Comments on Haq's Musings: Pakistani Army Documentary Wins Top Award

Pakistan Army documentary Glorious Resolve wins in...

2011-11-27T10:45:20.812-08:00

Pakistan Army documentary Glorious Resolve wins international award, according to PakistanToday:

Rawalpindi - Inter Services Public Relations documentary has won the first prize in the recently held International Film Festival “Eserciti-e-Popoli” (Army and People) held at Bracciano, Rome (Italy). The festival saw the participation of NATO and 24 Countries with 60 films grouped into several categories: from institutional training information to environmental protection to humanitarian missions for peace. The films, produced by renowned film makers were evaluated an qualified and experienced jury. The Pakistan Army’s documentary “Glorious Resolve” received the Jury’s Special award from the President of the Italian Senate with the citation “A technically outstanding and emotionally powerful dramatisation of the story of the courageous soldiers under fire in a dire combat situation”. The award given by Gen. Giancarlo Fortuna, the President of the International Jury was received by a representative of the Pakistani Embassy in Rome. ‘Glorious Resolve’ was a joint venture of ISPR and Mindworks Media. Brigadier Syed Azmat Ali was Executive Producer whereas Brig Syed Mujtaba Tirmizi was Executive Director of the film.
Lieutenant Colonel Irfan Aziz was project director and the writer of this film which was directed by Sarosh Kayani. Mindworks Media Dr Hassan Waqas Rana was the producer whereas Bilal Lashari was Director of Photography. Based on a true operational account, Glorious Resolve highlights the tale of infantry soldiers, who fought when 1,500 militants raided a section-level outpost of an Infantry Battalion in South Waziristan Agency on the night of 29 May 2009. The documentary focuses on the sacrifices and achievements of the Pakistan Army in its resolve to end terrorism in Pakistan. It shows how 43 Punjab Regiment soldiers were killed and two stood ground till reinforcements arrived.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/11/the-pakistan-army-great-filmmakers/

Two Indian army officers burned to death when thei...

2011-07-22T11:23:14.242-07:00

Two Indian army officers burned to death when their shelter caught fire in the disputed Siachen glacier area of the Himalayas, the army told the BBC.

Two soldiers were injured when they tried to rescue the officers on Thursday night, an army spokesman said.

An inquiry has been ordered into how the fire started, he added.

Siachen borders the Pakistani- and Indian-administered portions of disputed Kashmir and is regarded as the world's highest battlefield.

India believes that the glacier is of vital, strategic and diplomatic value.

The two countries agreed a ceasefire deal over the Siachen glacier in 2003 but thousands of troops are deployed in the region.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14245688

It's not unusual for militaries in various nat...

2011-06-17T19:59:54.812-07:00

It's not unusual for militaries in various nations to make films, nor is this is Pak Army's first foray in film-making.

Life of a Siachen Soldier, a documentary produced by Pakistan Army, won the top prize at the International Film Festival "Eserciti-e-popoli" (armies and people) held in Rome, Italy in 2009. Armed Forces representatives from 21 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States, participated in the contest where 150 documentaries were screened in different categories. Pakistan Army’s documentary won the first prize in the category of training and was awarded Chief of Army Staff trophy

http://www.riazhaq.com/2009/11/pakistani-army-documentary-wins-top.html

But Wall Street Journal does not seem to know this fact as obvious from the following story:

Pakistan's powerful army is involved in domestic politics, foreign affairs and defending the nation's soil from attack. Now it can add a new stripe to its uniform: television production house.

The military is funding a TV action series aimed at showcasing its role in fighting Taliban militants. To keep costs down, the army employs soldiers as actors, with no extra pay for their services, and uses real military equipment. The army says the stories are based on real-life encounters on the battlefield.

The series, "Faseel-e-Jaan Se Aagay," or "Beyond the Call of Duty," is low-budget. The soldiers' acting is wooden. Each episode costs only $12,000, and the special effects look dated. Yet the Urdu-language series, which started in January and began a second season earlier this month on state-owned Pakistan Television Corp., has been a hit, especially among rural viewers.

