nation Alliance that put down the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the 19th century, a popular uprising against the incursion of European imperial powers in China.

To the Chinese, the ransacking of the Forbidden City, and the earlier destruction of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860 – about which one British officer wrote: “You can scarcely imagine the beauty and magnificence of the places we burnt. It made one’s heart sore to burn them” – remain key symbols of how the country was once dominated by foreign powers.

Even now the ruling Communist party appeals to nationalism to bolster its popularity.

Beijing was outraged by Cameron’s meeting with the Dalai Lama – who it condemns as a dangerous separatist – last year, which led to a diplomatic deep-freeze between the two nations.

Despite the trip being billed as a trade mission, it has widely been seen as an attempt to repair some of the damage caused to China-British relations.

But a leading state newspaper launched an attack on Cameron Tuesday, saying Britain should recognise it is not a major power but “just an old European country apt for travel and study” in an editorial under the headline “China won’t fall for Cameron’s ‘sincerity’”.

The prime minister has taken more than 100 businesspeople with him to China, including the heads of Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Royal Dutch Shell and the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange

Presence of Indian forces is harmful to Siachen Glacier: Sartaj Aziz

Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. PHOTO: EXPRESS

Presence of Indian forces on Siachen Glacier is harmful to the environment according to Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz,Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

Pakistan is facing a water shortage and Indian forces are damaging one of the largest sources of water to Pakistan on a regular basis‚ Aziz said.

Presence of Indian forces on Siachen is a big issue and should be resolved as soon as possible, Aziz stated insisting that India should pull out its troops from the glacier.

He further added that disposal of daily use items by thousands of Indian soldiers is detrimental to the glacier.

India and Pakistan are working on resolving their water issues, Aziz stated. The two countries are doing this through multiple channels including Pakistan-India composite dialogue and Indus Water Commission.

Aziz also said that water should be properly used in Pakistan‚ it should be conserved and new water reservoirs should be built. He also said ‘Senate has recently formed a committee to deliberate various dimensions of water related issues and suggest its recommendations.

India's anti-corruption party tested in Delhi polls

Indian Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal (C) gestures with his ink-marked finger after casting his vote for the Delhi state assembly election in New Delhi on December 4, 2013. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: A new Indian political party rooted in an anti-corruption movement that swept the country in 2011 faced its first electoral test Wednesday as voters in New Delhi headed to the ballot box.

The Aam Aadmi Party, led by former tax inspector Arvind Kejriwal, is contesting the New Delhi state election and hoping for a victory that would be a political earthquake ahead of national polls next year.

New Delhi, whose 16.8 million inhabitants elect their own assembly, has been run by the Congress party since 1998 but it is seen as struggling with voter fatigue, inflation, and anger over crime against women and corruption.

Kejriwal cast his vote at a polling station in central Delhi early on Wednesday accompanied by about 100 supporters wearing white Gandhi caps which, along with a broom, has become the party’s trademark.

“Broom! Broom! Broom!,” said street food vendor Rajesh Sharma, 49, after casting his vote in the chaotic old city area. “Kejriwal deserves a chance to show what he’s got.”

The Delhi election, along with four other state polls over the last month, is also crucial for the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its newly chosen hardline leader Narendra Modi.

Modi, a prime ministerial candidate for next year’s general elections, has campaigned hard and will hope to see the BJP make gains when results are announced for all five state elections on Sunday.

NDTV report quoted BJP chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan as saying that his party is ahead of both the Congress and AAP.

“BJP is far ahead of the Congress and the AAP. It is the Congress and the AAP who are contesting for the second position. Nobody can make a dent in our vote bank,” Harsh Vardhan told reporters.

Kejriwal, 44, believes his promise of clean politics, young candidates and pursuit of black marketeers who he blames for soaring food prices will see his party surge to victory.

“I believe that the people will vote against a corrupt establishment this time,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

He formed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) less than a year ago after a split from his one-time partner Anna Hazare, an elderly activist with whom he launched a nationwide protest movement in 2011 demanding a new anti-corruption law.

