Urdu poet Sufi Tabassum’s anniversary today

TrendPK.com
KARACHI: One of the great Urdu poets, Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum is being remembered on his death anniversary today (Tuesday).

Sufi Tabassum was born in Amritsar on August 4, 1899. In 1927, he joined the Central Training College, Lahore, as a Lecturer, where he worked then till 1931.

In 1931, Sufi Tabassum joined Government College, Lahore, from where he retired as Head of the Persian Department in 1954. During this period he matured into a great poet, critic and teacher. He taught three generations of students, including Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Noon Meem Rashid and Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi who later became renowned poets. It was during this period that the best Urdu and Persian poems of Sufi Tabassum were written.

After retirement, he formed the Iranian Cultural Centre in 1955. He devoted all his energies to modernising the Persian used by the scholars of the sub-continent an effort that has borne fruit. He handed over the Iranian Cultural Centre to the Iranian Government in 1958 after serving as its Director for three years. In 1958, he joined the weekly Magazine called “Lail-o-Nahar” as its Editor.

During his editorship, Sufi Tabassum devoted a lot of time to writing for children. When his editorship ended, Sufi Tabassum joined Radio Pakistan as a Script Adviser. There again he distinguished himself as a broadcaster and commentator of literary subjects.

Thereafter, he became Chairman of the Pakistan Arts Council, Lahore, and Vice-Chairman of Iqbal Academy. He worked tirelessly for both the organizations, building for the first time a magnificent building to mature into a national institution, while for the latter he laboured relentlessly to organize the Iqbal Centenary Celebrations and to get extensive research done on all aspects of the great poet’s life.

He died on 07th February 1978. AGENCIES

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Book details JFK affair with White House teen intern

 

The allegation has been made in a new book published this week by a 69-year-old grandmother who claims to be the late US president s lover.

 

Excerpts of the shocking memoir, “Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath,” were released Monday by the New York Post, which said it had purchased a copy of the book at a local bookstore.

 

In it, author Mimi Alford wrote a tell-all account detailing how at the time their relationship started in the summer of 1962, she was less than half the age of the dashing president, assassinated the following year at age 46.

 

In an excerpt published by The Post, Alford wrote that she met Kennedy just four days into her internship, and that he invited her the following day on a personal tour of the White House residence that included first lady Jackie Kennedy s bedroom.

 

…………”I was in shock,” Alford wrote.

 

The young woman, described by one Kennedy biographer as a “tall, slender, beautiful” college sophomore, continued the relationship for a year and a half — even traveling with the president on occasion — until their affair ended with Kennedy s assassination.

 

Kennedy is said to have carried on numerous White House affairs during his presidency, including with an alleged dalliance with Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe.

 

The Post wrote that Random House, which published the book, says that Alford after the president s death “grieved in private, locked her secret away and tried to start her life anew, only to find that her past would cast a long shadow — and ultimately destroy her relationship with the man she married.” –AFP

 

Health Secretary, PIC officials knew about spurious medicine

 

Punjab Chief Minister’s inspection team revealed that Punjab Health Secretary, PIC officials were in knowledge of spurious medicine since January 11 and they were aware that patients were dying due to medicine reaction.

 

On January 13, some officials of Health Department personally investigated the matter and sent samples of some medicines to Karachi through head of Allama Iqbal Medical College, Dr Javed Ikram.

 

On January 14, a federal government official Sheikh Akhtar was present in Lahore but he did not submit any report.

 

The Punjab Chief Minister who left for Germany on January 17 was not aware of the issue. News Trends broke the news about deaths of patients due to reaction of PIC medicine on January 14. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah informed the chief minister on phone about the incident after news aired on News Trends.

 

The chief minister then formed an inspection team to investigate the issue. When chief minister’s secretary Dr Ajmal and Khawaja Salman Rafique contacted the laboratory in Karachi, they were informed that no samples of medicine came from Lahore. However, they were informed that report on medicine sample received FIA was dispatched to federal government.

 

It was learnt during the investigation that Punjab Institute of Cordialogy’s administration was of the opinion that PIC is an autunomous body and only answerable to its board of governor and not to Punjab government.
 