In the recent season opener, two helicopter pilots who stormed a Taliban mountain redoubt in 2009 played themselves. In the show, as in real life, the pilots had lost a colleague during an operation earlier that year to clear militants from South Waziristan, a mountainous tribal region near the Afghan border. Against orders, they flew a retaliatory mission against the Taliban and captured an anti-aircraft gun that militants had used to shoot down their friend's helicopter. They are reprimanded but become heroes nevertheless.

The pilots are portrayed as sensitive family men and cool sunglass-wearing aviators. When they are about to fire their weapons, they break into English, saying things like "Going in. Going hot," and "The miscreants are engaged." The battle scenes are set to Western rock music.

"I am a soldier by my heart and mind. I only agreed [to] acting to pay homage to my fellow aviators and soldiers," said Maj. Zahid Bari, one of the two pilots.

The director, Kashif Nisar, said he finds it easier to teach soldiers to act than actors to look like soldiers. Officers only need to be guided on acting skills, while professional actors need to be taught "action tactics, carrying of uniform, carrying of weapons, mannerisms and body language of a soldier," he said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304319804576389500987371470.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle

Pakistani soldiers won top award for Cambrian Patr...

2010-10-20T11:22:39.577-07:00

Pakistani soldiers won top award for Cambrian Patrol Exercise held in Wales with participation from armies of India, Australia, Canada, United States and France among others, according to PakTribune report:

LONDON, UK—Beating hundreds of soldiers from major armies of the world, Pakistan Army has won the coveted Gold Award at the prestigious Cambrian Patrol Exercise held in Wales with participation from armies of India, Australia, Canada, United States and France among others.

750 soldiers from across the world descended on the Brecon Beacons in Wales to suffer through one of the toughest exercises ever devised. The Cambrian patrol tested the soldiering skills of the teams as they crossed some of the most arduous terrain one can imagine.

During the marches, the teams had to complete challenges including observation and reconnaissance of enemy forces, cold-river crossings in full kit without access to boats, first-aid and defensive shooting under attack.

The exercise is organized by the British Army [HQ 160 (W) Brigade on behalf of HQ 5 Div] with an aim to provide a challenging patrols exercise in order to develop operational capability. Cambrian Patrol is arduous and concentrates on leadership, teamwork, physical fitness and achieving the mission by drawing participants from foreign countries.

Here is the link to a video clip of the report from British Forces News:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVh-EBUwlFo&feature

Here are some excerpts from a recent post by Souti...

2010-08-12T09:29:57.443-07:00

Here are some excerpts from a recent post by Soutik Biswas of BBC.com on his Kashmir visit:

"The interminable day and night curfews have drained all life out of Srinagar. People have retreated into their homes leaving back graffiti on the walls screaming Go Back India! In the restive old city, surly young men sit outside shuttered homes and shops and glare at the troops peering out of sandbagged bunkers and manning the razor wire checkpoints. People wake up at the crack of dawn to store up on supplies when the grocers open for a few minutes. At night, an eerie silence descends over the city as the moon plays hide and seek with the clouds.

It is another summer of unrest in what is possibly the most scenic valley in the world. Two months of cyclical violence between stone pelting protesters and heavily armed security forces have left more than 50 dead - mostly teenagers. Things are looking grimmer than ever before. It's a summer that could turn out to be another defining point in the valley's tortured history. A whole generation of children of the conflict - Kashmiri writer Basharat Peer evocatively calls it their "war of adolescence" - who grew up in the days of militancy and violence in the early 1990s are driving the protests today. (Seven out of 10 Kashmiris are below 25.)

Growing up in the shadow of the gun and what they say is "perpetual humiliation" by the security forces, they are angry, alienated and distrustful of the state. As prominent opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti tells me when I visit her at her heavily secured home overlooking the stunning Dal lake: "If these young men are not given something to look forward to, God help Kashmir." The valley, most residents say, is in the early stages of an intifada."

