RAWALPINDI: The Gandharan city of Taxila, with its 25 square miles of archeological sites, is widely known as one of Pakistan’s top tourist destinations.
The vestiges of Buddhist monasteries, Greek settlements and spectacular pieces of Gandhara statuary that blend Buddhist imagery with Hellenistic styles have been found by archeologists working in the area since the mid-nineteenth century when the ruins were first discovered in Pakistan.
But the area is also home to another distinctly Pakistani treasure: the disco leopard.
Not far from the ruins of Taxila off the historic Grand Trunk Road, pottery decorated with tiny mirrors, giving it the look of gaudy 70s disco balls, is sold in open air shops. Glass-encased leopards that have come to be called "disco leopards" are the top selling item here, shopkeepers said, especially among expats and diplomats.
Indeed, it was “the tradition of the gora (foreigner),” development specialist Chris Minch from Ireland said, to buy the leopards while in Pakistan and take them back to their home countries or to new stations where life and work took them.
“It was in every home of every foreigner living in Islamabad and it felt like this quintessential Pakistani item to buy,” Minch told Arab News in a telephone interview. “Everyone I know, literally everyone, has this leopard.”
Minch, who lived in Pakistan between 2017 and 2019, owns two of the pieces.
The disco leopard is believed to have debuted in Taxila about 20 years ago when an artisan, Malik Ashfaq, turned a lifelong hobby into a profession.
“I always enjoyed doing this and one day decided to buy locally made sculptures to decorate them for business purposes,” he told Arab News at his shop in Taxila as he pasted tiny mirrors onto a three-foot-tall leopard. “The artistic creation became popular with foreigners who drove down this road, making other shopkeepers in the market order them as well.”
“Now these leopards are everywhere in the world – from the United Arab Emirates to the United States – and it gives me great pride,” he added, saying it could take him up to three days to work on a large sized leopard, which required a ten-foot-long piece of mirror.
Asked why the leopards were so popular among foreigners, Ashfaq beamed and said: “Because this is Taxila and this is what we make with our own hands. They cannot get it anywhere else in the world and they understand the value of that.”
Aryan Malik, who has been selling decoration items in Taxila for three years, said it was “impossible” to put a number on how many disco leopards he had sold at his shop.
“Majority of our orders come from foreigners,” he said. “Even when tourism slowed down after the [coronavirus] pandemic, we continued to receive these requests. We even shipped the leopards to our customers, many of whom live abroad.”
Much like Ashfaq, Malik agreed that the magic of the disco leopards was that they were exclusively produced in Taxila.
But Ella Sakes, a World Health Organization official who lived in Pakistan from 2016 to 2018, told Arab News she bought the product because it reminded her of the "softer side" of Pakistan.
“I bought it because it’s beautiful but also the work we [expats] were doing out there [in Pakistan] can be so sad,” she said. “This happy little leopard reminds me a lot of the joy and silliness that is in Pakistan that people do not talk about enough.”
Sakes now lives in Amman, Jordan, where her disco leopard is displayed on the mantle in the living room:
“It really does take me back to some of the best times I have had on a country assignment.”
“They’re fabulous, they also remind me of all my friends in Pakistan,” John Montgomery, a development special, said in a video message emailed to Arab News.
“Some of my favourite days are from spending time in Taxila,” said Jocelyn Murphy, a development specialist, who lived in Pakistan for three years.
“Every time I look at him [disco leopard], I do see and remember all of the amazing experiences I had in Pakistan,” said consultant Thomas Chapman as he held up his leopard, lovingly named Howard.
The trend has also caught on among locals.
Music director Aisha Linea purchased disco leopards for a recent video shoot and decided to keep one at her home.
“The sun rises and the light hits it every day and it’s a disco morning, every morning,” she said, laughing. “These leopards are criminally underrated.”
Others said they had bought the leopards to support the local industry.
“It is an amazing and unique part of our local sculpture scene, and we should be supporting it,” said consultant Ghulam Hussain Soomro, who works in Islamabad. “I also like how in mythology cats are depicted as guardians, and so I also wanted the disco leopards keeping me safe.”
