Where To Begin?

The first civilian transition of power took place yesterday morning, as 301 newly elected members of the National Assembly took oath - two thirds of them entering the house for the first time, building a completely rejuvenated parliament.

Incoming Prime Minister Navaz Sharif, who is expected to be sworn in next week, is determined to hit the ground running. Meetings with all major stakeholders from the energy sector in order to add a substantial amount of electricity into the national grid within the next nine months, announcing drastic cuts in the number of high ranking civil servants and a serious attempt to fight corruption speak of a hectic schedule. A long agenda - where to begin...?
Former President Musharraf will pose an early challenge to the new government, as he is determined to face the court cases against him and announced to stay put in the country, come what may.
Chief of Army Staff General Kajani visits Nawaz Sharif in a plain shalwar kameez to discuss their future cooperation and possible differences in tackling key issues, national security and how to deal with the Taliban presumably on top of the list.

The recent killing of a key Pakistani Taliban commander Wali-Ur Rehman Mehsud in a US drone strike will show in the next weeks its impact on that terror organization. He was behind some of last years' worst attacks and raised funds for their operations through a gang robbing banks and kidnapping for ransom; the abduction of the Swiss couple in Beluchistan was part of their activities.
Many wonder, how a supposed dialogue, suggested by the new government, could bring a peaceful solution and an end to the many attacks on the lives of civilians and army alike.


The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) announces to halt all staff movement across Afghanistan after its office in Jalalabad was hit by a deadly suicide attack. 1'800 staff members suspend their many valuable activities, stop handing out medicine and food. So far, none of the militant groups has claimed responsibility for the attack and the Taliban denied any involvement.
In Pakistan, the ICRC's activities remain greatly reduced since last year's murder of one of their delegates in Quetta.

The persistent heatwave in this part of the world - which probably balances the equally persistent cold wave in Europe - brings not only the joy of ever lighter and brighter summer clothes (at least for the ladies...), but short kept walks under the relentless sun in order to reach as fast as possible the next air conditioned "island". But the ever increasing hours of power outages, reaching now up to twenty hours in rural areas, add one more challenge to many families: Water pipes are deprived of their useful purpose of carrying water to the houses, as four hours of electricity are insufficient for the water pumps to fulfill their job. Only the lucky ones have their own wells and generators to pump groundwater into their sinks and bathtubs. 

But the residence continues to be in full swing and dinner tables have to be decorated somehow. The garden is in its season change from spring to summer and is of no help in this regard, not a single blooming flower to be spotted and I dare a hopeful expedition to the open flower stalls.

Gladioli!! Now available in two colors - in elegant white and in fashionable salmon. Trying not to over indulge in fanciness, I limit the choice to the white ones and ask the shopkeeper of stall number 5, if by any chance he has some greenery available to add to the simple beauty of this flowers. He has not, but invites me to the back of the stall to offer me the secret supply of lilies he keeps stacked in plastic bags in a freezer, that I assume is housing them for quite a while by now. I stick to my gladioli.

With light feet on the hot and sandy ground, I head with my friends to our tiny shop for handmade and beautifully embroidered Pakistani Khussas from Punjab, a pleasure for the naked foot, to step into this featherweight piece of foot wear with a sole of soft camel leather. Going back to the period of princes and moguls and stitched with gold and silver threats, pearls and stones at the time. A bit more modest the decorations these days, but just as comfortable to wear and the son of the shop owner looks for the matching pairs!

In New York, Imran Qureshi is painting the floor of Metropolitan Museum's fabulous rooftop, beautifully shaping the red paint splashes into flower petals, as he has done on the white Bait Al-Serkal courtyard in the United Arab Emirates.
But here he has to compete with the breathtaking view on Central Park, which opens as a wild green jungle now beneath the terrace, and the skyline of Manhattan in the glistening evening sun after a soft spring rain. The art lovers and visitors climb the last stairs up to the roof and wonder, where the installation is to be seen, before they realize that they are walking on the artwork. The glamorous opening party takes place on the ground floor among the white marble statues of ancient Rome and it remains to be seen, if this now famous Pakistani artist can bridge Islamic art and the West here in New York and reach the hearts and minds of the many visitors.