"One mother emptied a cupboard and a suitcase full of of her 14 yr-old boy's belongings for me. Wamiq Farooq had gone to play in the neighbourhood when a tear gas shell fired by the troops exploded on his head. Doctors tried to revive him for an hour at the hospital before declaring him dead.

Now, sitting on a brown rug in a modest family home, his mother brings out Wamiq's red tie, red belt, white cap, fraying blue uniform, half a dozen school trophies, report cards, school certificates and then his pithy death certificate. "He is sure to be a face in the crowd," writes his school principal on one certificate praising Wamiq, the Tom and Jerry cartoons and science-loving teenaged son of a street vendor father. Then she slowly puts back Wamiq - his life and death - back into the suitcase and the cupboard and tells me, her eyes welling up: "I never understood why Kashmiri people demand freedom. After Wamiq's death, I do. I want freedom too. So that my children can return home unharmed and in peace.""

Indian star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has joined ...

2010-01-11T08:25:53.382-08:00

Indian star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has joined "save water" campaign to help Mumbai deal with a severe water crisis, according to the BBC:

India's star batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, says he has renounced showers in favour of "bucket baths", as part of a campaign to save water in Mumbai.

A bucket bath is simply a bucket of water and a mug to wash oneself with. It uses much less water than a shower.

The international cricketer has made a short film urging the people of Mumbai to save water.

Mumbai has been facing severe water shortages and cuts of up to 30% have been imposed in most parts of the city.

The cricketer says his entire family has switched to bucket baths in an effort to save water. The 30-second film is expected to be aired in the coming weeks.

Water riots

Officials say that with Sachin Tendulkar starring in the film, its impact will be much greater.

A shower is said to consume more water than any other daily action.

Resorting to bucket baths and stored water is a way of life for residents in many areas, as water is supplied for only a couple of hours each day.

Monsoon rainfall has not been sufficient to resolve the shortage and the water cuts will continue until June or July 2010.

Mumbai has a daily requirement of 4,200m litres of water, and it is falling short by 800m litres.

In recent months the shortage has sparked violent demonstrations by Mumbai residents.

Here's a report talking about the threat of war over water sharing between India and Pakistan:

The sharing of river waters between India and Pakistan is a "sensitive issue" that has the potential for triggering a war between the two countries, an adviser to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Sardar Aseff Ali, who is also Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, made the remarks while speaking to the media after a seminar in Lahore yesterday.

He claimed India "will have to stop stealing Pakistan's water as the latter will not hesitate to wage war" over the issue.

Pakistan might seek international arbitration on the water issue by taking it up with the International Court of Justice or the UN Security Council if India tries to build any more dams that affect the country's share of waters, Ali said.

Pakistan can also back out of the Indus Waters Treaty and India will be responsible for the consequences, he said.

However, Ali also acknowledged that a solution to the problem cannot be found through sentimental rhetoric and the Indus Waters Treaty is the proper forum for resolving the issue.

Replying to a question on India's Baglihar dam, Ali said former President Pervez Musharraf was responsible for this project being built without any protest from Pakistan.

Riaz said, "They need to switch to sprinklers...

2009-11-24T06:52:57.892-08:00

Riaz said,
"They need to switch to sprinklers or drip irrigation methods."

Riaz, I agree with you completely.

This inertia is criminal negligence at best. Perhaps landowners should be made aware that they are depriving themselves of a livelihood, so that they take remedial action, even as govt fails them.

Mayraj: "I think per capita Pakistan and Indi...

2009-11-23T18:29:29.612-08:00

Mayraj: "I think per capita Pakistan and India are both in deep trouble;and both need to focus on conservation and improved water management."

I entirely agree. I have writing about this issue and have seen little action on it in the sub-continent. I know in Pakistan farmers use about 98 of all the water, with about 2 left for industrial, services sectors and consumer use.

The use of flood irrigation in farming in India and Pak is very wasteful and causes other problems. They need to switch to sprinklers or drip irrigation methods.

Riaz, I wasn't aware of this water problem bei...