A survey on perceptions of corruption published on Tuesday by Transparency International showed India ranked at number 94 out of 177 countries.

Support for the AAP as detected by India’s often unreliable pollsters fluctuates wildly, from an impressive six to eight seats in the 70-member assembly to an extraordinary 30 or more.

“This election will test the substance of a new force, the Aam Aadmi party, which despite lacking a seasoned organisation has expertly created a buzz about its presence,” The Indian Express said in an editorial Wednesday.

In the general elections next year, the left-leaning Congress is predicted to struggle to win a third term in power, with Modi and the BJP making headway but without enough support to win a majority.

“Consistently we have worked for development of Delhi, inclusive development, not only social development but also infrastructure,” Sheila Dikshit, India’s longest serving chief minister, told reporters Wednesday.

“Lots of work that we have done people try to blow it away in the wind of corruption. This is not true.”

Dikshit was criticised for her handling of the Delhi Commonwealth Games and related infrastructure projects in 2010 which were late, often badly built and riddled with corruption, according to auditors.

She has also been under pressure to improve safety in the capital after the fatal gang rape of a student on a bus last December which brought simmering anger about widespread sex crime in India to the boil.

Pakistan seeks Italian investment

The BOI arranged business-to-business meetings between the visiting Italian delegation and Pakistani investors to help them explore investment and trade avenues in the two countries. DESIGN: CREATIVE COMMON

ISLAMABAD: 

Assuring foreign businessmen that Pakistan is a safe country for investment, Board of Investment (BOI) Chairman Muhammad Zubair has said terrorism and security were indeed the issues afflicting the country, but the government is taking all measures to restore peace.

In this regard, he cited the prime minister’s initiative to bring peace in Karachi to help boost business activities in the financial hub of the country.

He was speaking here on Wednesday at a briefing organised for a high-level Italian business delegation about lucrative investment opportunities in different fields, particularly in the energy sector.

The BOI arranged business-to-business meetings between the visiting Italian delegation and Pakistani investors to help them explore investment and trade avenues in the two countries.

Zubair said serious efforts were under way to restore normality in the disturbed areas, but added a large part of the country was peaceful where investors could come and launch projects.

“Pakistan provides one of the best investment opportunities due to flexible investment policies compared to other regional countries, while the energy sector offers even better choices, as the country is in dire need of electricity,” he said.

Stressing that international companies were taking interest in Pakistan, he cited the example of Yamaha, which had recently installed a plant in Karachi to start production of motorcycles. Some other companies have also signed agreements in other areas.

Speaking on the occasion, Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Adriano Chiodi Cianfarnai underlined the need for promoting trade between the two countries, saying there was potential that needed to be exploited.

He believed that B2B meetings would provide an opportunity to the Italian investors to explore investment opportunities, pointing out that several Italian companies were already working in different fields and Italy’s investment portfolio in Pakistan had reached $200 million.

He highlighted Italy’s expertise in technology and said Rome could cooperate with Pakistan in this field.

BOI Director General Akram Khan gave a detailed presentation, highlighting the geographical importance of Pakistan and its flexible investment policy.

He said all sectors of the economy were open for investment where domestic and foreign investors would be treated without any discrimination.

There were huge opportunities for investment in energy, agriculture, IT and telecommunications, textile and other sectors while Special Economic Zones also offered a good choice to investors, he said.

Oil and Gas Development Company Managing Director M Riaz Khan sought Italian investment in the energy field with assurances of support.

OGDC is the largest exploration company in the country that is working to ease the energy crisis.

A representative of the National Highway Authority (NHA) presented details of three projects – Pak-China economic corridor, Lahore-Karachi Motorway and Muzaffarabad-Mirpur Expressway – and asked investors to explore these projects.

He said feasibility studies would be ready by July next year and investors could take up these projects.

Engineering Development Board representative Adil Shah pressed for investment in relocating a steel plant to Kalabagh besides investment in the auto industry.

Pak Power Park Management Company CEO N A Zuberi underlined the huge potential for investment in the energy sector including hydroelectric power, coal and wind energy.

He said this sector was providing lucrative opportunities as the government had made investment policies flexible.