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xtruss · 3 years ago

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PAKISTAN

Prime Minister Imran Khan Promised ‘New Pakistan’ But Members of His Inner Circle Secretly Moved Millions Offshore

Leak shows a key ally tried to bypass tax authorities and political and military elites bought luxury apartments and set up shell companies.

— By Margot Gibbs and Malia Politzer

— Image: Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images

— October 3, 2021

Imran Khan at an anti-government rally in Lahore in 2016, shortly after the Panama Papers caused uproar in Pakistan.

In 2018, Imran Khan, the Pakistani cricketing legend turned anti-corruption campaigner finally broke through.

After more than two decades in the political wilderness, the charismatic Oxford-educated media star seized on the publication of the Panama Papers, the 2016 journalistic exposé that revealed the offshore secrets of the global elite. Among the findings: The children of Pakistan’s sitting prime minister secretly owned a string of luxury London apartments.

Riding a wave of public outrage, Khan led protests around the country and a sit-in at the residence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, demanding that he step down. With the support of the military establishment, Khan propelled his reformist party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice, past its rivals in the 2018 national elections and propelled himself into the prime minister’s office in Islamabad.

In a televised victory speech, Khan promised a new era.

“We will establish supremacy of the law,” he said. “Whoever violates the law, we will act against them. Our state institutions will be so strong that they will stop corruption. Accountability will start with me, then my ministers, and then it will go from there.”

Now leaked documents reveal that key members of Khan’s inner circle, including cabinet ministers, their families and major financial backers have secretly owned an array of companies and trusts holding millions of dollars of hidden wealth. Military leaders have been implicated as well. The documents contain no suggestion that Khan himself owns offshore companies.

Among those whose holdings have been exposed are Khan’s finance minister, Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, and his family, and the son of Khan’s former adviser for finance and revenue, Waqar Masood Khan. The records also reveal the offshore dealings of a top PTI donor, Arif Naqvi, who is facing fraud charges in the United States.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin gestures during a press conference. Image: Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images

The files show how Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, a key political ally of Imran Khan’s, planned to put the proceeds from an allegedly corrupt business deal into a secret trust, concealing them from Pakistan’s tax authorities. Elahi did not respond to ICIJ’s repeated requests for comment. Today, a family spokesman told ICIJ’s media partners that, “due to political victimisation misleading interpretations and data have been circulated in files for nefarious reasons.” He added that the family’s assets “are declared as per applicable law”.

In one of several offshore holdings involving military leaders and their families, a luxury London apartment was transferred from the son of a famous Indian movie director to the wife of a three-star general. The general told ICIJ the property purchase was disclosed and proper; his wife didn’t reply.

The revelations are part of the Pandora Papers, a new global investigation into the shadowy offshore financial system that allows multinational corporations, the rich, famous and powerful to avoid taxes and otherwise shield their wealth. The probe is based on more than 11.9 million confidential files from 14 offshore services firms leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with 150 news organizations around the world.

The window into the personal finances of individual Pakistani generals is especially rare and provides a glimpse at how top military officers – known in Pakistan as “The Establishment” – use offshore to quietly enrich themselves while maintaining, until now, the military’s image as a bulwark against civilian corruption.

In the 48 hours leading up to the publication of the Pandora Papers, a Pakistani television station, ARY-News, reported that, “the owner of two offshore companies registered at a similar address as of Prime Minister Imran Khan has revealed that they were registered by him on a different address and denied any role of the premier in this regard.” The story also attributed the information to “a database of the offshore companies.”

ARY-News is not an ICIJ partner and doesn’t have access to ICIJ data.

In its reporting prior to publication, ICIJ had asked Khan about the same companies. A Khan spokesman told ICIJ that the prime minister had no link to either, adding that two houses in the same neighborhood share an address, providing a map as evidence.

The spokesman also told ARY-News that Khan denied any connection to the companies, adding that their owner “never met Imran Khan face to face and it may however be possible that they had attended an extended family function.”

The Pandora Papers investigation exposes civilian government and military leaders who have been hiding vast amounts of wealth in a country plagued by widespread poverty and tax avoidance.

The newly leaked records reveal the use of offshore services by Pakistan’s elites that rivals the findings of the Panama Papers, which led to Sharif’s downfall and helped propel Imran Khan to power three years ago.

Today, a few hours before the Pandora Papers’ publication, Khan’s spokesperson told a press conference that the prime minister, “has no offshore company but if any of his ministers [or] advisers have it will be their individual acts and they will have to be held accountable.”

An Unaccountable Military Elite

Khan’s anti-corruption rhetoric resonated in Pakistan, where the military has pointed to what it calls the corruption and ineptitude of civilian politicians to justify overthrowing democratically elected governments three times since the country’s founding in 1947.

Military autocracies have ruled Pakistan for almost half the country’s history. They have been bolstered by support from the U.S and NATO countries, which have relied on Pakistan’s support as a bulwark against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and, later, the Taliban.

The military also claims legitimacy as the nation’s protector against longtime adversary and nuclear rival India.

Over the decades, the military and its secretive spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, have repeatedly stoked anti-India animus, even at the cost of angering Pakistan’s Western allies.

Foreign policy analysts have accused the military of playing a double game, receiving billions of dollars in U.S military support while continuing to work with members of the Afghan Taliban.

One legacy of colonial rule is the military’s wealth. The military’s combined business holdings amount to Pakistan’s largest conglomerate, and it controls 12% of the country’s land. Many of the landholdings are owned by current or former senior leaders.

The Pandora Papers reveal that in 2007, the wife of Gen. Shafaat Ullah Shah, then one of Pakistan’s leading generals and a former aide to President Pervez Musharraf, acquired a $1.2 million apartment in London through a discreet offshore transaction.

