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Some amazing books to read – so you don’t have to rush through them for classes!

 

Calling out to all the newbies coming to LUMS, welcome to your freshmen year! I know the zeal and excitement at this time of the vacations is soaring – while some are awaiting their acceptance letters, there are others who are casually beaching away and chilling with a good book or a movie. So for those who want to know more about life at LUMS but are too lazy to go check out the internet, worry not, I’ve got you covered.

Following are some of the books, which are a must-read for honestly every person, no matter what major you’re thinking of pursuing. Some of these have phenomenal plot-lines and have served as guidance for many contemporary best-sellers too. So without further ado,

 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad:

This has to be the most widely taught book in classes at LUMS. Be it a class of African Literature, British Fiction, an anthropology class or a history class on colonialism and imperialism – this book will be studied! Personally speaking, even though the book is really good and impactful, it is not for everyone since it contains a lot of nautical jargons and elaborate, dense language. It definitely isn’t my cup of tea, but I wish someone had told me earlier to read it. It would have saved me all the trouble in classes.

So, I highly recommend reading this book beforehand since it will make you familiar with the text and language, making it easier for you to understand it on a second read.

Courses this would be useful for:

  • African Literature
  • Post-colonial history course
  • British/Irish Fiction

 

 

1984 by George Orwell:

Seriously who hasn’t heard of this really creepy, too-good-to-be-true dystopian novel? Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell’s nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff’s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell’s prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell.

Courses this would be useful in:

  • British/Irish Fiction
  • Socio/History course on totalitarian regimes and politics (mention this book to gain that extra CP point!)

 

 

The Great Gatsby

Yes, you must have seen the famous movie on Netflix with the same name, starring Leonardo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby; and if you liked the lush setting of the movie (which was truth be told not even close as to what’s described in the text), chances are you’ll love this book! Thanks to its evocative setting, rich themes and masterly prose, The Great Gatsby has secured its standing as a reading-list staple as well as one of the greatest American novels ever written. Here, the moneyed East meets the modest Midwest, and Fitzgerald’s memorable characters — Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Jordan Baker — perpetuate a lavish lifestyle that, alas, doesn’t offer much of a life. The enigmatic Gatsby has the best parties, but it’s Daisy he really wants. He may have no shortage of party guests, but he’s sorely lacking in funeral attendees. A book about loss, longing, identity and the false ideals of American Dream, this book is a must for all introductory level classes.

I know it is really overrated, but it’s better to read and appreciate it at your own pace rather than rush through it in one class. Plus, I can’t say it enough but every-time you read classics, there is always a new perspective that that book has to offer.

Courses this would be useful in:

  • Intro to Literature

 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Here’s the thing about this book: Even if you didn’t like classics you’d probably love this book. It is unique as far as 19th century women fiction goes, but still as relatable today. The language is fairly easy to understand, there is no subtle meaning behind texts (although low-key and very subtly it is screaming feminism feminism!!). It’s a romance, yes, which: extremely normal. But it’s a romance between two characters who are not conventionally beautiful, which is unbelievably rare.

It’s also not a romance or marriage that acts as basically the sole option for its female character. I love Pride & Prejudice, and I think Lizzie Bennet is a feminist (and awesome) character, but there’s no way for that book to end, really, that doesn’t include marriage for her. Three of the five Bennet sisters get married over the course of that book. It either that or the maid status. But not Jane Eyre, here. She does not allow marriage to be the only prospect for her. She goes away and makes a life for herself and then decides whether she wants to follow that path. We don’t even see that in every 21st century romance!

There are other topics also explored like religion, ‘unconventional’ jobs for women (is there really such a thing, even?) and female independence.

Good for you, you’ll be reading this in a few classes this semester (hopefully!) and even if you’re not taking any English courses, I think every woman should read this book atleast.

Classes this will be useful for:

  • Intro to Literature
  • The Victorian Novel: Charles Dickens to Thomas Hardy

 

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The brilliant, bestselling, landmark novel that tells the story of the Buendia family, and chronicles the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love—in rich, imaginative prose that has come to define an entire genre known as “magical realism.”

Lucky for you, there is ACTUALLY a “Magical Realism” course being offered this semester and guess what – this text is required reading!! But even if you’re not one to believe in anything remotely close to ‘real and magic’ (haha, it is quite ironic), this book is one of those which has an unquestionably beautiful prose, painted with exquisite imagery and a timeless plot and characters. The most wonderful thing about this book is, that even though it is about human interactions, lost love and heartbreak (which is very much real), the text is so blissful, it feels heavenly!

I highly recommend reading this book since it will give you a grasp on what Marquez books are all about. It’s possible you may not read this in every class, but you shall always read a Marquez short story in a class or two.

Courses this would be useful for:

  • Magical Realism
  • Word and the World (although you won’t read this book exactly but you will definitely read Marquez)

 

 

Beloved and The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison

It is no exaggeration to say that Toni Morrison is one of the greatest living literary voices of our time. In every single work published, Morrison has made a point to reveal the complexities of Black lives, whether captured through poetic period pieces, passionate love stories, or shocking dramas. Even if you don’t exactly read this book, I think Toni Morrison is one of those authors whose books you will most definitely read before graduating.

“Beloved” is one of Morrison’s most well-known novel. It tells the story of Sethe, a former slave who escaped to Ohio in the 1870s. But despite her freedom, he finds herself haunted by the trauma of her past. In 1998, there was a film adaptation of the book starring Oprah (I have yet to see the movie though)

Another of Morrison’s book which lands a place on my top 10 favourite books is “The Bluest Eye”. It tells the story of a young black girl named Pecola and her life following the years after The Great Depression. As a black girl, she grew up thinking that there are only one set standards of beauty: fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. The story marks her struggles to keep up with her “ugly self” and not only finding her personality and identity through her skin – but also being confident and proud of it. The text is so raw and emotional that once you start reading it, you will be utterly engrossed in the book. The best part is that it is a relatively short book so you can easily finish it within a day or two.

Courses this would be useful for:

  • Magical Realism (again!)
  • African Literature/ Post-colonial Literature
  • Contemporary Short Stories
  • Early 20th Century American Fiction

 

For courses this would be useful for, I have listed the ones that have been offered before and the ones in which I have already studied the said book. Maybe the instructors would choose to tweak the course outline a bit, but one thing’s for sure: these texts will provide you with a sound understanding on good prose, plot and characterization and they are just really good books to read even if you just want to curl up in your bed with a book and tea.