From DC to Dubai, expats’ homes decorated with distinctly Pakistani treasure: the disco leopard
https://arab.news/5qh4n
From DC to Dubai, expats’ homes decorated with distinctly Pakistani treasure: the disco leopard
- Glass-encased leopards made and sold in ancient city of Taxila are a top selling item among expats working in Pakistan
- Disco leopards debuted in Taxila about 20 years ago when artisan Malik Ashfaq turned a lifelong hobby into profession
Major Pakistan coalition partner opposes privatization of national airline ahead of IMF talks
- The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term IMF program to support the economy
- The IMF has recommended privatization of state entities, increasing tax revenue and reducing duplicated expenditures for a new program
KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), one of the coalition partners in the Pakistani government, on Monday said it would resist privatization of the country’s national airline and other state entities regardless of its potential impact on the government’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month for a new bailout program.
Pakistan last month completed a short-term, $3 billion IMF program, which helped stave off a sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program.
An IMF mission is expected to visit Pakistan in the mid of May to discuss the upcoming budget, policies and reforms under a potential new program. Pakistan’s financial year runs from July to June and its budget for fiscal year 2025, the first by Sharif’s new government, has to be presented before June 30.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday said he was hopeful that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and other privatization deals would get through the “finishing line” by early July.
“The IMF is not in our ten points, IMF is not part of our manifesto,” said Senator Taj Haider, a senior PPP figure, when asked if his party had assessed repercussions of its opposition to the government’s privatization move.
“Those who are the slaves of the IMF should be worried. We must stand on our own feet and not look toward the outsiders.”
The PPP, whose co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is currently serving as the president of Pakistan, has formed a three-member committee to engage with the government on privatization issues.
Haider said his party had already offered the government to hand over the Pakistan Steel Mills to the Sindh government which had the capacity to run it, while the PIA should be run through public-private partnership (PPP).
“Government entities, including the PIA and the Steel Mills, should not be privatized because they will sell their valuable properties and won’t make them sustainable like we have witnessed in the past,” he said.
“No privatization has been successful, and no public-private partnership (PPP) has been unsuccessful.”
In the past, Haider said, privatization drives remained unsuccessful because the process had only been aimed at selling state properties.
“The PIA’s problem is an outcome of mismanagement,” he said. “If other airlines are making profit, then why PIA cannot do it.”
Speaking at a conference in Islamabad on Monday, Finance Minister Aurangzeb outlined reforms under a new IMF deal, saying the government had to broaden its tax base and increase the tax-to-GDP ratio.
“And the third one is the SOE [state-owned enterprises] reform,” Aurangzeb said. “Our prime minister has been very clear that the government has no business being in business … We need to and we will accelerate the privatization agenda.”
Hidayatullah Khan, president of a union of PIA employees, lamented that private airlines had been given several domestic routes of the PIA, while the aircraft of the national airline were left standing.
“If PIA is not making profit, it’s an issue of the management, whose policies have destroyed the airline,” Khan said, adding the airline employees would stage protests in Karachi and Islamabad to stop the privatization of the airline.
Ali Khizar, an Islamabad-based financial and development consultant, said the privatization of the PIA was not the “primary concern” of the IMF.
“IMF has advocated for the privatization, including that of PIA, for quite some time, but its primary concerns are increasing taxation and reducing duplicated expenditures,” Khizar told Arab News.
“While privatization won’t greatly affect talks with the IMF, I believe PIA should indeed be privatized.”
Last week, Pakistan pushed back the deadline for companies to express interest in buying PIA to May 18, a day before the expressions had originally been due. The privatization commission says 10 companies have already expressed an interest.
Pakistan’s government has previously said it was putting on the block a stake of between 51 percent and 100 percent in the loss-making airline.
The disposal of the flag carrier is a step that past elected governments have steered away from as it is likely to be highly unpopular, but progress on privatization is key to helping cash-strapped Pakistan pursue further funding talks with the IMF.
US envoy meets parliamentary leader of Pakistan’s opposition, a key Imran Khan aide
- Khan, who leads the PTI party, has accused Washington of siding with generals and political rivals to orchestrate his 2022 ouster
- PTI has since sought Washington’s support in investigating alleged crackdown on its supporters, ‘rigging’ of Feb. 8 general elections
ISLAMABAD: United States (US) Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome on Monday held his first meeting with Omar Ayub Khan, the parliamentary leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and a key aide to former prime minister Imran Khan, the US embassy said.
Khan is the founder of Pakistan’s main opposition party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has accused Washington of siding with the powerful military and Khan’s political rivals to orchestrate his ouster from the PM’s office in April 2022. All three have denied the accusation.