The property was transferred to Gen. Shah’s wife by an offshore company owned by Akbar Asif, a wealthy businessman who has opened restaurants in London and Dubai. Asif is the son of the Indian film director K Asif. The younger Asif once met with Musharraf at London’s Dorchester Hotel to ask for an exception to Pakistan’s 40-year ban on Indian films to allow the release there of one of his father’s most acclaimed movies. Musharraf granted the exception and later lifted the ban.

The leaked documents show that Asif has owned a multimillion-dollar property portfolio through a web of offshore companies.

One of those companies, called Talah Ltd. and registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), was used to transfer the London apartment to Shafaat Shah’s wife. Talah bought an apartment near the Canary Wharf financial district in 2006. The next year, Asif transferred ownership of the company to Fariha Shah.

Asif’s sister, Heena Kausar, is the widow of Iqbal Mirchi, a senior figure in a leading organised crime group, D-company. Mirchi was at the time under sanction as a drug trafficker by the U.S. Before his death in 2013, Mirchi was one of India’s most wanted men.

Gen. Shah told ICIJ that the purchase of the London apartment had been made through a former army colleague then acting as a consultant to London real estate firms, not through any personal connection to Asif. Gen. Shah said the flat “was named” to his wife because “I already had properties in my name while she did not have any and to balance tax deductions.”

Shah said that his wife has never met Asif and that he met him just once, while an aide to Musharaff, when Asif briefly lobbied the president for his father’s film “in the corridors of Dorchester Hotel when he had accompanied the hairstylist, who had come to cut Mrs Musharraf’s hair.”

Insights into the private wealth of top military officers and their families are exceedingly rare; journalists who have written about the military within Pakistan have been jailed, tortured and killed.

The Pandora Papers also reveal that Raja Nadir Pervez, a retired army lieutenant colonel and former government minister, owned International Finance & Equipment Ltd, a BVI-registered company. In the leaked files, the firm is involved in machinery and related businesses in India, Thailand, Russia and China. Records show that in 2003, Pervez transferred his shares in the company to a trust that controls several offshore companies.

One of the trust’s beneficiaries is a British arms dealer. According to U.K. court documents, one of the trust’s other companies has helped broker arms sales from Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal SA to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., a state-owned Indian defense company.

While he owned International Finance & Equipment, Pervez also held several high-level positions in Pakistan’s government. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1985 and later joined Khan’s party. Pervez did not respond to reporters’ questions.

Another influential former military leader who shows up in the leaked documents is Maj. Gen. Nusrat Naeem, the ISI’s onetime director general of counterintelligence. He owned a BVI company, Afghan Oil & Gas Ltd, that was registered in 2009, shortly after his retirement. He said that the company had been set up by a friend and that he didn’t use it for any financial transactions.

Islamabad police later charged Naeem with fraud related to the attempted purchase of a steel mill for $1.7 million. The case was dropped.

The Pandora Papers also bring to light the notable offshore holdings of close relatives of three senior military figures.

Umar and Ahad Khattak, sons of the former head of Pakistan’s air force, Abbas Khattak, in 2010 registered a BVI company to invest what documents call “family business earnings” in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate.

The Khattaks did not respond to reporters’ questions.

In an example involving intergenerational wealth transfer, Shahnaz Sajjad Ahmad inherited a fortune from her father, a retired lieutenant general, through an offshore trust that owns two London apartments, purchased in 1997 and 2011 in Knightsbridge, a short walk from Harrods. She, in turn, set up a trust for her daughters in 2003 in Guernsey, a tax haven in the English Channel. Her father was a favorite of Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, the country’s first military dictator (1958-1969). After her father retired from the army, he founded one of Pakistan’s biggest business conglomerates. Ayub Khan’s son later married into the family and sits on the boards of several of the group’s businesses.

Shahnaz did not respond to ICIJ’s requests for comment.

Taken together, the findings offer a portrait of an unaccountable military elite with extensive personal and family offshore holdings.

‘A Defining Moment’

As Pakistan’s ultimate political arbiter, the military would eventually test Imran Khan’s reformist ideals.

Born in 1952, Khan was the son of a Lahore civil engineer, and he enjoyed the privileges of Pakistan’s insular, and insulated, upper class. When the electricity failed, elites could turn on generators. If hospitals were substandard, they flew abroad for care.

“I was from that privileged class that was not affected by the general deterioration in the country,” Khan wrote in his 2011 autobiography, “Pakistan: A Personal History”.

Khan’s elite boarding school, Aitchison College, was named for the colonial administrator who founded it. Lessons were in English; boys caught speaking Urdu during school hours were fined.

The education system replicated colonial values, Khan wrote, teaching elites that they should “look upon the masses with contempt” and that “the natives were not to be trusted.”

As a young man, he befriended future leaders of Pakistan, meeting Nawaz Sharif at a cricket club, stopping by for Sunday cheese and canape parties at the Oxford University lodgings of another future Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. He also developed a reputation as a playboy and a denizen of London’s nightclubs.

Khan played his first cricket match for Pakistan’s national team in 1971, when he was just 18, became captain at the age of 29 and, 10 years later, led the team to victory in the 1992 World Cup.

In a country passionate about cricket, Khan’s athletic feats made him a national hero – and drew the attention of politicians hoping to capitalize on his popularity. Two of the Pakistan’s military leaders – Generals Musharraf and Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq – and Sharif, the three-time civilian prime minister, invited him to join their governments. He refused them all, later declaring in his autobiography that each administration was either incompetent or corrupt.

A Pakistani driver looks on as a poster of cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan, is seen on his rickshaw in Rawalpindi, ahead of the 2018 general elections. Image: Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images

He wrote that he entered politics after the experience of building a cancer hospital in his mother’s memory in 1994 left him stunned both by the generosity of ordinary Pakistanis and the failings of their government: “I discovered how hard it was to achieve anything in Pakistan while also battling bureaucracy and corruption.”

