Dream of Pakistan's Cap (Part 4)

The ground only exists because of Pakistan's anti-Ahmadi tenets. The land was originally earmarked for the annual Ahmadi jalsa, a large, multiple-day religious event. But the Pakistani government refuses to grant permission to hold the event, which is now organised in other countries with sizeable Ahmadi populations. Rabwah has also repeatedly been refused permission to host sports events, including inter-community tournaments. So the community decided to develop the property as a cricket ground instead. This explains why it doesn't have an official name.

Until about 12 years ago, there were rumours that the property was ridden with snakes. It was a rock-strewn, disused piece of land. It took months to clear, and a PCB advisor was asked for help with plotting out the pitch. Cricket is now played in Rabwah through the year, except for a couple of months in the summer when the punishing heat and the humidity from nearby paddy fields make it difficult to do so. Rabwah's cricketers repeatedly describe the ground as a blessing. They brag that there isn't another ground like this in the entire district.

Fazl-e-Umar's players find themselves at the ground every day. Work hours at the Ahmadiyya community's offices end at 2pm and there is little else to do other than amass at the ground. "Awaragirdi karni hai na?" [We have to loaf around passing time right?] Naveed says. "I start playing instead."

Like many of Rabwah's cricketers, Naveed has had a shot or two at aspiring to the major leagues: playing for the district, a trial for a first-class team. When he played in other cities, he says his team-mates, including Misbah-ul-Haq, were often surprised he had never been called up for bigger sides. He doesn't have an answer for them, because, he says, he has never been told the reason outright. But he believes that his faith "is the biggest reason".

For now, he has to lead his team to victory. Folding chairs are quickly set up, a thermos of tea and a couple of cups circulate among the players, and the toss takes place. The hosts lose and are asked to bat first. Coach Haye settles into his chair. He has already run a few miles this morning, he says, rebuking the player sitting next to him, whose belly is straining against his shirt. "He's eaten gobi parathas today," the coach says, in mock exasperation.

"I'd planned to eat these parathas today," the player responds.

"Planned!" Haye snorts, setting off a round of teasing and admonitions.

Earlier that weekend Haye was watching a match at the ground, sitting in a folding chair that creaked under his sizeable frame. Rabwah Cricket Club, the other prominent club in town, was hosting a team from Faisalabad. The clubs split use of the ground, taking turns on alternate Fridays, Sundays and Wednesdays.

Most Selling Albums of All Time

Thriller

Michael Jackson most favorite album Thriller is on number one position. Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, record producer, actor, dancer, and songwriter. The world called him the King of Pop due to his contributions to fashion and music. His publicized personal life made him a global personality in popular culture for more than four decades. His album Thriller was released in 1982, and it is categorized as Pop, Rock, R&B music. According to records, Thriller claimed sales more than 65 million copies.

Back in Back

Back in Back got the second the second position in the list. This famous album was the production of Australian band AC/DC. This band was formed by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in 1973. It was considered as a heavy metal band. Back in Back was the familiar and most famous album in hard rock history. This album was released in 1980. The group claimed that Black in Black contains more than 50 million copies sales worldwide.  

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon is the 3^rd most popular album worldwide. This album was released by an English rock band, Pink Floyd. The band got international acclaim with their psychedelic and progressive music. The group becomes one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in the history of modern music due to philosophical lyrics, extended compositions, sonic experimentation, and elaborate live shows. The Pink Floyd released their famous album The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973 in progressive rock music category. According to the record, overall sale of the album is more than 45 million copies all around the world.

The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard is on the 4^th position in best-selling albums of all time. The Whitney Housten is the main singer of The Bodyguard. Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, producer, model, and actress. Houston is one of the most best-selling music artists of all time. The singer released seven studio albums and three movie soundtracks. Her album The Bodyguard was published in 1992, and it was considered the most popular album in soundtrack/R&B, soul, and pop category. Over 44 records of this album sold worldwide.

Bat Out of Hell

Bat Out of Hell is well-known released by Meat Loaf. Meat Loaf or Michael Lee Aday was an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer. Meat Loaf is his stage name. His album Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies all around the world. According to record, it still sells approximately 2 million copies annually. This album stayed on the chart for more than 9 years. Meat Loaf was famous for his powerful voice and live theatrical performance. Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977 in hard rock and progressive rock generation.

Their Greatest Hits

Their Greatest Hits is the first compilation album released by the Eagles. The Eagles were an American rock band formed in 1971 by Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey, and Randy Meisner. This band was one of the most popular musical acts of the 1970s. The band was ranked number 75 on the magazine’s 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All time. Overall, Their Greatest Hits album sold 42 million records all over the world and got 6^th position in best-selling albums of all time. The album belongs to rock, soft rock, and folk music generation.