 

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In -NOT- Laughing Colours

Despite many issues with the LUMS administration and other facets of the institution, the university has continued to excel in academics, producing graduates who have been the standard-bearers of the country.

For an outsider therefore, LUMS epitomizes academic excellence in Pakistan. The sheer efforts of the faculty and students deserve all the acknowledgment for upholding educational standards and establishing a name in international academia.

We also get to hear a lot about university enabling ethnic and other forms of diversity within its community and providing a liberal environment to its students. Recently, however some students have taken this diversity for granted and have actively contributed in making these hallowed halls a less safer place for all its students.

If you happen to scroll down your twitter newsfeed, LDF, or any major forum, you will likely come across the hashtag #LUMS. On a closer look at the trend, you will notice a flurry of activity happening. This has been surrounding a LUMS student Ali Zar who is a self-proclaimed public figure owing to his Youtube channel Inlaughing Colours. This status of a public figure is important here because it raises two important issues. Firstly, since he has voluntarily put up his life and opinions on the internet, that makes him fair game for people like us to comment on (long story short, you can’t sue us). Secondly, it begs the question that if Ali Zar uses his status as a student of LUMS in his content, does that mean he has the moral duty to be more careful not to channel ideas that might be problematic and therefore owing to a negative image of the institution.

Most people have argued that he has the freedom of speech to publish whatever he says. Another group has taken the route of saying that even though his content is problematic and completely not representative of the LUMS body, the onus falls on us the readers to not give him the attention which is his motive. They argue that we must simply ignore him and this will pass. The third group of people say that this point is moot because whoever consumes his content automatically imposes his point of view on us, the students of LUMS. This means that he must be more careful of what he posts on Twitter or Youtube.

 

Let’s look at Youtube first. Just about last year, as part of his vlog campaign: “Life at LUMS,” he was seen to actively endorse harassment in one of his videos. When the issue was brought on the university forum, Ali Zar unsuccessfully defended himself by arguing that as a host it is his responsibility to mimic the characters in his video. Which raised the question whether it was even reasonable to mimic a problematic personality and then post it publicly online to be viewed thousands of people?

Second comes the recent Twitter war that even some instructors got involved in. Ali Zar posted that getting in LUMS was more about merit than class or the privilege that stems from it. This is particularly tone deaf in light of the recent cuts in financial aid which have severely disadvantaged the students who aren’t as privileged in the way Mr. Zar clearly is. Therefore, he unfairly delegitimized their issues and as an extension made it the official stance of the LUMS student body in the eyes of the media and the world outside the university. No matter our outrage on LDF, we cannot convince others that we do not agree with his ideas because of his significant following.

One thing is clear, is that Ali Zar is widely unpopular for his work/ opinions and the recent tweet just added fuel to the fire to his already controversial personality. But let us now address his 3-point response and conclude that getting into LUMS is actually more about privilege than anything else.

When people talk about enrolling in LUMS as a significant milestone, they often miss the point that there is a long list of privileges that the particular individual enjoyed in their lifetime. True, that money on its own cannot buy you admission into the institution, but money helped you secure a place in one of the elitist schools in Pakistan, that prepared you well for all the necessary admission requirements. Money helped you get internet access and other cultural capital that the marginalized community can never possibly afford. Money aided you in seeking career counseling like Dignosco which cost almost as much as a kidney and avail evening tuition services so that you could perform well in your SAT. While, your financial capital may not have directly admitted you into LUMS, it surely did assist you in several other ways.

The case of NOP scholars and those on Financial Aid is a valid opposing argument to make but let us also not forget the proportion of NOP scholars at LUMS in comparison to the individuals studying on a full-tuition fee. Even with the National Outreach Program, the selection criteria is often set very high restricting the total number of beneficiaries. On the other hand, excessive red-tape measures involved with the Financial Aid request makes the process a task too arduous in its undertaking consequently discouraging many from applying to the program in the first place. More importantly, excluding nitty-gritty details, holding assets that may not directly exhibit your financial privilege and utilizing expenses for some essential work will eventually make the person ineligible for assistance.

Lastly, it would be absurd to argue that LUMINITIES have some “class” that makes them superior beings. This extremely nebulous and problematic term class is something more suited in our classrooms under the guidance of learned instructors rather than something to be thrown around carelessly to prove merit.

 

Removing Ali Zar from LDF is not a long term solution because that disowning from the LUMS body is not something the world is aware of. He cannot be allowed to speak for all of us using his public platform.

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#MeToo: LUMS edition

The last semester brought onto LUMS a dark, Lahori smog-esque cloud that seemed to be looming over my female colleagues and I throughout and continues to do so even through the summer break.  

With the curtains opening to the exposé of Dankpuna – the private Facebook group containing grotesquely misogynistic memes with 600 male members (both current students and alumni), elections drama and allegations revolving around the running candidates, the curtain finally falls as we prepare to welcome the incoming first-years with alleged harassers and hard to trust men on board the O-Week committee. Hits in the ever varying forms of sexual harassment just keep on coming.  

While MangoBaaz and the likes found their way into LUMS like gossip aunties and put out articles, the public statements released by the administration expressed regret regarding the incident and promises of furthering conversation on campus were made. However, little has been done to address the toll every incident has taken on the mental health of the female population of the student body.  

Coming to LUMS from toxic patriarchal family settings, from high schools where the headmistress advises the student body to “stay away from the cancerous #MeToo movement” after allegations were made against a teacher because it tarnishes the name of the reputable private institution to beginning to call LUMS ‘home’ – this semester has failed many students who saw LUMS as an escape from all that they left behind.  

It is a rather saddening experience to suddenly become distrusting of the environment around you – of the friends you saw as allies, the seniors you looked up to as mentors, the instructors you trusted to fall back on for support and guidance, seeing the female friends you never thought could betray you standing up to protect harassers and rapists (I’d like to call them what I believe them to be but also what they’ve been proven to be), witnessing the people you grew up with to suddenly be on the other side- it all converges to the boiling point when everyone comes up to you for the affirmation of their reality when your own is pretty much shaken up.  

The recent incidents have left me disappointed, to say the very least, because somehow the whispers around khokha, and sometimes not even whispers but loud LDF posts ‘BUMP’ed far and wide for “someone finally spoke some sense” find their pointing fingers at none other than the victims of the misogynistic environment themselves.  