In 1996, Khan founded the PTI party, vowing to root out corruption, address wealth inequality and break the hold of the country’s two political dynasties – those of the Bhutto and Sharif families – which he claimed ruled Pakistan like a “fiefdom.”

Among the early targets of Khan’s anti-corruption campaign was another powerful family, the Elahis, known in Pakistan as the Chaudhrys of Gujrat.

After Musharraf forcibly ousted Prime Minister Sharif in 1999, during his second term, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a prominent political figure, organized the Pakistan Muslim League-Q to support the coup. The PML-Q, known for backing Pakistan’s military governments, remains closely aligned with the military.

Over the years Pakistan’s anti-corruption agencies have launched and dropped several investigations into his business dealings. Around 2002, Khan petitioned the national bank to investigate loans to Elahi’s company which had allegedly been written off. At one point he called him “the biggest dacoit in Punjab,” using an Urdu word for “bandit.”

Despite being a national hero and benefiting from well-funded campaigns powered by the enthusiastic support of Pakistanis abroad, Khan remained a political outsider, in part because he refused to make alliances with forces he called corrupt.

Middle-class and other reform-minded voters flocked to his 2013 campaign, waving cricket bats. And Khan gained a powerful ally: the military, then in a power struggle with both mainstream civilian factions. But the PTI gained just 35 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly that year.

Then Came The Panama Papers.

The revelations about then-Prime Minister Sharif and his family’s London real estate holdings, followed by the discovery that his oldest daughter forged documents in an attempt to cover up her ownership, played perfectly to Khan’s anti-corruption message and turbocharged his political fortunes.

“’The leaks are God-sent,” Khan said at the time. Taking stock of the impact on the country’s ruling elite a year later, he declared, “This is a defining moment in the history of Pakistan.”

Pakistan’s Supreme Court soon disqualified Sharif from office for falling short of constitutional requirements to be “truthful and trustworthy.” The ISI was involved in the investigation of Sharif. He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison on related corruption charges.

In the 2018 elections, Khan’s PTI secured a fourfold increase in National Assembly seats, bringing the party to the brink of power. Throngs of his supporters danced outside the party’s headquarters in Islamabad.

But Khan hadn’t won the outright majority and needed to form a government. Sharif and Bhutto’s parties, the target of years of his attacks, were not an option.

That left a coalition of smaller parties, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the Elahis’ party. Khan made the deal.

A Fateful Political Alliance

Since taking office, Khan has continued to deploy anti-corruption rhetoric and rail against elites who, he has said on Twitter, “come to power and plunder the country.”

But analysts say Khan has disappointed his reform-minded supporters and has become widely viewed as a figurehead. “He doesn’t have a problem with the military ruling the country while they pretend that he’s in charge,” Aqil Shah, a visiting academic at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,told ICIJ.

Khan’s spokesperson, Shabhaz Gill, told ICIJ that the “PTI believed in the separation of powers,” and the military came under the power of the executive branch of the state.

The Pandora Papers reveal that Khan has surrounded himself with people – cabinet ministers and their families, donors and other political allies – who have holdings hidden offshore.

Shaukat Tarin, Khan’s finance minister, and members of Tarin’s family, own four offshore companies. According to Tariq Fawad Malik, a financial consultant who handled the paperwork on the companies, they were set up as part of the Tarin family’s intended investment in a bank with a Saudi business. He said that, “as a mandatory prerequisite by [the] regulator, we engaged with the Central Bank of Pakistan to obtain their ’in-principle’ approval for the said strategic investment.” The deal didn’t proceed.

Tarin didn’t respond to ICIJ’s questions. In a statement issued the day of the Pandora Papers’ publication, Tarin said: “The off-shore companies mentioned were incorporated as part of the fund raising process for my Bank.”

Omer Bakhtyar, the brother of Khan’s minister for industries, Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, transferred a $1 million apartment in the Chelsea area of London to his elderly mother through an offshore company in 2018. The state anti-corruption agency has been investigating allegations that his family’s wealth inexplicably “ballooned” since Bhaktyar first became a minister in Pervez Musharaff’s government in 2004.

In a written statement to ICIJ, Makhdum Bakhtyar said that the anti-corruption agency’s investigation was founded on baseless allegations which had underestimated his family’s past wealth, and that it has so far not resulted in a formal complaint.

The son of Waqar Masood Khan, Khan’s chief adviser for finance and revenue between 2019 and 2020, co-owned a company based in the British Virgin Islands. Masood resigned in August amid a policy dispute. Khan told ICIJ that he did not know what his son’s company did. He said his son lived a modest life, and was not his financial dependent.

And Khan’s former minister for water resources, Faisal Vawda, set up an offshore company in 2012 to invest in U.K. properties, the Pandora Papers show. He resigned in March amid a controversy over his status as a dual U.S.-Pakistan national. Vawda told ICIJ that he has declared all worldwide assets held in his name to Pakistani tax authorities.

Gill, Khan’s spokesperson, said that Khan had passed an executive order requiring unelected members of his cabinet to declare their assets, in addition to the asset disclosures already required of members of the National Assembly under Pakistani law.

Khan’s financial backers are also prominent in the files.

Naqvi, the financier and major donor to Khan’s 2013 campaign, owned several offshore companies. The files show that in 2017, Naqvi transferred ownership of U.K. holdings – three luxury apartments, his country estate and a property in London’s suburbs – into an offshore trust operated by Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank declined to respond to ICIJ’s concerning the beneficiaries of the trust.

The next year, he presided over the spectacular collapse of his Dubai-based private equity firm, Abraaj Group.

U.S prosecutors charged Naqvi with engineering a $400 million fraud against Abraaj investors and this year persuaded a court to allow his extradition from the U.K. Naqvi has denied wrongdoing.

Tariq Shafi, a leading businessman and another PTI donor, held $215 million through offshore companies, the records show.

Neither Shafi nor Naqvi responded to ICIJ’s questions.