2009-11-23T18:23:48.206-08:00

Riaz,
I wasn't aware of this water problem being extreme until I read an article in The New Scientist. India was said to be the epicenter of water acquifer abuse, because a million tubewells go up each year.
See:
http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive2004/august/asia_sucking_water.htm
Asian farmers sucking the continent dry

Keep in mind South Asian glaciers are retreating the fastest; and monsoons are due to become more fickle (and India farmers rely on them more than China).

I think per capita Pakistan and India are both in deep trouble;and both need to focus on conservation and improved water management.

Mayraj, I think Pakistan, with only 1000 cubic met...

2009-11-23T17:57:16.498-08:00

Mayraj,
I think Pakistan, with only 1000 cubic meters per capita, has a more serious water problem than India at 1600.

Among the 25 most populous countries in 2009, South Africa, Egypt and Pakistan are the most water-limited nations. India and China, however, are not far behind with per capita renewable water resources of only 1600 and 2100 cubic meters per person per year. Major European countries have up to twice as much renewable water resources per capita, ranging from 2300 (Germany) to 3000 (France) cubic meters per person per year. The United States of America, on the other hand, has far greater renewable water resources than China, India or major European countries: 9800 cubic meters per person per year. By far the largest renewable water resources are reported from Brazil and the Russian Federation - with 31900 and 42500 cubic meters per person per year.

http://southasiainvestor.blogspot.com/2009/03/world-water-day-water-scarcity-hurting.html

By the way, you should read what Pavan Nair, a ret...

2009-11-23T17:50:32.025-08:00

By the way, you should read what Pavan Nair, a retired Indian Colonel says about Siachen. Both armies are also ruining the glacier. This will effect both countries more adversely than imagines. One would think in the age of global arming they would wake up.

Before Global Warming was discussed so regularly in the media, I was at a biannual Pakistan conference at Columbia in the beginning of this century, where experts on Kashmir said main reason for dispute now is: water.

I think global warming will turn India into Somalia, unless India starts taking drastic action now to prepare for it. Simple things like water conservation and improvement water management are key.

India has less territory than China yet almost as many people. This is not a positive prognosis.

Have you read the book "Liberty or Death"...

2009-11-21T14:30:29.539-08:00

Have you read the book "Liberty or Death". It is by British Author Patric French. in 1997 UK declassified all documents related to their Raj days as the Raj ended 50 yrs ago. Patrick painstakingly went thru all communications between London and New Delhi and unearthed treasures.

This book is to a large extent offending to India as it exposes Gandhi, Nehru. No wonder it was banned in India. But it dealt with facts, specially the Kashmir issue after 1947.

Anyhow the book mentions 1971. Here is that

Book: Liberty or death
Author: Patric French
Page: 421
When I was in Pakistan in 1998, nobody had been very concerned about Bangladesh.
The war of 1971 was a forgotten embarrassment, although most people
were vaguely agreed that it had been a mistake to have one country
in two separate halves. There was little guilt, or even knowledge,
about the atrocities that had been carried out against their fellow
Pakistanis in the east. In thr words of one retired official in Lahore,
the Bengalis were 'just black fellows with monkey beards' -- colonial
subjects who had been a liability to the exchequer, and could now be
forgotten.
Tahira Mazhar Ali, the political activist and daughter of the Punjabi leader
Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, was the only person who had become noticeably
angry when talking about the treatment of the East Pakistanis. She told me a
story about a demonstration by a women's group against the military
action at the time.
We were all spat upon and then arrested by the police. As we were being
taken away one woman, just a woman from the bustis[slums] shouted,
"When the flower falls from the hair of the Bengali girl, it is the
Punjabi girl who weeps". That was an incredible moment but most
people weren't thinking along those lines at all. I can remember at
one official function where there was a group of women, wives of
members of the elite, and I overheard one laughing to the others
"What does it matter if women in Bengal are being raped by our soldiers?
At least the next generation of Bengalis will be better looking."
that was the kind of attitude you found here in 1971, and it is
still around today.
=====================================================

ps: I am an Indian.