The over politicization of LDF has also been a huge contributor towards the deterioration of mental health because after a few hundred hits and likes, a post maker becomes the messiah of the masses for being “liberal” enough to see through the “libel overreach” and attempt to put an end to it. But imagine this: apparently, the women who support each other to be brave enough to report against their abusers are blamed for “seeding the idea of harassment” and have confused poor little “harassment” to be RAPE. Gasp. Add victim blaming by bringing in the girl’s alcohol intake and partying background and you have a 180 degree shift in the blame. The fact that these posts are also written by women who have either internalized this abuse or do so to protect their friends who have been accused, just gives a validation to the hidden sexist people on LDF. Comments about how these are the “good feminists” compared to the “feminazis” that campaign to take these harassers to the disciplinary committee create a huge gulf. Debates about this dichotomy become the real issue while the victims do not get justice. 

I realize I’ve taken a somber tone but that’s not why I wanted to write this. I regained hope because of all the strong women who stood up for all of us, who braved ugly storms and kicked down shut doors. They bore the burden of the hundreds of us, sacrificed their mental wellbeing to raise their voice and speak for all of us who were silently enduring the torture. The protest and drafted emails and proposals marked a refusal to be passive. I know this hardly suffices but I would like to thank you all – you know who you are.  

For all the male allies, who stood by us, protested and facilitated us with great numbers and the instructors who used their position to allow their students to take part in the sit-in, who emailed and spoke out when necessary – you give us hope when there’s little to find. 

For the rest of us, the silent victims of the increasingly threatening environment we are beginning to face at LUMS – stay strong. Stand by each other in these tormenting times and for the sake of whatever God there is that and if you believe in, enable each other instead of putting each other down. We need each other far more than we realize. 

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Pink Watergate

LUMS has never been far from controversy. The epitome of Eurocentric education in Pakistan, it has been hailed a liberal hub, a bubble of naivete, the antithesis of Pakistani Islamic values. We are no stranger to our share of ill handled sexual harassment cases, declining financial aid as LUMS continues to admit more students at a higher tuition and a rise in authoritarian administration. But those are issues for another article. Of course these controversies pale in comparison to the true evil that plagues us… girls dancing! Read your Astagfirullahs and shake your heads in shame. We have let down our culture.

 

A video was widely circulated, originated by a fake twitter account under the name of Irshad Bhatti, a journalist, I assume to give it a modicum of authority. It showcased our senior batch donning pink clothes and dancing (if you can really call it that because let’s face it, yall cant dance to save your lives). The primary practical attack against this video was that the sanctity of Ramadan was being violated by this display of music and dance. This was immediately countered with the fact that Pink Day was celebrated well before Ramadan but do you think that helped? Of course not. The rumor mill had started churning and Pakistani Twitter and other social media was outraged. LUMS was attacked for being a playground for the Western whims of the upper class (not entirely untrue but I’m getting off topic) and this as an example of why coeducation should be struck down. Zaid Hamid even somehow brought the army into it. How dare we “party” while they work so hard to “defend this land”. How do we always come back to that?

 

When words like “ghairat”, “morality” and “values” are thrown about, there emerges a pattern. When LUMS has had a long-standing tradition of Attan on Fridays but that never makes the rounds on Twitter because that is a primarily male dominated activity, there emerges a pattern. When Hamza Ali Abbasi can belittle a girl for dancing to a Pakistani item song when he has engaged in similar “immoral acts” on television, there emerges a pattern. It is not so much about respecting Ramadan as it is about the outrage that LUMS can be a safe haven for women to exercise their agency without the judgmental eyes of society and family.

 

Ironically, this moral policing also exists in a vacuum. It only extends to calling the women in LUMS anti state agents and the corrupters of our innocent men. The fact that a creep made a video of these women without their permission and uploaded it to the internet is casually ignored. It is also deeply disappointing, although not surprising, that websites like Mangobaaz cash in on these incidents. Having no regard for the privacy of these women, they continue to plaster their articles with screenshots of the video clearly showing the identities of the students, blissfully ignorant of the possible repercussions this might hold for them. We really need to hold our media to a higher standard of journalistic ethics and integrity.

 

What is needed now is a stricter filtering of who LUMS allows inside its premises. People like those who uploaded this video need to be kept out of the campus. This does not represent fear or us being in the wrong. It is simply the acceptance that the cards are stacked against our women and we need to do whatever we can to give them a safe space, even if it is in a bubble.

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Pakistan: A Censored Democracy

*Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles are entirely that of the writer. PLUMS does not necessarily mirror these views.

Censorship and democracy are in their truest selves incompatible. Article 16 and 19 of the constitution of Pakistan unequivocally confer respectively, the freedom of assembly and of speech upon the Pakistani population. One institution that these provisions however, have failed to exert their authority upon is the military. For the entirety of this nation’s 71 years of existence, the venerated, almost holy status of the armed forces has allowed it to dictate, both overtly and covertly, how the country is run.

 

Manzoor Pashteen is a Pashtun man in his late 20s who commands the confidence of thousands that form part of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). The PTM is a very explicitly peaceful organization of protests and rallies against the extra-judicial killings and abductions that the army has become famous for in FATA and Balochistan. Pashteen and his protestors’ fame was short-lived due to a total media blackout of the movement. However, the real crackdown on these demonstrations took place just prior to the PTM’s plan to stage a rally at Mochi Gate in Lahore, when several leaders of the PTM and the Awami Workers’ Party were arrested.

 

Cyril Almeida, a Lahore University of Management Sciences alumnus, has also been targeted for straying away from this narrative of censorship. On the 6th of October 2016, Dawn published the infamous piece that landed him in the trickiest of situations. His article not only implied that the military was in bed with Jihadi Groups, but also intensified tensions between the civilian government and the military. Regardless of what it implies however, the story infuriated the army, which resulted in Almeida being placed on the Exit Control List, barring him from leaving the country.

 

An exciting angle to this discussion may be to analyze what one has to lose in the political arena by being a staunch adversary of the army. Enter the notorious, not sadiq and not ameen, Nawaz Sharif. By trying to claim control over foreign and defense policies, the army’s strongholds, Sharif put one foot out of the door early on. Trying to improve ties with our infamous neighbors and allegedly accusing the army of sheltering terrorist groups obviously didn’t work in his favor either. Come election time and marching comes the army. Rana Iqbal Siraj, a candidate for the legislature in the Punjab Province, running on a Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz ticket claims that the military raided his warehouse, robbing him of his wealth and security. Imran Khan on the contrary, our flamboyant new Prime Minister, being a consistent proponent of the armed forces, won a 114 more seats than he managed to 5 years ago. Well, one may also attribute that to his flowery speeches.