The documents offer an unusually detailed look at how a top political figure attempted to hide proceeds from an alleged misuse of public funds with the help of an elite offshore service provider.

The politician is Moonis Elahi, whose father founded the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the party holding Khan’s fragile coalition together.

‘Several Corrupt Land Development Projects’

Scandals linked to the Elahi family have become a regular feature of Pakistani politics over the years, but have rarely resulted in legal consequences.

In 2007, for instance, authorities found that the Bank of Punjab, owned by the Elahi-led provincial government, had made a reported $608 million in unsecured loans, many to companies owned by the bank’s directors or people with political connections. When the loans went bad, the provincial government ultimately paid to bail out the bank.

In January 2016, Moonis Elahi, then a member of Punjab’s provincial legislature, met with officials at Asiaciti Trust, a financial services provider that specializes in offshore wealth management. Records show that Elahi told Asiaciti staff that he wanted to invest money from the 2007 sale of land owned by Phalia Sugar Mills, an Elahi family business.

The records show that Asiaciti officials asked Elahi about his past legal problems. He provided them with a court document clearing him of fraud charges unrelated to the Bank of Punjab scandal.

After the meeting, documents show, Asiaciti designated Elahi as a “politically exposed person” or PEP — a legal term denoting a corruption risk related to a client’s status as a public official.

Singapore’s anti-money-laundering laws require that management at professional firms like Asiaciti approve any business done with PEPs. The firms also have to establish the source of a PEP’s wealth and of the specific funds to be invested, and they have to take other steps to guard against money laundering.

Asiaciti commissioned Thomson Reuters Risk Management Solutions,a unit of the financial information giant, to conduct an “enhanced due diligence” check.

Thomson Reuters produced a 19-page report detailing allegations of Elahi’s involvement in “several corrupt land development projects,” including that he set up a fake company, fraudulently obtained loans and sold land at inflated prices to government agencies.

The report noted that the Bank of Punjab had filed a complaint with Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency against the Elahi family, alleging that under the “influence” of Moonis Elahi’s father, the bank had made an illegal loan to the buyer of the family’s Phalia Sugar Mills property.

On Feb. 15, 2016, records show, Asiaciti accepted Moonis Elahi as a client, despite the report’s findings.

Elahi provided Asiaciti with the contract from the $33.7 million Phalia Sugar Mills sale as the source of the funds he wanted to invest, records show. In other words, Elahi asked Asiaciti to invest the proceeds of an allegedly corrupt loan obtained from a state-owned bank.

The records don’t say whether Asiaciti asked about the Bank of Punjab’s allegations. The bank did not respond to questions from ICIJ’s partner, The Guardian, about the loan, including what became of its complaint the anti corruption agency, citing client confidentiality.

A spokesperson for Asiaciti said that the firm maintained a strong compliance program, and that their offices have all passed audits for anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing practices.

“However, no compliance program is infallible – and when an issue is identified, we take necessary steps with regard to the client engagement and make the appropriate notifications to regulatory agencies,” the spokesperson said.

They said that ICIJ’s reporting was based on incomplete information but declined to elaborate.

Asiaciti registered a trust in low-tax Singapore and proposed to use part of the proceeds of the Phalia Sugar deal to invest in another Punjab sugar company, RYK Mills, in which Elahi already held a stake.

The plan called for a trust to hold an investment vehicle, funded by the “sale of a sugar mill,” that would own two properties in the U.K.

But, records show, when Asiaciti advised Elahi of its legal obligation to share his “financial information with the relevant tax authorities” – in this case, Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue – he balked.

Records show that Asiaciti received a phone call from Elahi. He wanted to scrap the trust.

“Moonis,” an Asiaciti manager wrote in a memo, “has concerns about the … reporting requirements.”

According to the memo, Elahi preferred to hold the investments in a U.K.-registered trust in his wife’s name; as a U.K. tax resident, she would not be subject to the same disclosure requirements.

“It appears that Moonis has no connection” to that trust, the memo says.

Less than a month after the phone call, Asiaciti prepared the paperwork to terminate Elahi’s trust. The following year, public records show, Elahi’s wife used a U.K. shell company to transfer an $8.2 million London apartment overlooking the River Thames to a woman named Mahrukh Jahangir, who then filed a U.K. Land Registry document generally used by joint owners and trustees. The transfer was not for “money or anything of monetary value,” according to public records.

A woman with the same name as Jahangir appears as a 9.4% shareholder in the RYK Mills – the business targeted as an investment in Elahi’s talks with Asiaciti. ICIJ tried to contact Jahangir for comment but did not receive a response.

Neither Elahi nor his wife disclosed ownership of the apartment or RYK assets in their official declaration of interests from 2017 as part of his candidacy to become a member of the National Assembly.

The Elahi family have ignored multiple attempts to seek comment concerning the allegations concerning the Phalia Mills sale, Moonis Elahi’s dealings with Asiaciti, or the U.K. based trust he intended to set up.

A New Minister

In April, Pakistan’s Federal Investigations Agency announced a criminal probe into price fixing in the powerful sugar industry, naming RYK Sugar Mills among the companies allegedly involved.

The industry dominates the valuable agricultural land of Punjab and is one of the biggest water users in one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. It is also among the world’s largest producers of sugarcane and uses enough water each year to fill Australia’s Sydney Harbour more than 45 times.

On Twitter, Elahi acknowledged that he “indirectly” held shares in RYK Mills, though he wasn’t involved in the company’s management.

Responding to news of the criminal probe, Khan, in a speech, called out the “sugar mafia,” which he characterized as a “powerful elite” that set itself above the rule of law and frequently sought to “blackmail the government.”

In June, Khan announced a new appointment to his cabinet: He named Moonis Elahi minister for water resources.

