Many use the term Lollywood to refer to the Pakistani film industry based in the city of Lahore.   The name, of course, is a portmanteau of the first initial from the city’s name with Hollywood. Sadly, as patriotic as we Pakistanis usually are about our country, there aren’t enough of us who watch Lollywood movies on a regular basis or know the ins […]

As mentioned in one of my previous posts @http://omarulhaq.wordpress.com/2009/04/12/picture-of-the-day-ouh-3/, Danish, a close friend from childhood and I went up to Balakot after the October, ’05 earthquake. We had taken a few clothes, food, and basic goods for some of the earthquake victims over there and spent the day distributing what we had and took the […]

I moved to London about three and a half years ago and unfortunately, missed the “Bar Bollywood” craze by just a few months. Needless to say (for those who know me), I was very disappointed to have missed out on this special spot where South Asians came together to enjoy an evening full of desi groovin’ and […]

One only needs to pick up the news paper on a daily basis to realize that there are times when light at the end of the tunnel seems to be fading to a point of non-existence, when hope in man kind recedes, and faith in goodness dwindles amidst the turmoil that our country is going […]

I jumped on the tube at 7:00 am yesterday morning and quickly looked for a seat so I could read about Pakistan winning the World Cup Final in the Metro Newspaper.Unfortunately, even after flipping through the entire paper, I couldn’t find a single reference to it and was in a state of shock! I even looked around at other passengers on […]

My Father just sent me an e-mail about an Ex-Army Pakistani Soldier who has lost both of his arms from his shoulders from an electrical shock. He has a wife and few children and my Father has been supporting him and his family for the past few years. Unfortunately, he is homeless right now and is trying […]

CONGRATULATIONS to Pakistan for getting through to the 20Twenty World Cup Finals! I ended up watching the match at a Sports Café in London yesterday with about 50 Pakistanis and the energy level, the enthusiasm, and the patriotism was phenomenal throughout the Café. Below, you can see some other interesting perspectives & views on the […]

Asif Chaudhury, a Bangladeshi friend of mine just sent me this interesting piece of writing that he found on a Blog. It’s written by a Bangladeshi girl who was visiting Pakistan recently and she has expressed her personal sentiments and experiences of the trip.  Her Blog is – http://krishnochuramusings.blogspot.com/ * The Picture below is of […]

The 20Twenty Cricket Semi Finals will be intense tomorrow, to say the least. South Africa is a very strong team and everyone (including most Pakistanis) are doubting that Pakistan even stands a chance in the match. A few of my Pakistani friends have already started insulting their own players by saying “thanks to allah, we […]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been re-elected as president of Iran with a resounding victory, the electoral commission says.  Violence over Iran’s disputed election intensified Sunday, with word that authorities had detained more than 100 prominent opposition members, riots erupting in Tehran and other cities, and the incumbent hinting his top challenger could face punishment for calling […]

Sanam Hasan & Roopa Saini have recently launched Mara Pictures- a boutique theatrical distribution company focused on independent films from South Asia in the United Kingdom. They have also just announced the release of “Ramchand Pakistani” by Mara Pictures in the UK. I had the opportunity to watch this film recently at a private BAFTA viewing in […]

Atiqa Odho, a famous Pakistani television & film actress, recently interviewed my father, Ijaz Ul Haq, at our house in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.  The interview was aired on Geo TV a few weeks ago and has finally been uploaded on You Tube. It was one of my favorite interviews as it portrayed a lot about his […]

Following up on one of my favorite posts  – Coke Studio @ http://omarulhaq.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/coke-studio-ouh/ – I thought I would update you guys with some brilliant news. After the popularity of Season 1, Coke Studio has recently returned to the recording studio with brilliant singers, an excellent band, and great passion for music. There are brand spanking […]

Going Global Over a meal of what I consider to be the best lamb in London, my friends and I got to talking about the topic which is on every Pakistani’s mind: the IDPs, Taliban and the future of Pakistan. Considering all of this, it’ll come as a surprise to you – as it did […]