Iran calls for one-state Palestinian solution

He said the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations is doomed to fail.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Palestinians should not limit themselves to seeking a country based on the pre-1967 borders which would implicitly recognize Israel because “all land belongs to Palestinians.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked the U.N. Security Council to recognize an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.

Khamenei, who spoke at a pro-Palestinian conference in Tehran, once again called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that should be removed.

Iran supports the militant Palestinian Hamas group, which rules Gaza and which does not back the statehood bid pushed by Abbas and his Western-backed Fatah.

“Our claim is freedom of Palestine, not part of Palestine. Any plan that partitions Palestine is totally rejected,” Khamenei told the gathering. “Palestine spans from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean), nothing less.”

Khamenei claimed that a two state solution would mean “giving in to the demand of the Zionists” and that it would “trample the rights of the Palestinian people” to live on their land.

Lahore: 4 Arrests in connection with Taseer’s kidnapping

LAHORE: Police have apprehended four suspects accused of having involvement in the abduction of Shahbaz Taseer on Friday morning, TrendPK reported.

Arrests were made during search operation in Katchi Abadi adjacent to FC College.

Sources privy to police told TrendPK accused have alleged connections in abduction of Shahbaz Taseer.

It is to be notified here that the son, Shahbaz Taseer, the son of slain governor Punjab Salman Taseer was abducted some days ago while the victim was heading home. TrendPK

Sir Syed’s death anniversary today

KARACHI: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the reformer, educationist and author is being remembered today at his death anniversary today.

Sir Syed was born in Delhi, India on 17th October, 1817. He was great Muslim educator, jurist and author, founder of the Anglo-Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, UP, India, and principal motivating force behind the revival of Indian Islam in the late 19th century.

His prominent works in Urdu, include Essays on the Life of Muhammad (PBUH) and commentaries on the Bible and on the Quran.

Sir Syed was made a Knight Commander of the Star of India in 1888. Syed Ahmed had a versatile personality, and his position in the judicial department left him time to be active in many fields.

His career as an author (in Urdu) started at the age of 23 with religious tracts. In 1847 he brought out a noteworthy book, Athar Assandid (“Monuments of the Great”), on the antiquities of Delhi. He began establishing schools, at Muradabad (1858) and Ghazipur (1863). A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal – in Urdu and English.

In the late 1860s there occurred developments that were alert the course of his activities. In 1867 he has transferred to Benares, a city on the Ganges with great religious significance for Hindus. At about the same time a movement started at Benares to replace Urdu, the language cultivated by the Muslims, with Hindi.

This movement and the attempts to substitute Hind for Urdu publications of the Scientific Society convinced Syed that the paths of the Hindus and the Muslims must diverge. During a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution. On his return he set up a committee for the purpose and also started an influential journal, Tahdhib al-Akhlaq (“Social Reform”), for the “uplift and reform the Muslim”.

A Muslim school was established at Aligarh in May 1875, and after his retirement in 1876, Syed devoted himself to enlarging it into a college. In January 1977 the Viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In 1886 Syed organised the All-India Muhammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform.

Until the founding of the Muslim League in 1906, it was the principal national centre of Indian Islam. Syed advised the Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education. Muslims, generally, followed his advice and abstained from politics until several years later when they had established their own political organisation i.e. Muslim League.

This great scholar and leader died on 27th March, 1898, at Aligarh, India. TrendPK

Indian Lt Gen PK Rath Punished

Breaking News NEW DELHI: Lieutenant General P.K. Rath, who was found guilty in the Sukhna land scam by an Army Court in New Delhi, was on Saturday handed down a sentence including a two-year seniority loss and forfeiture of 15 years of service for pension purposes.

Lieutenant General Rath was found guilty on three counts — firstly for providing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the construction of the building next to the Army headquarters in Sukna, secondly for signing a Memorandum of Understand (MoU) with the private builder and thirdly for not informing the Eastern Command headquarters while the process was being carried on by him.