Additional reporting: David Conn, Shah Meer Baloch

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pravasichhokro · 3 years ago

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Experience of living in different cities

In my life of more than 7 decades, I have lived in some 8 cities starting from Ahmedabad, Pilani, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Yokohama( Japan), Muscat (Oman) and Bangalore, in that order. I will make an attempt to pen down the “trivial”, but not so common, features of my experience.

I was brought up in Ahmedabad from 1954 to 1967, which were mostly my student days. We lived on the outskirt of the city and our society of bungalows was surrounded by open fields where still farming was going on. Other than school and college, I was busy playing different games with my neighbors. I enjoyed Gujarati snacks and would take extra efforts to get them. Our neighbors were very kind and did not complain of our cricket or other games played anytime of the day. City had a very good bus service and it was our main transport. Our bungalow had a few tenants like us but it did have a problem of water and sewage. Water supply was short and erratic, and septic tank sometime spilt over. We loved the festival of Navratri ( Garba/Dandia) and kite flying on Makarsankrant.

I shifted to BITS, Pilani hostel for five years from 1967. The change from day scholar to hostel life was huge. I could do what I wanted and when I wanted (freedom) except class attendance. Other than academic pursuit, I was able to indulge in sports/games. I learnt how to play basket ball, table tennis and contract bridge. I improved my ability to play carom, cricket and hockey. Being confined to the campus for a couple of months at a stretch, I enjoyed food in the mess and also outside at Nutan market/dhabas. I was introduced to black (udad) dal, lemon rice, mawa mutter, stuffed parathas and stuffed capsicum/tomato in the mess. Outside the campus got to taste Titar (partridge), reportedly a banned bird. I was bombarded by Hindi movies as every Saturday a movie was screened for students. I probably saw more than 125 movies in BITS in five years, compared to less than 20 movies seen earlier. Initially the old movies were screened in 16 mm in a quadrangle of the main building but later new movies in 35 mm in a huge auditorium. Once in a while, we escaped the campus life to see late night movie in a makeshift shed called Jayashree talkies.

After graduation in 1972, I lived in South Delhi till the late 70’s, initially as a bachelor and then a family man. Major problem of Delhi was public transport as I did not own a vehicle then. City bus (DTC), autorikshaw or yellow taxi were most unreliable and the operators ( drivers and conductors) most non-cooperative and rude. My wife, who joined me from Bombay, was most shocked as she compared this scene with BEST of Bombay. I did not face much problem as I used a contract bus to go to office. As a bachelor, I used to join others on most Saturday night’s for a party. The liquor law did not permit drinking in public so we sometime managed to cross into Haryana (Faridabad) and consumed beers and chicken. Returning after the fling was not a problem as “drive after drinks “was not an offence. In Delhi, we enjoyed different types of food –Punjabi and Chinese. Our favorite places were Lajpatnagar market, M block market in GKI, Narulas and Hongkong in GKI. Most tasty samosa was made by a small vendor in East of Kailash A block market. At residence, we faced water shortage and had to cook on kerosene stove.

We shifted to Bombay in early 80’s and lived there for 8 years. Biggest difference was a moderate summer compared to Delhi and very efficient city transport whether bus, taxi or autorikshaw. We also enjoyed the sea and its beeches- Girgaon, Dadar, Juhu and Malad. We, however, had to face some water shortage. We once again were able to enjoy street food like batata vada, Frankie, bhel etc. We also loved Irani café menu of maska pav, kheema pav, baida( egg) roti etc. We started going to Marathi plays often and enjoyed the change from Hindi movies. I got to own a flat in 1982 and a Bajaj scooter in 1984. That made life easy.

We moved to Pune in the mid 80’s for a brief period and are staying there till date (more than 20 years) except our breaks to go to Japan, Oman and Bangalore. In first phase, we got to live in a bigger place, owned our own Premier Padmini car and telephone line at residence, all thanks to Thermax, my employer. The major sigh of relief was water availability and good round the year weather-moderate summer, monsoon and winter. These advantages remain even today. Pune offered the advantages of a village and city. Distances were short and day out picnic spots in the surrounding hills were approachable and affordable. I got introduced to music (performing arts) of all kinds –classical, light, gazal, filmy and non filmy. I was able to attend live performances of stars like Pt. Jasraj, Kaushiki Chakravarty, Shaunak Abhisheki, Hariharan, Raghunandan Panashikar, Jagjiy Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Madhavan,Shaan, Sarod by Amjad Ali, dances by Hema Malini, Minakshi Sheshadri. Also new upcoming stars like Vibhavari Joshi Apte, Hrishikesh Ranade.Pune reintroduced us to Lord Ganesh and we love the ten day special festival of Ganpati. I was and am able to indulge in outdoor activities like walking, swimming and going to hills. We got introduced to YOGA-pranayam, Omkar, suryanamskar etc. We do it regularly even today. Our health received a boost as we got to know more about homeopathy medicines as my wife has seen lot of benefits to this alternative therapy. I was able to afford and enjoy different cuisines. My membership of a club once again enabled me to see a Hindi movie every week. Since it was free, one had the luxury to walk out of un-interesting movie without feeling guilty.

