Paramount (The Middle Eastern Cuisine)

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Karachi being the Hub of Pakistan one would find food of every type from local to international cuisines. But when we would map Middle Eastern food the true flavors were missing. There were places which offered Middle Eastern food but the true essence of “Authentic taste” was lost by the touches of Pakistani flavors. Middle Eastern food is not on the Spicer end of the palate but it is mild and one can taste the actual flavor of meat and not the spices. The demand was present from a very long time and finally the well awaited demand for Authentic Middle Eastern food was fulfilled.

Paramount (The Middle Eastern Cuisine) is a Canadian Food Chain. The chain opened its doors and it was warmly welcomed by the people of Karachi. The menu of Paramount is nicely elaborated with pictures of each dish. One would find it really easy to see what exactly the dish is. Starting from the starters it offers an array of Lebanese dishes ranging from Hummus, Moutabbal to Falafel, Varainab (Stuffed grape leaves), and kebbeh to Tabboule, etc. In the Main course they offer a wide range of meat dishes ranging from Kafta, Shish Tawoukh to Mix BBQ platter, Shawarma and many more items to choose from. Lastly for the Desserts they offer nice limited selection of Baklavas and Kanafa.

 

 

From the wide range of dishes order was placed for Mezza Plate in the starters which consisted of Hummus, Moutabbal and Tabboule. All three items were served in generous portions with hot fluffy pita bread coming right out of the brick stone oven. The balance of all three things was spot on just the way one gets in Middle Eastern countries. Moving on towards the main course, Mix combo platter which included four Falafel,Fattoush,Chicken and Beef shawarma shavings two Kafta Skweres,two Shish Tawoukh,two Beef Skewers, served with Tahina and Garlic sauce, one can choose between French fries or rice or can have a combination of both. All the meat items were served on pita bread which soaked the flavors of meat and one couldn’t resist having it. With the platter, Soujouk (which is basically Arabic sausages served with fries and garlic dip), and Arayees (which is pita bread filled with spiced meat) was ordered. All the components were bull’s-eye in the matter of taste, quality and quantity of the meat. The servers kept on bringing hot fluffy pita breads which were accompanying the food perfectly. Every meat item had a very unique flavor and was not dry but was perfectly succulent. It was a perfect match of flavors.

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For Desserts Lebanese Kanafa and Baklavas were ordered. The Kanafa was not something exactly one gets to eat in Middle Eastern countries though the filing of cheese and cream was well balanced but it lacked the aroma and taste of rose water, saffron and sugar syrup it is something they can work on. Whereas the Baklavas were nearly the same one gets in Middle Eastern Countries and were way better than many places that offer baklavas in Karachi.

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Overall it was having the authentic Middle Eastern Food in your own home town without spending on a large sum of money over tickets and visa. It’s a must try place for all those people who love pure Middle Eastern Food. It is slightly on the heavier side of the pocket but for some good Arabic food one can go a little bit out of budget (AT TIMES).

A SMALL INSIGHT OF THE JOURNEY WITH SIR KAMAL

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Mr. Kamal Siddiqi is a well known name in the field of journalism. He is a man who doesn’t need any sort of introduction, people know him for the tremendous work he has done. And well you can say the batch of 2016-2017 is fortunate batch to be taught and mentored by the guru of journalism.

The Roller-coaster ride YES!!! The Roller-coaster ride took off from the very first class of sir Kamal. We were informed about certain rules to be followed though the rules were quite simple but trust me that class made us all dead turkeys. Sir instructed us to be there in the class before he arrives and his instructions are like a father’s last warning call. We didn’t have to wait too long to witness this it happened in the very next class when    few of our classmates came late (3 mins) and the men of words sir Kamal made sure that he didn’t let them in for the first half of the class to make them learn about time punctuality and that day on wards no matter what happens we would run, jump, kill or fly to reach on time for his class. As one of my classmates says: “Jesay he hulchul ho department main samjho sir aa gaye” (As soon as you see hustle bustle in the department this means Sir Kamal is here)

This was just the trailer the real picture began with the beginning of our field assignments. This was a new phase of learning for us .As soon as we heard about the field assignment (that too on sea view) we were filled with great amount of energy and excitement. Never the less   reality struck when we reached the field .It was a walk for De Weaponization of society conducted by Citizen against weapons (CAW) at sea view and OHH MAN!!! We were totally mistaken with the idea of field work; we thought it would be fun! Indeed it was but accompanied by hot, sticky weather and the sun was in full swing. Well, we learnt what actually field work is and not what we used to presume in our minds.