Saturday Night Fever

Saturday Night Fever is the rocking album released by Bee Gees and various artists. This album was the part of the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. Bee Gees is the name of pop music group which was formed in 1958. The team consists of three brothers Barry, Maurice Gibb, and Robin. They remained successful for most of their decades of recording music. The group have sold more than 220 million records worldwide and became one of the world best-selling music artists. Saturday Night Fever was a Disco type music which claimed to have sales more than 40 million.

Rumours

Rumours is on the 8^th position in the list of best-selling albums of all time. Rumours was released in 1977 and was considered as Soft Rock music type. The album was released by Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band created in July 1967 in London. The group sold more than 100 million copies all over the world. The members of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and got the Brit Award for exceptional contribution to music. According to the official record, Rumours sold over 40 million copies worldwide.

Come On Over

Come On Over is an acclaimed pop-music album released by Shania Twain. Shania Twain is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She spent more than 25 years in the music industry and sold over 85 million records. Shania Twain is considered as the best-selling female artist in the history of country music. She got many honorific titles just like the “Queen of Country Pop”. This album was released in 1997, breaking all records of best-selling albums that year. Come On Over claimed of selling over 39 million copies all around the world.

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV is one of the most popular music album released by Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin was the name of English rock band that was formed in London in 1968. The members of the group are guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, drummer John Bonham and the singer Robert Plant. Led Zeppelin has earned recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal due to the unique style of group members. This famous album was released in 1971 and was part of hard rock and heavy metal generation. According to the record, Led Zeppelin IV had more than 37 billion sales worldwide and got the 10^th position in best-selling albums of all time.      

Bad

Bad is the 2^nd best album of Michael Jackson and ranked as 11^th best album worllwide. It was the 7^th studio album by American singer Michael Jackson released through Epic Records. Bad was released on 31th August 1987, five years after the release of thriller. Bad sold between 30 to 45 million copies worldwide and it was certified 9 times Platinum in the United States. After the release of Bad, Jackson became one of the most successful artists of the 1980s. it enhanced his career and Michael Jackson got some of the best musical project of his career. Bad was at number one position in 13 different countries and was included in top 20 in other territories.

Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill was the international debut album of Canadian Singer Alanis Morissette. The album was released on June 13, 1995 from the studio of Maverick Records. Before this, Morissette had released her two most popular albums in Canada. It was the rock.

Dream of Pakistan's Cap (Part 3)

Even though over 60,000 Ahmadis live in Rabwah, there is no safety in numbers. The misery of being constantly hounded never fades. In Rabwah's main library, a case that used to hold translations of the Quran has been emptied for fear of the potential repercussions. Ahmadis can't be seen to be keeping copies of the Quran, and Ahmadi translations or interpretations of the text can also be problematic. Just months earlier an Ahmadi man was sentenced to prison for eight years for allegedly selling religious texts in his shop. The library entrance now bears a sign saying that the facility is only for Ahmadis.

Over the last six years Naveed has felt the mood in the cricketing milieu shift to outright hostility against Ahmadis. These long-held prejudices - cemented in schools, in the law, and in daily life - play out across Pakistan, and have managed to creep into the Ahmadis' home ground in Rabwah.

"There are many teams that come from Faisalabad and they'll play the match but won't eat," Naveed tells me, switching between dense Punjabi and Urdu. "They'll play the match. Won't eat," he repeats, as if still incredulous that people can go without food to maintain their prejudices. "I think we once had chicken [for the teams' lunch], and this kid from Saeed Ajmal's academy came to me and said: 'Naveed bhai, aap murghi halal karte ho?' (Do you slaughter the chicken according to Islamic dictates?) I said, thank God, I'm a better Muslim than you."

Another visiting cricketer insisted his team had to go for Friday prayers to a mosque, but then refused to pray with the Ahmadis at the time they were going to pray, or to pray at the ground, because the cricketer said they would have to listen to the Ahmadi prayer leader's sermon.

Because the prayer times were different, the match was in danger of being called off. They eventually packed off the visiting team to a nearby non-Ahmadi mosque, and the ensuing match was tinged with bitterness. This has happened more often in recent years, Naveed says, as the influence of religion in cricket has crept into the lowest levels of the game. Some teams don't care about the faith of Rabwah's cricketers. Others can't afford to care, because they want to curry favour with the club's coach or play at their ground.

On this Sunday morning, the players of the Zain Cricket Club have driven all the way from Faisalabad in a van, and don't know why their hosts are so late. When Abdul Haye, Fazl-e-Umar's coach, finally emerges, he has a good reason for not being there: he had delayed the match because of dew on the ground.