We moved to Yokohama, Japan during the 90’s. The change was huge-from “stone” age of Pune, India to space tech level in Yokohama,Japan. The weather was excellent and all the utilities-water, piped gas, electricity and land line were reliable and affordable. First time we used a Microwave oven and rice cooker with a timer. Only my daughter’s international school fee was a huge dent on my pocket but she had the best quality of education. We got initiated into Japanese food and loved visiting China Town for authentic Chinese cuisine. My daughter enjoyed the American fast food at McDonald’s and Pizzas at Shakey’s. Surprisingly there were more than fifty Indian restaurants in Tokyo area and we loved the Naan served there. The public transport (bus, train, taxi) was reliable, clean and convenient even for foreigners like us despite the language hurdle. We also enjoyed a ride on the famous bullet train (called Shinkansen) from Yokohama to Kyoto (400 kms). Like Japanese people, we also started visiting and appreciating the nature in the hills near Yokohama including hot springs and Mt. Fuji. We were surprised and shocked to find all public places-footpath, roads, stations, bus stops and toilets were spotlessly clean (clean like home). Another surprise was that weather forecast was very reliable and available in the lift lobby of the buildings. Being an island country, it would rain any time and this forecast helped. We also got introduced to huge superstores and malls. Some malls were part of railway stations e.g. Yokohama. We also got to know the vending machine culture of Japan. Many daily required items (soft drinks, coffee, tea, snacks, milk, beer, cigarette etc) could be purchased from vending machines which were all over- on footpath, near stations, lift lobbies, parks etc.Even train tickets were on a vending machine. We also made our first visit to entertainment parks like Disneyland. We also got used to the deep tub (OFURO) bath that Japanese used to keep warm during winter. I got introduced to Sumo, the Japanese wrestling and professional baseball.

We moved to Muscat, Oman for two and a half years in the late 90’s. Other than the high temperatures (summer could be + 50 Deg C), the life was very enjoyable. Oman was an exception in the Middle East and it honored Indians and Hindus. The biggest hurdle to mobility was a driving license and I got it fast luckily. I was glad to drive around in a Camry, poor person’s Mercedes. We were regular visitors to 200 year old Shiva temple and newly built Krishna temple, both built and managed by kutchi community. We were able to buy Indian vegetables and fruits easily and reasonably priced. There was easy access to Indian restaurants and street food. We got introduced to Kerala paratha (laccha paratha) and some tandoori roti from Pakistani outlets. We got introduced to Lebanese cuisine and we loved it. We could go out for dinner, which also offered Indian music or Egyptian belly dance. We were privileged to see Hindi movies on Thursday night, a day before they were released in Mumbai. We were able to drive down to Dubai in 4 hours (400 Kms) and enjoy the shopping. Driving was a pleasure as all had to follow the traffic rules and they were followed. Muscat had lovely road side greenery and flowers, and they were maintained with great efforts. Muscat airport restaurant was open for non-muslims during Ramadan and that was a big relief.

After retiring from a Pune company in 2012, I took a short assignment in Bangalore. We were lucky to stay in huge residential complex in Whitefield. First time in our life, we stayed in high rise building on the 11th floor. We enjoyed the famous Bangalore weather but had to face mosquito menace. The complex had a zero water requirement as it treated and re-circulated most of the sewage. It, however, gave a bad smell in parking area (basement). We had to bear bad water quality. We used aqua guard treated water for cooking and bought Bisleri for drinking. The water quality also reflected in poor quality of green vegetables. Another problem we faced was traffic jams- it took almost 90 minutes from our residence to reach the airport. Most facilities in our area were catering to IT crowd and hence it was re-adjustment for us.

In conclusion, I can say that present day life style is a mixture of what we picked up from different cities. Ironically my wife always wanted and wants things from the cities we left behind. For example, she wants palak, green peas and fulgobi (vegetables) from Delhi, Fish from Mumbai, Farsan from Ahmedabad, Miso soup and Yakisoba from Japan, Mysore pak from Bangalore. These small things keep us connected to the cities we had lived in.

#Ahmadabad #pilani #mumbai #pune #yokohama #muscat #delhi

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123454sworld · 3 years ago

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Group of restaurants in sharjah:-

Delhinihari Group of Restaurants in Ajman is famous for Pakistani cuisine, they offer the best dining experience and delicious food. They offer Best Nihari in Ajman, which is their specialty. Other dishes like seekh kabab, biryani are popular menu items. For more info visit at:- https://www.delhinihari.com/group-of-restaurants-in-dubai-ajman-sharjah

#Hygienic food in Ajman #Hygienic food in sharjah #Combo meal in Ajman

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technologyinfosec · 6 years ago

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Parey Hut Love won't be a frothy entertainer says director during KT cast visit