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The classes were being conducted on regular bases and every class had something new to offer .Thankfully there was no rote learning involved. He took us towards the practical field step by step Just like a parent who teaches his child to walk for the first time.

The next field assignment aimed not only to teach us how to write a news feature but also how to work in groups and meet deadlines. The site chosen this time was Empress Market. It’s a huge market and we the hungry journalists were told to dig up something new, something un-usual for our assignment. We all took it as a challenge and tried to improve and learn from our previous mistakes.

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Sir Kamal has a unique style he would take one class in a whole week but that one class of 2 hours is Au jus of the whole week. In between session we had frequent trips to CEJ at IBA where Sir Kamal is the director .we had interacting sessions with journalist from United States which provided us the knowledge of new techniques and learning.

Far the most eye opening experience of my life came when we were told about the final ride of the roller coaster at JPMC (Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre). We kids belonging to the better side of life, where we have never visited government hospitals and this trip was just the right one to show what actually the majority of people go through. Hospitals like South city, Park lane, Agha khan and Ziauddin are for the privileged ones. The majority has a completely different arena when it comes to medical facilities. We encountered situations where we were told to leave as they were afraid of us journalists, we were welcomed by few ,yet few harsh words were sent across but in that whole day we learned that the field in which we have stepped is not that easy as it seems to be. And the credit goes to Sir Kamal. If it wouldn’t have been him I’m sure we would have never had such great learning experiences.

This was just the start of a new beginning for us, the second semester was totally and completely different from what we had previously done. This one was more relaxed and we got see the other side of Sir Kamal. The rules were same but the hand was little easy this time. The learning process was new and sir Kamal had new challenges up his sleeves for us and we were pretty much prepared to take them this time. The classes were more relaxed, and after hectic classes we would eagerly wait for his class on Thursdays. The best thing about his class was we never had to carry thick heavy books, learn same old boring history; rather we always had something new to look forward too. Apart from the course sir Kamal would often gave books from his personal collection to the book lovers. He tried to open those rusted brains which were locked by those same old fashioned methods of learning.

This semester came to an end very quickly ,seems like just the first class of Sir Kamal. And here we stand saying goodbye to one of the coolest mentors we could ever ask for. We are short of words; we can’t thank you enough for the precious time you took out from your busy schedule to groom us.

We can’t promise to be like you but we can at least try to have the same dedication you have given to this field.

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From passion to profession

She had just entered the field of reporting, when she was given an assignment to cover a press conference called by Manzoor Wasan at EXPO Centre Karachi. Unfortunately, she could not manage to reach on time. 19 year old Kibria Asad was completely clueless on how she will make a report but then a senior reporter from TV One, Mr. Ghayas came to rescue and shared all the details and footage of the press conference with her. “It was not less than a life saving moment for me”, recalls Kibria.

Kibria was passionate about writing right from the beginning. “There are very few people who can make their passion their profession. And I’m one of the lucky ones”, believes Kibria. Her parents stood by her side and never forced Kibria to become a doctor or an engineer. It was because of their motivation and encouragement that Kibria’s passion came to life and she got admission in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Karachi. Currently she is doing BS, at the same time Kibria is working for Sach TV as a reporter. Her beat is politics. It sometimes get difficult to manage work with studies, however, Kibria loves taking up challenges. She deems one has to do things in a different manner so as to standout from the masses. Kibria considers her teachers and colleagues to be her support system, maintaining a balance between her career and studies couldn’t have been possible without them, she added.
When Kibria entered the business, she found the field work to be very different from academic teachings. Kibria thinks a lot of reality based circumstances are barely touched upon in class room training’s. Often the important issues are over looked or ignored so as not to stir a sleeping dragon. Sharing her experience Kibria says, “Real world reporting is merciless and not like a protected cocoon of a classroom”. In the beginning it becomes difficult for one to make her presence felt amongst all the senior journalists. “You will make mistakes and it is good to make ones because that is the only way you learn”, says Kibria. Recently she got the opportunity to cover two major political rallies organized by PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaaf) at Steel town and Youm-e-Shuhada rally on 18th October by PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) respectively.
Besides hard work, a trait that must not go amiss is honesty; the foundation stone to credibility in the field of reporting, says Kibria. However, emphasizing on the moral dilemmas she faced as a reporter, Kibria adds, “Following the directions of the media organization becomes ones priority, the oath and ethics often go out of the window; we have to be prepared to say YES or NO to the stated directions. These maybe ones career’s make or break moments”.