 

The question that lingers still is, how does the military push this narrative of moral untouchability. One explanation for the insidious appeal that militarism carries is the depiction of those who lose their lives in the service of the nation. The commemorative ceremonies where the families of the deceased affirm their support for the military and hence construct themselves and the martyr as driven by a sense of nationalistic duty allow the army to perpetually extract emotions of loyalty and sympathy from the public. The Youm-e-Shuhada (Martyrs’ Day) ceremonies may serve this ulterior purpose. However, as a deliberate consequence of this, a false interchangeability is created between criticizing the military’s interference in the political sphere with disrespecting the foot soldiers that gave their lives in the army’s service. Also in relevance to this, gender is an important tool that the military can exploit to assert its paternalistic governance. In these orchestrated spectacles of grief, the helpless wives and mothers of the deceased are depicted as needing protection from the masculine institution that is the army. Moreover, families that lose their members in war also tend to maintain their friendly relationship with the military and promote the narrative of national sacrifice. This may be explained through a need to justify and attach value to the death that has occurred which transcends the guilt that comes with sending one’s child into the military out of economic desperation.

 

Although the non-coercive instruments of censorship represent only half the picture, they are important to consider in that they are often internalized by the larger part of the population, and hence not recognized. We should hence commit to memory the words of the recently departed, outspoken lawyer and activist, Asma Jahangir who once said; “If the army gets itself involved in politics, fingers will be raised. We will continue to stand against their weapons with pens in our hands and we will not stop raising our voice for the rights of people”.

 

 

 

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In Conversation with Kamil Ahsan, ex-President PLUMS and Assistant Editor at Barrelhouse

Meet Kamil Ahsan, an alumnus of LUMS, from the batch of 2012, and ex-President of PLUMS. He graduated with a PhD in Biology from the University of Chicago, and is currently pursuing another in History at Yale. He is also an independent journalist, writer, and assistant editor at Barrelhouse. His writing has appeared in Dissent, Jacobin, The Nation, L.A. Review of Books, A.V Club, Tanqeed, Salon, Aeon, and others. You can find him at kamilahsan.com, or on Twitter @kamuleosaurus.

Hi Kamil, It’s good to hear from our ex-President, the whole PLUMS team is delighted to hear about your project.

Hi Saif. That’s so delightful to hear! Yeah, it’s a little strange to think about how it’s actually been 7 years since I graduated, because on some level I remember it like it was yesterday, but also, I feel very old, hah! PLUMS was so foundational for me as a writer and editor. I’m so excited to reconnect with the people in it right now.

Could you tell us something about your experience as the President of PLUMS?

Oh man. It was nuts, in so many ways. I think PLUMS is a really good experience in some pretty key ways. I was in the first SSE batch so I was over the moon to be President but it’s a steep learning curve, organizationally. I remember my senior year was when we launched The Box Move which was huge, and I stepped away from being a writer and was just editing a lot, liaising between people, sending lots of emails, and learning InDesign! Which was all incredibly helpful later on to be honest so I’m very happy that I learned all that. But at the same time, I do think the way LUMS under-budgets its publications society is…disillusioning. I felt a little defeated, as a writer specifically. That took a bit to come back from.

Let’s talk about Barrelhouse. Could you walk us through what it is and what it plans on achieving?

Ah. Well, Barrelhouse is an institution. I think the US literary scene is so vibrant and exciting, there’s so many literary magazines, both print and online, that it can be daunting and also hard to see from outside the US, apart from the big-wigs, say the Paris Review or the New Yorker. Barrelhouse is very much a healthy institution, it’s both in print and online and I’d been in awe of their pop culture-adjacent work for quite some time before I joined the team! I think it has incredibly ambitious plans. Apart from the magazine, we have conferences, workshops and even a Barrelhouse Books division, so it’s very much a community too. The wonderful thing about Barrelhouse is that in the US, starting out as a writer is very hard. Despite that, in just over the past year, we’ve had a print issue devoted to people who had never published before! We had a special issue for Latinx contributors. And now we have the desi issue!

I’m very proud that we’re really trying to fold people in, instead of keeping them out. And the work we receive (and we get so much) is just incredible. I have a question for you though before you ask another, hah. How daunting is it for you and other writers to be at LUMS and see the writing landscape that you hope to contribute to? I know the scene in Lahore has improved massively since I was there, with The Aleph Review and others. But I’m curious about your perspective.

I feel the opportunities are limited to start off with. By that I mean two things. First there has been a commercialization of writing. Most writing is not for the sake of evoking a sense of learning in the reader but for the sheer desire of earning.  My reference is towards freelance content writing etc.  Second, I feel there aren’t many institutions in Pakistan (like Barrelhouse) that would encourage writers to exhibit their creativity. Lastly, I feel Urdu creative writing has largely remain otherized from the realm of literature (particularly among our generation).

Yeah, 100% Bohat mushkil hai. I think this is true of everywhere but in Pakistan especially, newspapers rule the roost, nai? So LUMS students, if they’re prepared at all, are much more prepared to write non-fiction, or become journalists. Which is great! Even in the US, I got my start as a journalist. Laikin that lack of options, it’s sad. And non-English languages tou door ki baat hai! That’s even sadder. By the way, as a quick recommendation, if anyone hasn’t heard of or read Qurratulain Hyder’s Aag Ka Durya (or the English translation River of Fire) you must. I wish that was part of my education, but sadly it wasn’t.

Thank you.  I will look into that and ask others to do the same. Having said that could you explain to us a little about the collaboration? What’s the purpose of the project?  What exactly is Barrelhouse looking for?

So the reality is that Barrelhouse is a US-based magazine. Even people like me are based in the US. One day hopefully we can start crossing state lines better, but given that even India and Pakistan often don’t receive each others’ works, US is a whole other story. At the same time, this issue is the first collection of both native and diasporic South Asians. Shockingly, it hasn’t been done before! So yes, plenty of our contributors live in South Asia currently. I think with this issue we’re looking to show people that there’s a lot more to desi literature than the barray naam, Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie, Arundhati Roy etc. And God love their political views, I am a ride-or-die Arundhati Roy and Mohammad Hanif fan. So really it’s about desi writers kar kya rahein hain? And hopefully, with this issue where we have so many different genres and styles and aesthetics, some young desi writers will recognize themselves in it and feel a little less alone?