STANDING OUT FROM the crowd; it is an advertiser's mantra, although when applied to the general public's passions such as food and, in this case, film, sticking your head above the parapet can be fraught with difficulty. Just as when a Dubai restaurant attempts to zhuzh up a tried and tested dish - we can't help but think of the 'ruined' biryani accusations we have received in response to a favourable review of an avant-garde eatery - tampering with a South Asian rom-com often prompts similar outcry. Although not strictly humorous, who can forget the laughable reaction Bollywood's Love Story 2050 (2008) provoked when the film dabbled in a bit of time travel to tell the, well... love story? It is this delicate tightrope walk Pakistani director Asim Raza has hoped to successfully navigate with his latest offering, the 'big fat desi' spectacular, Parey Hut Love, opening in time for Eid Al Adha on August 8. Visiting the Khaleej Times office on Sunday he and cast members: Sheheryar Munawar, Maya Ali, Zara Noor Abbas and Ahmad Ali Butt, were in a more ebullient mood than the movie stars who normally breeze through, perhaps a result of the family atmosphere created on set to which they alluded. Diving into love Despite being only his second feature (Ho Mann Jahaan came out in 2016) Raza's directorial cachet has been curated through 25 years in the business, beginning with commercials before graduating to music videos and TV series. The commitment to making Parey Hut Love a success, however, was immediately clear as the 52-year-old took an assured lead on the questions from the start. A stance supported by his, at all times, adoring actors. "The more traditional looking the film is the more difficult it is to get heard," Raza began when asked about penetrating the saturated rom-com market. "We have tried to add some substance to it. It won't just be a frothy entertainer. It would have layers and values. It would have all the right ingredients. Once you get home you will be carrying something with you." While not explicitly stating what those components could be, principal actor and one of the movie's producers, Munawar, let us in on some of the picture's less than traditional elements. First his character, also called Sheheryar, is a 'commitment-phobe' - totally against love. Then there's the choice of the protagonists' professions. The three friends to which we are primarily introduced: Sheheryar, Arshad (Butt) and Shabbo (Abbas), all co-habit and dream of entering the film industry. "Life is going well before he runs into the beautiful Saniya (Ali). He has to choose between staying a commitment-phobe or fall madly in love," Munawar said. "I'm playing a typical Karachi wannabe director," Butt added, before going on to highlight Arshad's quirkier and almost nefarious traits. "He knows his best friend wants to be an actor, so he's always exploiting his situation. He's always maneuvering him into some odd places. In a way when a new character enters their lives, he's a bit on the defensive. He doesn't want to share his friends. It's all about his insecurity." The female roles may be not as unconventional with Abbas revealing Shabbo is somewhat naïve and, "in love with someone but cannot say it to their face," and Ali drawing on the similarities between herself and Saniya: "It wasn't too difficult for me to play her. Saniya is beautiful and mature," though considering the latter's acting credentials on popular Pakistani television serials and relative newcomer Abbas' raw magnetism even during our brief meeting, the two will no doubt stand out. On the difference in scale between television and film work, Ali said: "In the cinema, things are larger than life and you have to act accordingly. Credit goes to Asim. He always said, 'you have to act like a star'. He was very confident in all of us." Four weddings and a... Written by actor and film author, Imran Aslam, Raza credits the script for inspiring over six locations for scenes in Parey Hut Love including many around Pakistan and items in Istanbul, Turkey. He made clear it is somewhat unfair, however, to draw the comparison between this plot and that of British romantic comedy Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994) as has been reported. "Inspirations had to be taken," Raza said. "A lot of classic films were in Imran's head. This movie has four weddings, so it ended up sounding similar. When you watch the film you realise that is the only similarity. The character arcs are different. The story is very different." One aspect viewers will certainly find distinctive is the number of cameos Parey Hut Love boasts. Mahira Khan, Meera, Fawad Khan and Sonya Jehan are just a few names we can expect to pop up. "Within the same film I got to romance Maya Ali and Mahira Khan and share screen space with Meera. It was both scary and entertaining," Munawar said. "It was very important those small scenes should be done by people who make the most of them. Every sentence in the film should make sense and that's why having big names in small scenes works," Raza added. A leap forward After touching on the issue of how the Pakistan film industry is faring in today's climate, Raza returned to the issue of balance. Just as he has to counter audience expectations with his creative vision, so too financial issues must be taken into account. "It can be a struggle between commercial and substantive cinema," he said. "You are always reminded about the commercial aspect because film is expensive. A lot of investment goes into it. We have such little outlets for our cinema, we are not always able to do our things our way and break even." Our outlook for Parey Hut Love: they have done it their way and will more than recoup their outlay. Asim's take on the Pakistani cinema landscape "There are constant hiccups, but it is pretty steady. We are lucky that every few months a new person comes in and it is their turn. If we keep supporting each other instead of cutting each other down, this is how an industry is created." Which famous actor turned down a part? "Only one," was the answer director Asim Raza gave when asked if anyone had ever declined a role in any of his projects. Such is the filmmaker's draw it was assumed Raza only had to pick up the phone to have actors queuing round the block to appear in his movie. "Humayun Saeed. I asked him to do a small part in this film," he elaborated, eliciting cries of disbelief. A message from Sheheryar "It's a present for Eid. Big thank you to Khaleej Times and Suhail Galadari for always supporting Pakistani cinema." Read the full article

#technology #technologyinfosec

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peach-blog11 · 9 days ago

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Pakistani Restaurant Dubai:- Welcome to Afghan Turk Palace Restaurant, the famous Turkish restaurant in Dubai! Indulge in our exquisite Afghan and Pakistani cuisine at the best Afghani restaurant in Dubai. Treat your taste buds to a culinary journey like no other at the best Pakistani restaurant in Dubai. https://www.afghanturkpalace.com/pakistani-restaurant.html

#Pakistani Restaurant Dubai #Pakistani Cuisine Near Me

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locomote04 · 8 years ago

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Amritsar- The Holy Sikh City

This city for me is one of the brightest memories of Indian trips. The reasons are First great for the budget. Second, cultural aspect, unique atmosphere and different religion compare to the rest of the country. Third, political aspect, the border between Pakistan and India is nearby so every day you can witness interesting performance at Wagah border point.

So let’s just go for a very beautiful journey of this very beautiful city.

About the city:

Amritsar is located in Punjab state, near Indian-Pakistani border, in the north-west of the country. Amritsar is a holy city for the Sikhs. Sikhism was founded in the Punjab area in the 16th century by Guru Nanak. It’s monotheistic religion based on Guru Nanak’s teachings. Now a days there are about 20 million Sikhs in the world, it is the 8th biggest religion.

This city is home to the Harmandir Sahib (commonly known as the Golden Temple). In the history of the Muslim League War on the Hindus and Sikhs of the Punjab in 1947, Amritsar occupies an outstanding position. It was in this city, along with Lahore, though with an intensity even greater than in the latter town, that the most sustained war, lasting for over five months was waged on the Hindus and Sikhs.

During my trip i want you to accompany me for the following three very famous destinations.

Ø WAGAH BORDER

Ø The Great Golden Temple.

Ø The Jallianwala Bagh

I reached Amritsar morning 8 o’clock followed by an overnight journey from Delhi. My hotel named Hong Kong Inn was precooked from Dubai, and i can recommend it to my fellows.

After check-in I took shower and headed my way to Wagaah border with Mr. Avtaar Singh (My pre-booked taxi’ driver) He was a very nice man , aging almost 55-60 years old and an amazing source to know the history and all hidden stories of the city .

In our way my first priority was to look for a Desi Dhaba so I can enjoy the original Punjab’ rich taste As Avtar ji was a local from Phagwara (A nearby village) was aware of all the highway side good Dhabas .