“To take rank and precedence as if appointment as substantiating the Lieutenant General bore dated May 24, 2010, forfeiture of 15 years service for pensionary benefits and severely reprimand,” General Court Martial (GCM) Presiding Officer Lieutenant General I.J. Singh said in his verdict.

This verdict will now have to be confirmed by the Army Chief and the Defence Ministry.

The land scam came into the open in mid-2008 and the names of Lieutenant General Rath and Lieutenant General Avadhesh Prakash figured among the senior army officers who influenced the decision to issue the NOC to a Siliguri-based private builder to construct an educational institution on a 70-acre land adjacent to the Sukna military station in Darjeeling.

The private builder had floated a trust – Agarwal Geetanjali Education Trust – to set up an affiliate school of the prestigious Mayo College in the area.

Privatization of edu institutes: Students on the rampage across Punjab

The students protest against the privatization of their colleges is continued across Punjab along with study boycott at all the institutes, trendpk.Com reported on Thursday.

The students held protest demonstrations were held in Multan, Faisalabad, Mian Channu, Vehari, Jaranwal and Dera Ghazi Khan against the thrashing of teachers and students in Lahore on Wednesday.

In Multan, the students of Emerson College, Civil Lines College and Commerce College assailed the Director Colleges office and ransacked it. The students tried to enter Mumtazabad office and vent their ire on a motorbike pared outside it.

In Faisalabad, the students took to roads to express solidarity with the students and teachers thrashed by the police yesterday. They blocked the traffic by burning a tyres on Jaranwala Road, Sumundri Road, Sargodha Road, Samnabad Road and Sheikhupura Road.

On the other hand, police booked 42 persosn including Jibran Butt, Chairman Joint Action Committee, Nazim Jamiat Lahore Akhzar Nazir. Also, Islami Jamiat Tulaba announced a Black Day today against torture on students; where as Punjab Professors Association has also announced a boycott against the educational process for an indefinite period.

Nicole Faria’s family not surprised by Miss Earth win

NEW DELHI: The family of Nicole Faria, the 20-year-old from Bangalore who became the first Indian woman to be crowned Miss Earth, say that the win was “hardly a surprise”.

Faria’s success has come as no surprise to her family who are well acquainted with her winning ways and her belief in the adage “I know I can”.

“We knew she would win. We were hardly surprised,” says George Pearson, Nicole”s uncle, whose prediction that she would win came true last night when she clinched the Miss Earth title in a glitzy ceremony in Vietnam.

Nicole has turned out to be the best advertisement for her parents, father Ian Faria, a motivational speaker and corporate trainer and mother Anita, who works with the reputed beauty group VLCC.

“She owes a large part of her success to her father, who has always motivated her to win. It was he who taught her how to talk, how to walk. He groomed her to be a winner,” said George adding that Nicole’s motivational lessons began when she was young and so did the grooming.

A student of Christ College and Mount Carmel College, she had full family support when she decided to take up modelling as a 16-year-old.

A Prasad Bidapa protege, she has walked the ramp since 2005 and been on the pages of fashion magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan and Vogue.

Her winning moment came when she clinched the Miss India Earth title at the Miss India 2010 beauty pageant in Mumbai.

Born to a Goan father and Punjabi mother, music and dancing has always been in her genes and it was belly dancing that helped Nicole clinch the Miss Earth title.

“Shakira has alway been her idol. She mimicked her all the time, crooned like Shakira and danced like her,” said her cousin Neha.

“At all birthday celebrations, parties, Nicole, a natural performer, always vowed her family with her belly dancing and her mimicry,” she added.

The family has been trying to get in touch with her since the win but has not been able to do so.

“We are waiting for her to arrive to celebrate,” they said.

HIV positive cases increase in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Staff Report

PESHAWAR: Health specialists expressing the concerns over the issue on Wednesday said that 16 HIV positive cases are being confirmed in Khbyer-Pakhtunkhwa by each month.

During a seminar held at the Government Frontier College for Women Peshawar, they said that according to the statistics, 620 AIDS positive cases were confirmed in 2010 in the provinces including the tribal areas. They said that the figure increases by each month.

Provincial Minister for Higher Education Qazi Asad also addressed the seminar. Trend Pk

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