It is important for the young and new entrants to set aside academic standings and egos instead have an open mind and humbleness to take in as much of the learning that can possibly be done. “Learning from the seniors is a never ending process and their experiences will serve as reminders and lessons,” reckons Kibria.
“It is important to respect the fellow colleagues, one should never fall below the level of dignity. Handling matters with great tactics can only bring success for a reporter.” Firmly believes Kibria. 

Profile of Kibria Asad who is currently a student at University of Karachi and working as a reporter at Sach TV 

Veiling Honour by killing

 

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It’s a girl it’s a girl!!! The mid wife told the mother who was in pain yet anxious to hold her baby for the first time. Mean while the father couldn’t wait either to see the coolness of his eyes. These are the expressions families have when a child is born; Parents have millions of dream for their children. They sacrifice there today for their children’s tomorrow.

A Mother nurtures her daughters; teach her to be the young girl of tomorrow. Mothers usually play strict rules where fathers try to pamper his princess in every way possible.

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But when it comes to marriage the situation is not the same. If son of the family falls for girl whom he knows even for a period for two weeks he is allowed to marry her. On the other hand if a girl tries to tell her parents about the love of her life, at first she is reminded about the honour of the family. If she sticks to her decision she is brutally killed in the name of honour! WHY is she killed in the name of honour? Just because she chose to marry someone she loves? Isn’t a girl allowed to marry the man she loves? Isn’t she a human? Doesn’t she have a right to live her life according to the way she wants? Even after so many years girls are always subdue when it comes to make the decision of their life. Parents can at least meet the person once rather than just rejecting him immediately. Many options can come up only if parents are ready to sit together and talk instead shushing their daughters on such topics.

In past few months on almost daily bases girls are being  killed in the name of honour , it is not those feudal (wadera) villagers who are killing women in the name of honour but the culprits are from the well known cities of my country .. Yes you read it right the “Well known “cities. Like Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar etc. Not just killing  love birds they even go to the extent of throwing acid on girls, as if she is nothing just a marionette in the hands of the family.

There is no crime in marrying the man you love. A bit of communication with your daughters won’t hurt more than killing your princess by your own hand.  Zeenat who was doused with kerosene and was set on fire by her own mother is just one example of those many Zeenat’s who lost the battle of love in the name of family honour.

In most of the cases culprits have no shame for what they did , for them saving their families honour was more important than the child who was once the source of  bringing smile to that tired fathers face, who was once mother’s best friend.

girl it’s a girl!!! The mid wife told the mother who was in pain yet anxious to hold her baby for the first time. Mean while the father couldn’t wait either to see the coolness of his eyes. These are the expressions families have when a child is born; Parents have millions of dream for their children. They sacrifice there today for their children’s tomorrow.

A Mother nurtures her daughters; teach her to be the young girl of tomorrow. Mothers usually play strict rules where fathers try to pamper his princess in every way possible.

 

But when it comes to marriage the situation is not the same. If son of the family falls for girl whom he knows even for a period for two weeks he is allowed to marry her. On the other hand if a girl tries to tell her parents about the love of her life, at first she is reminded about the honour of the family. If she sticks to her decision she is brutally killed in the name of honour! WHY is she killed in the name of honour? Just because she chose to marry someone she loves? Isn’t a girl allowed to marry the man she loves? Isn’t she a human? Doesn’t she have a right to live her life according to the way she wants? Even after so many years girls are always subdue when it comes to make the decision of their life. Parents can at least meet the person once rather than just rejecting him immediately. Many options can come up only if parents are ready to sit together and talk instead shushing their daughters on such topics.