The reason why cricket thrives in this blighted town is this ground, a thing of beauty: an expanse of curated grass, a practice area, a smooth pitch and an 80-metre boundary. Trees frame the property and the red rock hills loom in the background.

To London, with Love (Part 6)

There is no doubt that the best time in London is at night, and I am sure everyone knows that. Not only does everyone know it, but they also make sure it ends up becoming the best time.

Most places are active when the light shines, here in London things are done a wee bit differently. Here, the light shines at the night, and people are alive in every way possible. That is how it is supposed to be, after an early morning, a busy day.

It is not always easy, though, different times of the year have different ways. In summer, it does not even get dark until around midnight, but does that stop Londoners from partying? No. In winters, it barely is bright, the sun sets in the afternoon but never have I ever seen people getting drunk before it actually is around midnight.

Yes, the nightlife is a wild life, full of one night stands, dates, hangouts, parties and what not. You are safe, you are free, and you are your own self. 

But there are still these constants which amaze everyone.

Nights are supposed to be dark, London is expected to be beautiful, and they both are what they are. But the colorful lights, the street lights, the decorator lights make everything 100 times more absorbing.

Small restaurants doing their decoration with cheeky quotes, big restaurants looking as beautiful and inviting as ever, pubs and bars full of people and noise.

Saturday evenings enjoyed with mates watching football, nights with your loved ones. Even when it is very late at night, nothing changes.

People still walking at a fast pace, trying to reach home, or at their friend’s place, or at a pub. Enjoying the night, knowing tomorrow is going to be another tough day, enjoying the weekend recklessly and without their senses knowing the next five days will need full dedication and concentration. 

You may agree with all this, you may not. You will love it for sure. 

They say that without the night you never see the stars. You see them or not, does not matter. What is important is, that in London, night is brighter and more colorful than the day. It’s a dream, at night, which is not a dream but a reality, and knowing that all this is a reality, is something that I enjoy the most.

Dream of Pakistan's Cap (Part 2)

It is past 10am on a Sunday in January, but the host team - Fazl-e-Umar - is nowhere to be seen at Rabwah's cricket ground. A teenager arrives, looks around, and starts doing push-ups. Naveed Ahmad, the 36-year-old club captain, arrives soon after. He makes a series of brusque phone calls telling his team-mates to hurry to the ground. Eventually the team straggles in, in ones and twos, and in uniforms that are several shades of white and off-white. One player has a cap in the colours of the German flag; others wear blinding white sneakers. The T-shirts hang off the younger players' lanky frames, their bodies unsullied by the sedentary lifestyles so common in Punjab.

Many of these players grew up in Rabwah. Some moved here from other cities. Abdul Hai, a 31-year-old real-estate dealer from Lahore, comes down to Rabwah for the cricket season. Faisal and his younger brother, Rafay Ahmed, are expected to arrive soon; they are playing for Fazl-e-Umar today.

Rabwah is home to Pakistan's Ahmadiyya Muslim community. It lies just past the city of Chiniot, the languid Chenab River, and a series of oddly shaped, craggy red rock hills - a town that has literally fallen off the map. It was renamed Chenab Nagar in 1998, but the name hasn't stuck. Rabwah has all the signs of the newfound urbanisation sweeping Punjab; ads for Schengen visas and magical cures to increase one's height abound. It also bears signs of the changes wrought by years of attacks on the Ahmadiyya sect: buildings with high walls - it is markedly visible where the new bricks were added - and barbed wire, armed patrols and security cameras. Dozens of Ahmadis have made Rabwah their home in recent years. Some arrived in coffins. Others were fleeing mobs and militants.

For over 40 years, the sect has been the target of a wide-ranging campaign of systematic abuse and discrimination, fuelled by the state's 1974 decree that, at a stroke, made Ahmadis non-Muslims. The Pakistani clergy and right wing believe Ahmadis dispute a key tenet of Islam - that Muhammad was the last Prophet - while Ahmadis believe that the founder of their movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is the second coming of a promised messiah, and not a new prophet. In 1984, Pakistan effectively made it illegal for Ahmadis to practise Islam, equating their doing so to an act of blasphemy. 

Blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad is punishable by death in Pakistan, and the blasphemy law is often used to target Ahmadis.

