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Mehar Mohammad Khalil: A hero across borders

By Aamna Mahboob LAHORE: Mehar Mohammad Khalil’s job was to drive buses. Today he is being hailed as a lifesaver after he drove the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricketers to safety, through a hail of gunfire on Tuesday.Khalil, the bus driver who saved the lives of the Sri Lankan cricket team during the terror attack is now considered a big hero in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Khalil kept a cool head and drove the bus to safety when it came under gunfire, grenade and rocket attack from terrorists. His routine while the visiting team was in Pakistan was to get up at 6 in the morning, and take the team daily from the hotel to the stadium. He was usually busy with the guest team members, till late at night. The night before the attack he had decided to stay at the hotel instead of going home as he usually did. “The previous morning I decided I would stay in the hotel that night, as I get home late and felt I didn’t get enough sleep as I had to report for duty early in the morning,” Khalil told ...
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Volunteers seek direct return for helping others - UN

By Aamna Mahboob With the rapid changes occurring in Sri Lanka the concept of volunteering is undergoing a rapid change and there is increasing pressure on people and communities to seek a direct return for helping others, the UN office in Colombo said at a media briefing on a roundtable discussion on volunteerism ‘Volunteering Everyone’s Business’ which will be held today. The UN further said that now there are new opportunities arising with many businesses recognizing the value of social co-operate responsibility and the government and civil society exploring new ways to involve people and mobilize them to reach out and participate in voluntary work. The UN resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP regional representative, Neil Buhne recalled the voluntary help by Sri Lankans during Tsunami and said that it was beyond region, religion and community. Sri Lankan people help voluntary in emergency times like recent floods and tsunami, he added. The aim of this roundtable is to brin...
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City tour: Valentine’s Day is still on?

By Aamna Mahboob and Farveeza Ansar Business is as usual on the Valentine’s Day though there were lots of commercial advertisements done for Valentines Day via the print and electronic media with special offers to attract couples by hoteliers, accessories and florists. However, most people did not seem all that inclined to celebrate their love on a special day but had various thoughts of how they would go about. The Daily Financial times interviewed some hoteliers, florists and buyers. Food and Beverage Manager of Ceylon Continental Hotel Nalaka Colombage said that they are having special offers for couples to enjoy the Valentines Day. He said that they have organized some competitions for couples and goodies, heart shape strawberry cheese cake; Love cake red roses are available at the continental. Dinner with Cocktail is specially arranged for valentines. “We have good response from people for this occasion,” he said. Stone N String is attracting couples with the varieties of accessor...
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Batti polls: Monitors urge Govt. to dispel fears

By Aamna Mahboob The preliminary report of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) on the forth coming local council elections in Batticaloa urged the Government to make a credible demonstration of its capacity to control violence and dispel the fears of the people regarding the possible use of arms by some of the contesting parties. PAFFREL also demanded that civil society be active in the period leading to the elections and organize fact-finding visits and encourage voters to affirm their democratic rights. It also wants the international community to monitor the elections and help create an environment for a free and fair election. PAFFREL chairman Kingsley Rodrigo said in a media statement there was a possibility of violence and election malpractice as the election campaign gathers momentum, as the armed groups have not been disarmed He said the Government’s decision to conduct local council elections in nine out of twelve divisions in the Batticaloa district has ...
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Why Pakistanis believe that US may also be a suspect in Bhutto killing

Sunday January 6, 2008 By Aamna Mahboob Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's pinkie, daughter of the East, BB of the Pakistani people and Darling of the West is no more with us. She was allegedly shot and killed by unknown assailants. The al-Qaeda hand was suspected in the murder but the group denied its involvement. If not al-Qaeda who is behind it then? Past records of al-Qaeda reveal that the group had not hesitated to claim responsibility for acts done by it. A glance at al-Qaeda and its mentors would reveal that al-Qaeda/Taleban and the United States are two sides of the same coin. Since 9/11, the US has been evoking the fear of al-Qaeda to buy over the silence of its own people as it unleashes its military power in other parts of the world. In the name of fighting a war on terror, it first invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq. And now it wants to target Pakistan, the first Islamic nuclear power which could not be swallowed by some so-called superpowers. The Pakistan crisis aggravated only afte...
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Lights out this Deepavali; a sign of things to come?

FINANCIAL TIMES By Aamna Mahmoob Although the main street markets were usually crowded places during festival time, the recent price hikes in essential goods have had an adverse effect on the purchasing power of festival shoppers. It is also having a big impact on the textile industry which is highly dependable on festive sales. S. Sasidharn a businessman along Kamaleshwary Main Street for more than 15 years who had been through many ‘ups and downs’ says that this year has been the worst for the business. He said “compared to last year this year Deepavali business is low and we have to reduce the prices of every thing to the margin and we expect small amount of profit.” N. Savetree, a house wife whose husband is the sole bred winner in the family in the meantime says that she cannot spend as she used to for Deepavali. She said that she was forced to buy groceries with a tight purse. “Compared to last year it is very hard. We have to check the price and purchase goods. The cost of livin...
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The women in green ...

W@WWomen at Work Text and pix by Aamna Mahboob It is a common sight in Colombo to see women in green giving out parking tickets. Regular pavement parkers have even formed friendships with these women, who have been working beside the road for more than 20 years. These ladies (Traffic Wardens) are the last batch appointed by the Municipal Council. These women enter the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) office at Darley Road wearing long green frocks and leave for different destinations with ticket books in their hands. Later they can be seen at parking lots in areas such as Hospital Square, Borella and Kollupitiya. They were appointed during the rule of the late President R. Premadasa. “We were all very young when we joined the job as Traffic Wardens”, said 52 years old Mallika Dabare who has served in this field for about 25 years as a Traffic Warden. She said that she is quite satisfied with her job, adding that “something is better than nothing”. The total number of Traffic Wardens are...
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