In past few months on almost daily bases girls are being  killed in the name of honour , it is not those feudal (wadera) villagers who are killing women in the name of honour but the culprits are from the well known cities of my country .. Yes you read it right the “Well known “cities. Like Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar etc. Not just killing  love birds they even go to the extent of throwing acid on girls, as if she is nothing just a marionette in the hands of the family.

There is no crime in marrying the man you love. A bit of communication with your daughters won’t hurt more than killing your princess by your own hand.  Zeenat who was doused with kerosene and was set on fire by own her mother is just one example of those many Zeenat’s who lost the battle of love in the name of family honour.

In most of the cases culprits have no shame for what they did , for them saving their families honour was more important than the child who was once the source of  bringing smile to that tired fathers face, who was once mother’s best friend.

Life and Times of Dad; Bitter and Sweet

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Parent’s play an integral part in the lives of children, but faith has something else stored what we don’t know. It is what it is!

The Author of the book “Bitter and Sweet” Mr. Sirajuddin Aziz has a similar story to tell.  This book is co- authored by Humair Ishtiaq. This book is going to take you to all the emotional levels. You will laugh at certain points, be amazed how strong Mr. Rashid fights or cry when things don’t work. Both the author and co author have done a marvelous job in penning down the emotions.
Mr. Siraj pens down the memories his father wrote in his diary about the early days of his children. The main character of the whole narration is Syed Abdul Aziz Rashid (father of Mr.Siraj).He was a second generation bureaucrat, who was dressed in his best attire even in the darker days of his life. He was in his mid 40s when his beloved wife Samiun Nisa left him and their seven loving children. The whole charge of children and the household was on the shoulders of Mr. Rashid. Being a Bureaucratic means a lot of domestic help at your service but Mr. Rashid was an upright honest man who would do all the chores by himself for his children and avoided taking favors’ for his personal mean. His work meant a lot of transfers from one city to another but he tired his level best to be with his children whenever possible.

The author narrates how not just mothers take charge when time is needed but even fathers do wonders when he is the whole and sole caretaker of the children. A best example of this can be seen in this beautiful novel when Mr. Rashid would not save instead would spend his savings over the travel just to meet his children. Mr. Rashid tired to the best of his potential to get transfer in areas where he will be near his children. Life was not an easy piece of cake for Mr. Rashid, he took it with full glory and fought till times were better and his children were well settled in their lives.

In the narration we see how Mr. Rashid after losing his wife lost his siblings and later on he lost his favorite daughter. But he never bowed his knees in front of the battle he was fighting. His victory was his children who with time excelled in their fields and made their father proud.

The connection we get to read in this book between siblings taking care of each other when the father is not around or how the father and son chemistry is just beautifully put by the author and the co- author. (Extract from the book: “I was the one feeling the most restless once Miraj left to take up his new assignment.”  Or

“Nature blessed me with a number of substitute mothers, who arrived in my life just as I needed them. First came my sister’s one after the other.

This book will take you to the old times of India and Pakistan where living was simple yet difficult to live for people like Mr. Rashid. But till his last days he was the man of his principles .He transferred the best qualities not only in his own children but also in his grand children’s.

A must read book for all. It show how the bond parents used to have  with their children which seems to be lost in the race of survival these days.

“Pink is the new Black”

 

 

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Bollywood is known for its extravagant setup, long emotional songs, actresses dolled up in heavy banarsi saris and how to forget the jhumkas and tumka’s without which an Indian movie is incomplete.

This is what usually we see in a typical Bollywood movie. But PINK is a completely different movie. Its genre is  based on  women how they are classified as prostitutes , if they come home late, sit with men have a drink or simply have a good hang out with friends. It’s the society that classify women very quickly and to add more to the misery we never listen to the other part of the story we just start gossiping about it.

The movie rotates around 3 middle class independent women Minal, Falak and Andréa, who are in Delhi for work and live in a posh area in Delhi and 3 boys who belong to a well off family and want to have some Fun night.