The PTI has since sought support from US lawmakers in investigating alleged rights abuses and crackdown on its supporters in the wake of Khan’s unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military.
“US Ambassador Donald Blome met today with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and other senior members of the opposition to discuss a broad range of issues important to the bilateral relationship, including US support for continued economic reforms, human rights, and regional security,” the US embassy said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Khan’s PTI told reporters Blome’s meeting with Omar Ayub had been requested by the US embassy through the Pakistani foreign ministry.
“Ambassador Blome underscored the United States’ support for Pakistan to engage constructively with the IMF on its reform program,” the US embassy said, adding that the envoy highlighted the importance of long-term reforms for sustainable economic growth of Pakistan.
Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion program, which helped stave off a sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term program.
The PTI, in a letter written to the IMF earlier this year, had asked the global lender to factor in the country’s political stability in any further bailout talks with Pakistan, according to party members familiar with the matter.
Khan’s opponents previously accused him of scuttling an IMF deal under a $6 billion Extended Fund Facility days before leaving his office, a charge he denies.
Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized after the completion of the last IMF program, with inflation coming down to around 17 percent in April from a record high 38 percent last May.
It is still dealing with a high fiscal shortfall and while it has controlled its external account deficit through import control mechanisms, it has come at the expense of stagnating growth, which is expected to be around 2 percent this year compared to negative growth last year.
Pakistan and the IMF are expected to begin formal talks for a fresh program after the arrival of an IMF team in Islamabad in the mid of May. Islamabad has said it expects a staff-level agreement by July.
Babar hoping paceman Rauf will regain full fitness and make an impact for Pakistan at T20 World Cup
- Fast bowler Rauf has been included in an 18-man squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England
- Pakistan has done well in last two T20 World Cups, reaching semifinals in 2021, final at 2022 tournament
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Babar Azam is hoping Haris Rauf will regain full fitness after a shoulder injury and make an impact at next month’s T20 World Cup.
Fast bowler Rauf has been included in an 18-man squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, with Pakistan delaying its 15-strong party for the World Cup in the United States and West Indies until May 22.
The fitness of Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan and Azam Khan will be assessed during the seven T20s against Ireland and England.
“I wasn’t expecting that he (Rauf) would recover so early and start bowling again,” Babar told reporters in Lahore on Monday as the team prepared to fly out to Ireland, where the first T20 will be played in Dublin on Friday.
“There’s pressure on him to make a comeback. There’s lot of talk going around on his injury and how he will respond to it. But I think he will make a good response because when you give yourself proper rest mentally and physically, you can make a different impact.”
Rauf has been out since dislocating his shoulder in late February during the Pakistan Super League. Since then he has gone through rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
The seven-member selection committee, which also includes Babar, have named fast bowler Hasan Ali, who last played a T20 international in 2022, as backup for Rauf.
Babar backed the inclusion of Hasan after pace bowlers Zaman Khan, Mohammad Wasim and the PSL’s top wicket-taker Mohammad Ali were omitted.
“There’s no injustice with anyone. We debated a lot on the World Cup combination and Hasan is there as backup for Rauf because of his experience,” Babar said. “Zaman and Ali are new-ball bowlers but we already have enough new-ball bowling options.”
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who played in two T20s against New Zealand after ending his retirement, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi are Pakistan’s pace options.
Under Babar, Pakistan has done well in the last two T20 World Cups, reaching the semifinals in 2021 at the United Arab Emirates and losing to England in the final at the 2022 tournament in Australia.
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi, has promised a cash award of $100,000 to every player if the team wins the tournament.
“What happened in the past is in the past, unfortunately we couldn’t finish the way we wanted,” Babar said. “We’re doubly confident and believe we can bring the trophy home.”
Pakistan starts its campaign against host United States in Dallas on June 6 before taking on arch-rival India in New York three days later.
White-ball head coach Gary Kirsten will likely join the team in England after completing his Indian Premier League assignment with Gujarat Titans.
Pakistan stocks continue to rally on Saudi investment optimism, decline in inflation
- A 50-member delegation led by Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak arrived in Pakistan on Sunday
- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have seen a flurry of bilateral visits in recent weeks that have fueled hopes of investment in South Asian country
KARACHI: Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed at another all-time high by registering a 1.2 percent gain as bulls celebrated the arrival of a high-level investment delegation from Saudi Arabia, analysts said on Monday.