For example, one of our writers, Ahsan Butt, a Canadian-American writer wrote a really beautiful story called “The Installation”, sort of a noir essentially about a woman’s journey into a space where she experiences…death, perhaps? And I remember throughout the editing process I understood what he was doing only partially. And it’s only recently that I told him: “Ahsan, this is…philosophical fiction! And it’s keenly Muslim philosophy, perhaps a bit Sufi.” But it doesn’t immediately come off that way, it’s not on-the-nose, there’s nothing obvious about it. Aur hum “secular” log, we’ve become very used to “secular” fiction from our big-name authors, no? Or if not secular, they explore Islamophobia and other major political issues, but without really digging into issues of faith because let’s be honest, they’re all as secular as secular writers can be. I’m not much of a believer myself, but Ahsan’s story really did shock me. It made me think of all the religious people in my life and it made me understand and empathize with them. And koi terrorism sherrorism ki baat nai hai, you know?

Well, tell us about the literary usage of the word “Desi?” Do you think the issue is still a contentious one to date? By that I mean can you talk about negative connotation we have with the word when we have to refer to South Asian Brown writers.

That’s a great question. It’s, I think, the central question for this issue, for all our contributors.  See, now, I don’t know if this is true for you, but it’s definitely true for me and all the people I grew up with and the Indian friends I made in Chicago who had just moved from India, that we had never really questioned the word “desi.” I’ve always loved it, it seems like it includes all of us, all these people who are separated by borders and wars and violence and occupation, whether they’re in South Asia or abroad.

But that’s just not the experience of a lot of South Asians who grew up here! I remember being very surprised that “desi” was contentious actually, because in the US, the Kashmiri writer Feroz Rather told me, it’s sort of used to describe mostly North Indians and Pakistanis. So it’s used in very exclusionary ways and it’s become contentious. That said, can we reclaim that word? Itna barra sawaal hai, so all we can do is publish the conversations our contributors are having and leave it to readers to decide! We have completely different backgrounds and experiences, might as well show it!

What do you think, was desi ever contentious for you?

To be completely honest I have never heard South Asian writers being referred to as Desi. You know them mostly by their names, or their work is categorized as Brown (non white)  literature. I think this has more to do with the image the word evokes? What is the first thing that comes to my mind? A Pakistani writer (perhaps writing in Urdu)  for an audience based in the native country. A cohesive example in that regard: Manto or Patras Bukhari.  It’s difficult to associate the terminology Desi with say Mohan Hamid or Kamila Shamsie.

That’s interesting. I feel like I always unconsciously heard it used as anyone who was born in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, though I do think people excluded Sri Lanka and Nepal, and unfortunately, for obvious reasons, Kashmir. Or even anyone whose parents were born here but immigrated. Like hummaray cousins jo England gaye the, wo desi nai hain?

Half desi. Even Lumunites aren’t pure desis. I dont know who qualifies as desi anymore. Perhaps we should wait for the barrelhouse edition to tell us that!

Ah, so you mean privilege is a way to think about someone who is desi.

Upper middle class and rich people are less desi than everybody else. Like I said there is a negative connotation so yes desi is someone I would envisage as less privileged. But at the same time for me what it takes to be desi also constitutes your likes and dislikes. Listening to Bollywood songs makes you desi. On the contrary, listening to Tame Impala or sasta Edm doesn’t.

Ah, acha acha. Matlab, the opposite of burger. That’s interesting. I don’t think I ever grew up with that idea, but these things shift a lot! In this issue, some of the older writers have completely different perspectives to the others. For me, it’s a political imperative. Vijay Prashad has talked about this, but I don’t want to buy into nationalisms and country names and bureaucratic terms. Let’s open it all up. After all, we don’t deny Barack Obama’s “Blackness” because he’s wealthy.

I think privilege is very important, just not so much in the term desi for me. I hate words like paindu where they’re pejorative but a lot of my friends who are leftists like me just proudly call themselves paindu if they do come from lower income background. So…you know it’s tricky, but interesting. I can tell you, I feel like the creators of LOST: the issue will show conversations like this one. But it would be hard to find answers.

Do you think writers working for (or contributing to) Barrelhouse face some sort of backlash from the society at large. Considering from the documents you sent, some of the short stories revolve around controversial themes like homosexuality, human trafficking.

Well, yes. Of course! I talked about a story that’s very Muslim and it’s sitting right beside horror stories, queer narratives, we even have a really wonderful erotica story in the issue. I think that privilege plays a part in the fact that many if not all of the writers are somewhat insulated from backlash, either because they’re wealthy or live abroad. But it’s also something we shouldn’t necessarily be thinking about. After all, somehow, Mohammad Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes, which had very risque gay sex scenes, did very well critically!

I think when the day comes for a writer to face backlash on things like this, we need to reckon with state censorship. That’s our job making art. And art that isn’t provocative in some way or form isn’t pushing the needle forward.

Though, it’s fun to note that it’s not the first time desi writers are doing this. Ismat Chughtai, Manto, Faiz, Qurratulain Hyder were all extremely bold and provocative.

I’m so proud of our artists and the way they collaborated with the writers. Just all very radical artists doing great things with such intellect.

Acknowledging the fact that English literary work in Pakistan reaches just a small proportion of the total Pakistani population, do you think the creative work will be less impactful?

So, that’s an interesting question for two reasons. First, there actually are queer traditions in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, what have you. They’ve often been shoved under the rug but our lack of awareness about them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I know people doing PhDs on exactly this. It does exist, and this idea that South Asian society is this homogenous monolith is obviously wrong.

Doosri baat yeh hai that interestingly in this issue we have writers who are very interested in having their work translated, and though it’s an English-language issue, there is actually some interplay with Urdu. “Barri Ammi” by Palvashay Sethi is one of those. It is an incredible story that I’m formatting right now that has Urdu script in it.I love that we’re not translating it. We’re not pandering to people who don’t read that language. If they want they can copy-paste it into Google Translate.

Impact tou mushkil sawaal hai. There are so many things that don’t have impact. Journalism from Indian-occupied Kashmir is so sparse, for example, for the most part we have no idea what it’s like for people in essentially the world’s biggest open-air prison. Feroz Rather who I mentioned earlier has a story that he’s really keen on writing for Kashmiri readers. So, it’s tricky, because scale is always tricky! But having the sort of institutional backing at Barrelhouse that we do helps us reach a lot of people. But even if it didn’t, I’d do it for the worth of even one person reading it and thinking “yaar, that feels like me/my family/my life!” Interestingly, Palvashay is a writer who is very keen on having all her work translated. Which is true for many of our contributors who’ve published books too.

Interesting. So my last question for you is: What are your expectations from the project? Are you keeping your hopes high *fingers crossed*?