With all but state-sanctioned approval, militants have attacked Ahmadi mosques (in 2010 one attack in Lahore killed 94) and the right-wing clergy and hard-line religious groups have embarked on a campaign of assassinations, blasphemy cases, a social and economic boycott, and general widespread discrimination. If the dream of playing cricket in Pakistan is passed down from one generation to the next, so are the reins of the anti-Ahmadi movement. Pakistani children are told at school that Ahmadis are non-believers and blasphemers. Every key government form - from a passport application to voter registration - requires Pakistani Muslims to sign a declaration rejecting the Ahmadiyya faith. The community is largely absent from public life: they do not practise their faith openly, refuse to contest elections or vote because they object to the separate electorate for Ahmadis, and are legally barred from practising Islam or calling themselves Muslims. Countless Ahmadis have left Pakistan after the sect was excommunicated, finding new homes in Europe, the US and Canada. 

To London, with Love (Part 5)

It is the afternoon time, and the sun is shining brightly, for once there is the sun. Not as if I have spent my entire life here and can predict the weather but people say this has been a very different summer than before. A lot of rain and very less sunshine.

There is no reason for me to mind rain and clouds, though, it gives London that seductive look which makes the city irresistible. 

But you know what the best part is? Nothing changes. Be it rain or the sunshine, people go about their businesses as if nothing happened. I used to wonder how can you not start running when the rain starts and how can you not want to stop and sit for a while when the sun is breaking hell. 

There were many answers, but the best one I got from this lad was that there are no excuses in life. He was right, there are no excuses.

There are a few differences, though, in the way people enjoy the weathers. Saturday and Sunday are the days to do that. There are beaches in London, artificially created, and coming from Florida I have been to many. But that lush blue water, the cool breeze along and then looking at people enjoying the sunshine is something to behold.

When you see people lying on the beach with the brown skin showing. The sand a little brighter brown, and the sound of air along with the heat from the sun your only physical contact. You tend to reflect on your life in the process of enjoying the beauty, and yes it has a charm of its own.

 

During the weekdays at this time, though, life really has started. People are literally running here and there trying to complete their work. All of them suited and booted working wholeheartedly at the task which has been assigned to them. Many just reaching Tesco or Sainsbury to buy a sandwich or other snack but hang on…. Still standing in line patiently, peacefully, waiting for their turn.

They know like we should be aware that it is not the years in your life that matter, it is the life in the years you live, and London along with its people, makes sure that there is life in your life.

Dream of Pakistan's Cap (Part 1)

Faisal bin Mubashir thought he could make it. On January 4, 2014, he thought he could pull through to a double-century. "The season was going very well, but I had [been getting out in] the nervous 90s," he recalls as we chat at the ground of the club he used to play for, two years on from that innings. He was playing for Bahawalpur against Quetta in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, his 13th first-class match since his debut in October 2011. In the previous four games, he had three times missed out narrowly on a maiden hundred, dismissed for 90, 94 and 81. His memory of the match is fresh. "The first hundred in first-class cricket is a big honour. Sometimes, if you're well connected, you get to play for Pakistan if you score a hundred."

Faisal thought he could get to 150, maybe 170 at most. But when he crossed 170, he knew a double was on, even though there was pressure from the coach to declare. On 197, he waited out a couple of overs, until he finally sneaked a boundary. He would go on to make 216.

Faisal is 29 years old and now lives in Bahawalpur, in the south of Punjab. Last September, in Pakistan's T20 Cup - which used to be the premier domestic T20 tournament before the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was created - Faisal played for Bahawalpur Stags and was the tournament's leading scorer, with five match awards in nine matches. The performances did not attract much attention. Faisal can only guess why - perhaps, he says, it is because he comes from a small, much overlooked cricket district. Playing for Pakistan, he feels, is a long shot. "If a hundred people are practising, then only one will come out of it playing for Pakistan… people dream of this."

Three of his fifties came in the first stage of the tournament, a qualifying round for weaker sides. He flagged a little on the bigger stage, though not dramatically. But it was this that Haroon Rasheed, Pakistan's chief selector, alluded to when I spoke to him about whether Faisal was on their radar: "He played well in the early qualifying rounds, but as he progressed he wasn't consistent enough."

Faisal is not a big name and doesn't often make headlines. He isn't the subject of feverish online debate, but there is a town where Faisal's story is repeatedly told, the town we are in now, where almost every cricketer knows his name and statistics. This is Rabwah, home to Faisal's former club, Fazl-e-Umar CC, a town where stories of broken dreams abound.

"It has been brought to our attention that the Anjuman Ahmadiyya is holding a sports tournament within Rabwah, which has antagonised people. There is a great danger to peace. In view of this great danger, the sports tournament should be closed."

A local magistrate's letter to Hakim Khurshid Ahmad, the head of affairs for the Ahmadiyya community in Rabwah, dated February 10, 1994