The KSE-100 index witnessed a bullish trend, gaining an intraday high of 1,158.65 points that marked a 1.61 percent increase. It closed at 72,764.24 points, up by 1.20 percent.
Stock analysts said the major contributing factor behind the bullish close was the arrival of a 50-member Saudi business delegation in Pakistan for potential investments and a drop in inflation.
“Today’s all the bullish activity was because of the Saudi delegation visiting Pakistan to explore investment opportunities,” Sheheryar Butt, portfolio manager at Darson Securities, told Arab News.
The delegation, led by Saudi Arabia’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday. It comprises representatives of some 30 Saudi companies from the fields of IT, telecom, energy, aviation, construction, mining exploration, agriculture and human resource development.
Butt said the encouraging remarks by the visiting Saudi investment minister on Monday also played a key role in keeping the market in the green zone.
Addressing an investment summit in Islamabad, the Saudi minister said Pakistan was a “high priority” economic opportunity and the Kingdom believed in the potential of Pakistan’s economy, demographics and talent as well as location and natural resources.
Speaking at the summit, Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said foreign investment was vital to macroeconomic stability in Pakistan and the visit of Saudi investors was a link in this chain.
Auzrangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s successful visit to Saudi Arabia opened the way for economic cooperation between the two countries.
“The visit of a delegation of Saudi investors to Pakistan is also a part of paving the way for this economic cooperation,” the minister said. “The government is now moving toward privatization and PIA [Pakistan International Airlines] will also be privatized.”
He said export-led growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) and excess to capital were top priorities of the government, and it was working on short, medium and long-term strategies as well as structural economic reforms.
Ali Nawaz, CEO of Chase Securities, attributed the bullish trend at the stock market to the arrival of the Saudi investment delegation.
“This news likely injected optimism into the market as it suggests potential for increased foreign investment, bolstering investor confidence,” Nawaz said.
Other factors, he said, included a decline in inflation that fueled a positive sentiment.
“Lower inflation rates typically indicate a healthier economic environment, fostering expectations of potential interest rate cuts in the future,” he added.
Pakistan’s deaf-staffed beauty salon provides economic opportunity, empowers hearing impaired
- There are seven deaf beauticians out of a total of 12 employed at Options Salon in Abbottabad
- According to the World Health Organization, deaf population in Pakistan is around 10 million people
ABBOTTABAD: Eight years ago, while offering a training class at her Options beauty salon in the northwestern Pakistani city of Abbottabad, Nighat Aftab received an unlikely application: that from a deaf girl who wanted to attend the training and join her salon.
“I didn’t have much experience working with such women and at first, I hesitated a little that how could I hire such a person whose language I don’t understand?” Aftab told Arab News in an interview earlier this month. “But then I said, ‘Come, join me’.”
Today, there are seven deaf beauticians out of a total of 12 employed at Options, which has since become a sanctuary for women with hearing and speech impairments, providing them economic opportunity, a chance to be financially independent and earn for their families, and a place where they can be part of a supportive, inclusive community.
According to the World Health Organization, the deaf population in Pakistan is around 10 million people. Pakistan has one of the lowest percentages of female labor force participation in South Asia and women with disabilities face even more impediments to employment.
“Previously, I used to work at a parlor in Islamabad where my salary wasn’t great, and I used to miss home a lot,” beautician Saima Mir told Arab News in sign language as Aftab translated for her.
“Now I am very happy. I like working here. There are many here who cannot hear and speak, it makes me happy.”
Others also said they felt a “sense of belonging” at the Options Salon.
“I have my mother and father. They are old. I feel frustrated at home as there is nobody with whom I can talk and share,” Isma Mushtaq told Arab News. “I come here and I spend time here happily.”
While many of the salon’s loyal customers are now used to communicating with the deaf staff members, that was not always the case, Aftab recalled, saying she faced criticism in the beginning by clients struggling to communicate with her workers. To bridge the gap, deaf workers were teamed up with those from the hearing community.
“The difficulties we faced [with communication] in the beginning got resolved over time,” said Sobia Khan, a beautician from the hearing community.
And the troubles had been worth it, Aftab said.
“I might have closed down the salon by now because my daughters are now married and I want to enjoy my own life but I am committed because of these young women [deaf workers] and I am unable to quit because their employment is attached to me,” she said.
“And because of them, Allah has blessed me with health. I am able to come to work daily, even though I am not that healthy, but I am happy here.”