Hah! I don’t know what my expectations are to be honest. I’ve been pouring myself into this for so long, and this is really a lifelong dream for me. I’ve wanted to do it ever since I can remember so right now, I just want to deliver. And then sleep!!! I do want to mention just in closing that I’m really excited to reconnect with PLUMS people for many reasons. And one of those reasons is very simply this sort of defeatist attitude that I think, when we are writers in LUMS, it’s such a natural thing to feel! Get a few likes on a post we’ve spent ages writing and it feels like no one’s reading and no one cares! That kind of environment is really stifling, so it’s not that I want to “give back” to be honest, it’s more that I wish writers who are coming into their own realize…it’s not hopeless! Haan, it’s hard work, crazy hard work.

I remember one time I was in Lahore right after the Youhanabad attacks and I was writing a story on it for Tanqeed. I remember feeling like the whole air around me changed when I brought it up with people. They just…didn’t want to talk about it! Or if they did, the Uncles we all have hahaha, they would be very nationalistic. The best conversation I had was actually with the maid who worked in our house at the time, who was Christian, and I just remember having this lovely conversation about how deeply the word “choora” hit as a pejorative, you know?

I think LUMS main we’re so used to self-criticizing ourselves as being in a bubble that we also…forget to leave it. Like, go to Youhanabad! Report on it! Talk to people. In Chicago some of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had was just me taking the subway all the way down south to the Black segregated neighborhoods and talking to them!

Now whether it’s journalism or fiction that comes out of it, does it matter? We can make art that matters. We probably have to get better at listening first. But it’s definitely not hopeless. The minute we buy into that, that’s when we’ve been censored. And especially with the Aurat March recently, we know what that censorship does over the long run! I’m so happy to see all of that, and disgusted by the response, but it’s a movement! Fiction has movements too! One of our artists quite literally was one of the most prominent activists in the Aurat March. And you can tell in her art!

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LUMS STREETSTYLE- AN INTERVIEW WITH ANQA KHAN

If you are an avid Instagram user, chances are that you might have at some point come across the page @lumsstreetstyle. With followers nearing 2000 in just a span of 5 months, the blog is a must-follow for all fashion enthusiasts out there. It doesn’t matter if you are into traditional wear or find yourself more presentable in Western clothing, LUMS Streetstyle has something for everyone!

Meet Anqa Khan, the person behind the blog! Although, she is originally an Econ-Pol major, her interests for fashion sees no boundaries at all.

PLUMS asked Anqa about her 5-month journey into fashion blogging, her inspirations/motivations and what at the end of the day keeps her going!

Tell us about LUMS streetstyle

“LUMS streetstyle is basically a fashion blog where I post anything related to “streetstyle fashion.” As the name suggests, I look for people here at LUMS and whosoever fits the requirements I have in mind gets featured on the page. Additionally, while the purpose of the blog is to highlight fashion trends, I also use it as a platform to give tips to general audience on how to dress and better etc. More importantly, I would say the page is about appreciation, validation and complementing people.”

How did you come up with this idea?

“Well to be completely honest, I never knew I would be doing all of this fashion blog thing. But a lot of people (mainly my friends) asked me start one and that’s how I got all my motivation. Also, for a very long time I had been following the hashtag #parisstreetsyle on Instagram, which I would say was an immediate reason for creating the LUMS streetstyle page.”

Have your friends been any supportive?

“A lot. I always make it a point to take advice from my friends before featuring anyone on the page. Funnily enough, there have also been times when my friend would literally force me to come downstairs from my dorm because they found someone well-dressed.”

 

Why Instagram? Why not Facebook or Snapchat? Do you plan on extending your idea further?

“Instagram is all about pictures! That is what my blog is about and that is what fashion is about. Regarding any extension plans? I don’t plan on shifting to either Facebook or Snapchat but I do want to personalize some aspects of my page.”

How do you decide what gets published on the page? In other words, is selecting a “well-dressed” individual something very spontaneous or you really have to try and look around?

“Its definitely not spontaneous, definitely not. I really have to try and look around people who would fit the requirements I have in mind. A lot of things matter, from shirts to shoes (no chappals, mind you!). But above all I also have to consider the quality of the picture.”

What are the three essential fashion elements you look for in a person?

  1. Formal dressing
  2. Contrasting colour
  3. Wearing something different but carrying it in a casual way

Speaking for the LUMS community, do you think people here do not value traditional wear as much as they do Western clothing? Are you tackling this notion somehow?

“I don’t think there is a biasness against traditional clothing. I have been giving equal importance to both the trends and on the other hand, I have seen people putting in a lot of effort in traditional clothing.   Honestly, weather has a big role to play in that regard. People prefer wearing Western because it keeps you warm in Winters while on the contrary, Shalwar Kameez are pretty comfortable to wear during summers. However, I do have one concern or rather a suggestion to make. I would advise guys to wear more Shalwar Kameez or Kurtas. It looks so good on them but more often than not you will only see them wearing on Fridays. “

Talk us through your collaboration with RGB and other clothing brands?

“I have collaborated with two clothing brands so far: RGB and Perfect Tee Company. I think that’s a big success considering it has just been one semester since I first started the blog.
So, these two brands wanted to target the LUMS community and they reached out to me for help. I have enjoyed and liked the collaboration a lot. It gave me control over my creative space where I knew my opinion was being validated and given weightage.”

Who is your fashion inspiration?

“Don’t get me started on that! It’s a long and a very exhaustive list but I will try cutting it down short. First and foremost, as I mentioned earlier, I am a lot into Paris Streetstyle and I try following different pages on social media that reflect on Parisian fashion vibes. Its very minimalistic yet sophisticated at the same time.
I religiously follow Nicole Kidman’s Instagram. Just love her fashion sense. Closer to home, Amrita Thakur is one of my favorite fashion bloggers/style curator. In Pakistan, Khadija Shah, the owner of Elan also has inspired me all along this way.”

 

What is the future outlook like for your fashion blog? Do you plan on pursuing your passion in some other ways?

“My dream job is to be a style curator following the footsteps of Amrita Thakur and start my own fashion company. I realize this plan seems quite farfetched at this point. However, I hope my Econ-Pol degree lands me a job in fashion retail business where I can be a corporate cool along with enjoying my passion.
As far as my blog is concerned, I realize the page will not be restricted to LUMS and inevitably has to spread out. However, my short-term goal at the moment is to focus more on personalizing the account.”

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Student Council Elections 2019

I have had the unique displeasure of being involved in the Student Council elections since my Freshman year in the loosest sense of the word. My involvement was limited to talking to the few friends I had and maybe providing emotional support (or so I like to think). Ah the delight of being friends with extracurricular overachievers when you’re an anti-social wallflower. This article will probably not be a scathing expose of the underbelly of LUMS’ elections. It’s more likely to be the rantings of a coward too afraid to say anything directly to their friends so they hide behind hollow words and digital code.