The story is about how Minal ends up getting molested by one of the affluent boy Rajveer. For her escape she hits him on his head with a wine bottle and runs for her life. The girls return to their home hoping the night will just fade away. But their lives are turned into a living hell by the guys who intimidate them in every way possible. The ultimate blow comes when Rajveer uses his powerful connections to file a wrong FIR against the girls labeling them prostitutes. When the matter comes up in court with defense lawyer Deepak Sehgall (Amitabh), who has a bipolar disorder, represents the girls in the court .We see how Mr. Deepak has his moods when he refuses to object in court or when he is questioning Minal for her Virginity.

The dramatic turn to the movie comes in when the case is in court , it is beautifully done how the prosecutor blames girls for taking money for sex and tag them with awful names where as Mr. Amitabh ( Deepak Sehgall ) has his own style to defend the girls. He tells the judge that now girls are yardstick as prostitutes for wearing short skirts and blouses, for coming home late or to have few drinks in party with friends characterizes a girl as a prostitute or people start pointing fingers of how her character is.

When Mr. Amitabh closes his case for the final judgments his words are beautifully placed “When a girlfriend, sister, friend, wife tells NO or to STOP touching  … NO man has the right to force himself on her. Or outrage her modesty.

Over all it’s a 4.5 /5 movie it lacks at few points but it all can be ignored because we need more of such movies to be aired as compared to the mainstream movies.

 

 

The real picture is always different!!

 

 

 

 

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As we stand in the mid way of our Master’s program our hopes to get into some of the best and leading journalism organizations is at its peak. We come across many journalists who keep on telling us that they welcome us to this vast field where learning never stops and they are there not only to help us but guide us in this new journey .But the reality is totally different from what is pictured to us.

Reality hits you hard when for a small project you are told to contact some journalist for an interview and OH MAN!! Getting through to these journalists is hell tough even though you can email them or get through them from twitter (thanks to social media) but neither do they reply and even if they do they are MEAN!!

I have a curiosity for this reaction of the journalist as in why do you want to say no to a student? Who is just asking 20 mins of your precious time? Is it there ego or the status that has now gone to their heads?  I might sound mean to many but seriously people in my country have this thing of forgetting from where they have started.  Having said that about a bunch of well know journalists there are handful of them who are ready to help no matter how busy they are , they would either give you an interview or take you to a journalist friend who will give you time for your work.

In search of a journalist I tried contacting few foreign journalists. I wanted no stone to be left un turn and to my utter surprise they were ready not only to give me interview but to help me throughout my project. Isn’t this surprising that people you don’t know, you have never meet are more helpful than the people you know or are from you own country. I feel ashamed that people now days aren’t that helpful as they used to be especially from my part of the country.

Just when you are saying No to a student or anybody else  just remember that Karma does return 😉

Desi v/s Angrazi

Be it Karachi or Lahore Pakistani’s love food .One would find a foodie every corner of the city. We have some of the best Desi Breakfasts to offer .Where they are economical they go little over on the waist line. But this can always be controlled.

For a diehard foodie Desi breakfast can be the best deal of the day. Where you have Desi breakfast ranging from deep fried Ghee (clarified butter) puris with spicy tantalizing chick pea and potatoes gravy with a dash of carrot pickle to go with or some Nihari with hot fluffy nanas’ (flat breads) to Pathan ka paratha with omelet or egg according to your style . All of this is topped with full cream doodh pati chai or a big glass of Lassi (sweet butter milk). And voila what else one wants to start up his day. It is a complete meal which not only gives you energy but also keeps you on the go the whole day. One can only have this over the weekend because after such hearty breakfast I bet you can’t work.

Every day while going to university I come across this Halwa puri shop and around 7:40 am the chef is frying puris for its clients and Man!! The whole air is filled with the aroma of those deep fried puris, even after having a good breakfast at home I feel greedy when we cross that shop 😉 hoping to have a quick stop over some day for a nice breakfast to fulfill the greedy child in me.