 

I do not wish to suggest that the elections are irredeemably bad. In their best form, they are a necessary endeavor that give students a taste of real world responsibility and even a window into politics. It is a chance to stimulate conversation about issues that are relevant on campus such as the smoking policy, excessive PDA, rise of campus surveillance. Ideally, we would see intellectually engaging debates between candidates on these issues and be privy to long and comprehensive manifestos that reflect the thought and effort that went into it. The reality is much different.

 

Come every Spring Semester, like clockwork, the cycle begins again. The batch lists come out, the Khoka chillings increase, and every action becomes shrouded with a veil of “are they doing that with an ulterior motive?”.

 

One key characteristic of election season is secrecy. Ironically, a system of elected representation that is supposedly built on the tenets of accountability, is one that is surrounded by the most whispers, huddles and midnight rendezvous in the male dorms. What makes this process the most nefarious is that elections are a continuum. They do not end with one semester worth of campaigning. With the prevalence of lobbies based on cities (cough Karachi cough) and A level schools, (cough LGS cough) elections are a system of deals cut to secure present votes for future support. You get us *insert number here* votes now, and we will support your candidate next year. But next year comes, someone from your lobby wants to run, and those promises become “we never said that”. What is left, is bad blood and dents in your credibility which further cements the alliance system. A real life application of Realpolitik, no doubt! Bismarck would be proud.

 

Elections also seem to dominate your entire life. Even if you are seemingly disconnected from the political process, it will find a way to haunt you in some manner. Even playing rung at the khoka becomes the LUMS equivalent of middle aged uncles and their dining room conversation surrounding politics. LDF is not spared either. It is a close race between those posting soliloquies about the qualities of their candidates and those who are penning diatribes of being ambushed by candidates who are responsible for their tardiness to class.

 

You have to give credit where its due, however. LUMS students are nothing if not extremely resourceful. Being millennials, how can anything be divorced from technology? We have learned to introduce campaigning to the digital age. Extensive excel sheets of the batch list are drawn up and progress reports are updated after talking to each person. It is all very Black Mirror. Personal privacy in LUMS? What’s that? You might think no one has ever thought of you like that, you’re so far removed from all this. No, you are not. As long as you are a person who can vote, you are on the list. You will be getting a message to meet, or a friendly Jehovah’s Witness-esque knock on your door.

 

Student Council elections have become about a stick measuring contest (you know what I actually wanted to say) more than anything else. I know I am far from neutral and am being a hypocrite by saying this but…. Ignore all of these noxious aspects of the elections. Keep your head down and just go to the debates. Listen to the candidate’s speeches, ask for their manifestos, question them about their beliefs. Use your critical thinking, make an informed decision and sideline all these alliances and associations. Maybe you will not revolutionize the election process in LUMS, but you will have done your part.

 

(P.S. the author realizes that the context for this article has passed but hey! I don’t mind talking smack about SC any time. This was supposed to come out in the edition of the PLUMS dispatch before the elections. But I’m sure it’ll all apply to next year’s elections as well. Ah thank goodness for the unchanging nature of this awful institution.)

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GETTING THROUGH THE SUMMERS SEMESTER @LUMS: 10 TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND!

The Spring Semester always has a bitter-sweet ending. On one hand, you have the graduating batch, with their sleeves rolled up, ready to step out of the LUMS bubble into the practical world. Arguably it’s not always a very pleasing sight to witness. Scroll down any of your social media accounts, for instance, flooded with utterly sad posts reminiscing on the wonderful yet nostalgic time at the Khoka, regretting every missed Khoka-chilling opportunity available. LUMS is(was) like a home for the graduating seniors and it seems as if the wounds of nostalgia might never heal.

On the contrary, you have another group of people who seem somewhat displeased with spending some additional time at the university! There might not be one single reason to belong to this particular group but usually, individuals enrolling for summer semester make up the largest proportion. As if watching all of their friends leave off for vacations wasn’t enough, the scorching heat of Lahore did much to fester their grievances further.

Talk about walking from the free parking to the classroom amidst 40 degrees mid-day temperature! Perhaps that the time when these individuals feel the guiltiest wondering why they had to force themselves through this misery. Life would have been much easier had they thoroughly followed the handbook guidelines (or not failed a course…….ooops!)

From what seems to be the case: summers at LUMS doesn’t sound much appealing. Blazing Lahori heat coupled with no friends to hang out with is not what most LUMINITES would approve of. But understandable at the same time, when enrolling in a summer semester is the only viable option available for timely graduating.

Having said all of that, there are fortunately ways you can go about to overcome your Summertime Sadness at LUMS. Following these tips perhaps may not make your stay an utterly enjoyable memory, but they will definitely get you through the season.

Here are some essential tips I came up with:

  • Try enrolling in morning courses: Yes, by that I mean 8 AMs! It might seem very arduous to get yourself out of bed but trust me you avoid the unbearable scorching afternoon heat. Early summer mornings are reasonably pleasant, and you can easily walk your way to class.
  • Take a swim at the aquatic center: There can possibly be no better way to beat the summer heat than taking a dip in the swimming pool. Added advantage? You burn an extra number of calories without your clothes drenched in sweat! Try utilizing the morning or afternoon slots to avoid the rush evening hours. Fortunately for your cause, the pool temperature is set around 25C which is perfect for a summer swim.

  • Get to know your peers: The summer semester offers you a great opportunity to interact with other people around you mainly because most are pretty much in the same boat as you are in.
  • Say NO to daytime Khoka chillings: Khoka chillings seem very tempting irrespective of the season, but you have to learn to say NO to your chiller friends (particularly during daytime).
  • Sit somewhere cold: If you really have a compulsive urge to chill with your new friends then look out for a place better than the Khoka. You have student lounge as one viable option, Jammin as another. Or if you are someone like me who loves experiencing the tranquility of the library, then that place too has its doors open.

  • The Summer Essentials: By Summer Essentials, I mean a whole lot of things! Let’s start with your attire. Wear anything as long as you feel comfortable in them. I would personally prefer and recommend Shalwar Kameez, not just because the dress evokes patriotism, but it keeps your body a whole lot cooler. Buy a sunscreen with the right SPF to avoid burns and skin damage. Sunglasses and cap are always a plus!
  • Sleep in the common room: The dorms do not have a personal air conditioner for every room. You can have the air diffusing out of the huge central chiller into your room only if you keep the door open. For a number of reasons, that’s a No! Lock your stuff up, take your mattress and lay down in the common room. There are two air-conditioners installed on the parallel sides of the wall and funnily enough, at times, it gets unbearably chilly
  • Keep yourself hydrated: I can recall numerous instances at LUMS where people have passed out due to severe dehydration. While, it’s hot right now, in a matter of a few months, the weather is going to get utterly humid. Consequently, the humidity will make you sweat a lot. Therefore to replenish your body’s water requirements, it is imperative that you keep yourself hydrated at all times.
  • Schedule a summer trip: If you have been able to successfully fit in with the other summer semester peers, plan out a summer trip to strengthen the friendship bond. Over the course of the season, you will notice numerous trips being arranged to the northern areas of Pakistan. The temperature in these places tends to remain well below 20C. This coupled with splendid natural scenery is a perfect way to relax on the weekend.

And finally

  • Do not forget about the monsoon season: The monsoon rain in Lahore can come out as pretty harsh! The roads often get flooded which becomes a hassle if you are a day-scholar. Additionally, be mindful of any power outage that might result and lead to a complete blackout. Keep an emergency light in your room along with a rechargeable fan. It’s good to have weather updates on your phone so you know exactly when you need to carry an umbrella.
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PAKISTAN IN WORLD CUP 2019- A HOPE AGAINST ALL ODDS?

The 4-year long wait is over! The eagerly awaited ICC Cricket World Cup is just around the corner with top 10 teams ready to clash with one another. The hosts England, possibly enjoying the best form in their cricketing history, are being attributed as favourites for the tournament. But teams like Australia and India, are not going to easily let their hands off the world cup. The Aussies have become a stronger unit with the inclusion of Captain Steve Smith and David Warner after both completed their one-year ban on charges of match-fixing. India enters the world cup with arguably the best batting lineup of the tournament, led by their fearful captain: Virat Kohli. On the other hand, underdogs like Afghanistan and Bangladesh are all charged up to cause major upsets.

Sarfaraz and his boys landed in the UK about a month earlier before the commencement of the tournament, to play a 5-match ODI series against the world cup hosts. The first match was subjected to the cold showers of London, but in the ODIs to follow the Pakistan XI could not achieve much against mighty England. To what turned out to be a 4-match series ended with the Shaheens whitewashed 4-nil subsequently registering their 11th consecutive ODI defeat. This was also the very first time in history that a team had conceded the greatest number of 300+ scores in an ODI series.

 

The Myth & Reality

So, where do I see Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019?

Well, let me start off by refuting some common myths circulating around the social media, most pointing towards the sheer assertion that history might just repeat itself this time around too.

  1. “We won the last edition of the champions trophy in 2017 and our players are well suited for pitches in England”

Sure, Pakistan’s track record in the UK may be better than other teams but it’s not phenomenal to say at the very least. The Champions Trophy was a culmination of unpredictability with odds luckily landing in the favor of Sarfaraz. I do not believe that we can actually draw an equivalent comparison with this year’s world cup for two main reasons. The latter, promises to be much more competitive this time, with Pakistan having to face all participating teams (unlike the case in CT’17). Second and more importantly, we can see a drastic change in the way pitches in UK have behaved recently. Opponents with a stronger batting line-up have certainly gained an advantage over those with a weaker batting department. Additionally, the pitches offer little or nothing for the bowlers which is itself a big cause of worry for Pakistan.

  1. “We have a feeling this world cup is going to bring back memories of ‘92”

Simple answer: A lot has changed since then! Perhaps, if we had bowlers who could match the likes of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram or consistent middle-order batsmen like Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq then we could possibly draw a better comparison between ’92 and 2019

Optimism in Times of Despair

From all that appears, there seems to be no room for optimism with respect to Pakistan’s prospect in the world cup. But having said that let us not forget that Sarfaraz and his boys have the tendency to turn the tables in no time. With high spirits coupled with prayers from the homeland, there is still a flicker of hope……

The Amir-Kohli Clash

Kohli in an interview said that Mohammad Amir is the only bowler in the world who had given him a tough time batting. But its hard to forget the final of the Champions Trophy when the world’s best batsman fell prey to the fast in-swinging delivery of Amir. Fans from both sides of the borders will be glued to their television, anticipating yet again a tough competition between the two.

Brilliance of Babar Azam

Babar’s presence in the team is a breath of fresh air for his teammates and coach Mikey Arthur. Currently ranked 7th in the ICC ODI Batsmen Ranking, he averages above 50 and has 9 centuries to his name. Fans are hopeful that Babar will carry the tremendous form he has exhibited into the World Cup. There all the more reasons to be optimistic when you have a master-class player like him.

Fakhar-Imam Duo

Imam-ul-Haq, for long, has been criticized for failing to justify his position in the team. However, the much-needed score of 150 against England came at just the right time and selectors had finally something to cheer about. Fakhar Zaman, on the other hand, known for his hard-hitting ability can provide with the early momentum in the first few overs of the innings. Fans are hopeful that the Fakhar-Imam duo is the opening pair, the team was desperately in need of.

A Strong Pace Attack

If the batting lineup was subjected to collapses, the bowling department was there to provide with some sort of support. Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq made the final call of including 3 left-arm and 2 right arm pacers for the world cup. Amidst the controversy sparked by the non-inclusion of Junaid Khan, fans seem adequately satisfied with a right arm-left arm combination balance. Wahab Riaz returns back after a gap of 2 years and his three quick wickets against Afghanistan in the warm-up game has certainly bolstered his confidence. But it’s the 18-year-old Mohammad Hasnain who has surprised everyone with his astonishingly fast pace. There is simply no denying that when Pakistani bowling is at its best, nothing can stop the Shaheens from winning!

Hope Against All Odds

Pakistan will  officially start their world cup proceedings on 31st May against the out-of-form West Indies. Every game cannot be considered anything less than a do-or-die situation. A win against the Windies will do much to raise the team morale when they next face the favourites for the tournament: England. 16th June marks the day when the ultimate rivalry between India and Pakistan takes place at Old Trafford, Manchester.

It is definitely hard to predict how Pakistan will end up performing in the world cup because the unpredictability factor can possibly never be ruled out. This team over the course of its cricketing history has at various points chased down mammoth totals. But numerous instances can be recalled where a meagre total of 150 seemed a task too arduous in its undertaking.

That being said, there is room for optimism as long as both the batting and the bowling departments are able to excel in their respective areas. The fans back home will be praying for the team’s success in the holy month of Ramzan. It’s about time Sarfaraz and his boys give in their best atleast for the well-wishes of their beloved fans.

Here is to hoping!