Such hearty breakfasts are mostly done by people on Saturdays or Sundays as it is when we get up late and can have a brunch rather than breakfast . But this statement is usually proved wrong when Karachi is blessed with good weather all Desies would reach the closest Halwa puri shop in their area and have some delicious breakfast.

Karachi being a metropolitan city has not only Desi breakfasts to offer but now English breakfast are widely available for people to enjoy ranging from pancakes, to waffles, hash browns, to granolas, eggs benedict, shakshouka, bagels and many more varieties. People have great options to choose from Desi to English breakfast. For people like me who love to eat and love Desi and English breakfast at the same time it is usually difficult to choose from such a huge variety and we end up having breakfast at home LOL !!!

To start the day a good breakfast is a must!! We usually avoid having breakfast due to many reasons from getting late for work, university or even if we are home we don’t give the first meal the most important meal of the day the importance it deserves. Medically it is proven that one should never skip the first meal of the day. It stores plenty of benefits for a human being. One should try not to skip breakfast no matter how busy you are but one should also not go over the board with the food, as someone told me once “Two minutes on the lips is a life time on the hips.”

“14th of August”

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14th of August was just a day away when University of Karachi decided to have its most famous celebration for the Independence Day of Pakistan. Independence Day has esteem for every country. It is that moment when no matter from where you are? Who you are everyone comes together to celebrate this special day .The day of freedom, the day which gave us the identity.

University of Karachi is known as mini Pakistan as people from all different areas and countries come here to study. Since the beginning of August preparations were started by all the departments of the university for this big day. Every department arranges small functions to celebrate Independence Day, they decorate departments with flags, balloons, wall paintings and many other different ways are used for the decoration of each department, and the most beautiful thing in all of these decorations is where ever you see one will see green and white colors. And all of this was at its peak on the 12th of August 2016 when the main event was held at the famous Arts lobby. A quick knowledge about Arts lobby it is where all the arts departments are connected to one main area. This place is never quite it is a hustle bustle place something or the other take places in arts lobby and the main event for 14th of August was conducted at the Arts lobby

Like every other Kuarian my fellow friends and I were equally excited for this day, not only because it was our independence day but because after hearing so much about the famous celebration of Independence Day we were finally going to be part of it. It was more like we are going to be part of some history making: P. All of us were dressed in white or green with our excitements at its peak.

When we reached university from the main gate till the Arts lobby where ever one would run their eye you would see people dressed in white and green with their enthusiasm at its peak and singing or dancing on national songs. It was not only the students who were excited for this day the entire faculty and non faculty members were equally excited for this celebration.

The event started off with the recitation of Holy Quran and then the speech of the vice chancellor of the university. After the speech cake cutting ceremony was held. The cake was a huge one on which Pakistan flag was made. No matter how big the cake was most of us weren’t that lucky to even get a single slice of the cake L after the cake cutting the best and the most awaited part of the whole ceremony was finally here the flag hosting.

Student council members were at the top of the administration building with 300 ft long flag of Pakistan. With the countdown the flag was bought down from the building and every single person standing there was singing the national anthem in one loud voice and honestly no matter how corrupt this place is, how many hours of load shedding one has, no matter how many days people don’t have water in their homes but on moment like these we all stand for our country .This moment was priceless where people from different cast, religion, sect, came together as one NATION!! And sang the national anthem in full form, it was a goose bump moment for me specially because I have never seen so many people at one time sing national anthem with so much enthusiasm . As we sang the national anthem the flag was bought down from the building we students were able to hold this 300 ft long flag in our hands and then we marched towards the main area, with national songs playing in the background. While the march was taking place many danced on songs and chanted slogans of Pakistan Zindabad. The most surprising moment from the event was the participation by the foreign students. They were actively taking part in the celebration, from wearing white and green clothes to wearing Pakistani badge on their clothes to dance and wish their fellows happy Independence Day.

For so many years from school life to university I have celebrated many 14th August but this year’s celebration was the best from all of those years. Every individual had the same prayer to see this nation at the place where it deserves to be. For all the fun filled time I spent on campus with friends will be cherished throughout my life and will try to come back in future to my al ammeter just to celebrate 14thAugust. They say it right the way Ku celebrate 14th August no one does it better than them.