After a 30 Km run, we stopped at “Lucky Da Dhaba”. This place was crowded which assured me about the quality of food. And I had the world’s best “ Lassi” with Aloo prantha . The serving is enough to keep you full for long time as parantha is coming with a number of side dishes and a butter cube. See here:

So after heaving this heavy meal around 1 o'clock , I literally wanted to sleep but the greenery on the way and that smell of soil of the Punjab did not allow me to do so . I was enjoying the scenic beauty both side of the road from the window of my car.

As it was the Month of March the whole land was covered with a combination of yellow and green color of the “Sarso crop”. Which will give you a feel of acctuall incredible, productive & beautiful India. See through my below frame.

It took almost one hour to reach The Wagah Border.

On the entrance of Wagah border, there is a very interesting restaurant named “Sarhad Choubara”. Pakistani and Indian food is served at this Punjab style brick building near the border. So if you guys are planning this route, do try the amazing “ lehsuni paneer “with “makka roti”, and thank me later for this :P. Let me share some of the captures with you :

Before we head towards Wagah Border ceremony, let’s just do a short round up for the history behind it:

Background at the Wagah Border:

In 1947 the immensely controversial ‘Radcliffe Line’ was drawn between India and Pakistan as the result of India’s independence from British control. The border sliced through densely populated areas instead of being drawn between them, leading to an unfortunate series of bloody border conflicts.

One of the most affected areas was Wagah, a largely populated village now divided into two, and in some extreme cases, even homes were split by the border. Mass departures occurred during the partition of the border, resulting in conflict and significant bloodshed. Today the eastern half of the village remains in the India while the western half belongs to Pakistan and every evening a symbolic border closing ceremony take place at the gates between the two states on Grand Trunk Road, which was once the only link between the two countries.

So after finishing the photo session and the Yummy food of Sarhad , we headed towards the Border gate , it’s not far from there . Within 15 minutes we entered in the gate of Wagah village.

Car parking is concentrated to particular areas. So we parked our can. One thing I need to inform you on order to avoid the inconvenience that No covered bags (including ladies purses & handbags) are allowed inside the visitor areas. However, border personnel allow carrying of clear plastic bags with few snacks, water, children's food etc.

As there is no sign boards for this information and” I have to walk again all the way from security check to keep my bag in car “

There are two types of sitting areas VIP Sitting areas & General Sitting areas.

VIP seating - closest to the gates and requires a special pass which can be made from the BSF station near the Amritsar bypass road a couple of days in advance.

General seating - tends to get very crowded and congested during rush days. Depending on gender distribution two of these areas (north and south of the road) may be assigned accordingly

As I have planned it from a long time back, I got this special pass from BSF . Visitors from both sexes are kept together in the same area after going through the separated security lines.

As I get in the main area there was sitting arrangements on the both side of the road, patriotic song were playing on a high volume. Soldiers were receiving the visitors and helping them to sit both side of the road. It was such a proud feeling that we are belonging of this great country.

It left me surprised to see the craze out there!!

People were dancing out of excitement and happiness, to see this fun I decided to move and sit on the common sitting area so I can also dive in the ocean of that excitement.

As the sun started to set, Wagah Border comes alive with an incredible zeal and an unmistakable nationalist energy on both sides. The show started off with the playing of patriotic songs and remembering the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. The crowd cheers on by calling out ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, reciprocated with cries of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ from the opposite side.

This ceremony starts with a stiff-marching parade by the soldiers from both the sides. Soon after, the heavy gates at the Wagah Border are flung open; the soldiers approach each other by exchange fierce looks, give out mimicked threats, and show anger. At this point the noise in the open-air theatre transforms into pin drop silence. After this two flags are lowered and carefully folded before the gates close once more and the ceremony is complete.

Here I want to witness this feeling through my Photo Gallery Down.

There is a Milestone near Exit gate for Lahore!! And I did not miss this chance and took this capture.

That’s how I was finished with the ceremony and rushed to my hotel so I can head towards my next day’s plans. I was quite tired so as soon as I reached my hotel I went to sleep so I can wake up early next day.

Day 2

I was very excited about my next destinations for the day.

You simply can’t miss visiting the Golden Temple in Amritsar if you want to travel India and feel the beauty and essence of this country.

So my first destination for the day was Golden Temple. Its official name is actually Harmandir Sahib but the Golden Temple name is commonly used by tourists due to the temple being covered in real gold.

My planning was to spent quite good time here so I left early from the hotel and, This Holy place was not so far from my hotel, within 15 minutes’ drive I was there.

After a walk of 10 Minutes , I was there in front of the Great Golden temple , and trust me it is simply one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen in my life.

Just Wow! My first glimpse of the beautiful Golden Temple!

The Golden Temple is open to everyone but all visitors must remove their shoes, wash their hands and feet and cover their heads before entering. If you don’t have a scarf there are little orange headscarves that you can borrow at the entrance and the water you walk through to cleanse your feet is lovely and refreshing on a hot day!

The Golden Temple is the jewel of a much bigger complex called Harmandir Sahib that contains more shrines and monuments, a museum, dining hall (langar) and pilgrims’ accommodation.

It has four entrances in the North, East, South and west, to demonstrate that people from all four corners of the earth are welcome here.

The main building of the Golden Temple is surrounded by a lake, known as Amrit Sarovar .People of all religions come here in huge numbers to offer prayers and take a dip in this supposedly holy lake.

This pond has a number of fishes inside it, and these are a big excitement to children (and to adults such as myself) when they are seen. And you will not believe they are not scared of humans, they come closer to get their offerings.

Inside there is asmall temple the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, takes pride of place while priests and musicians chant continuously and quite mesmerizingly.

Due to the small space devotees have to move through quite quickly. Photography was prohibited inside the main temple.

Another one of the things I loved and found really inspiring about the Golden Temple was the way in which an army of volunteers keeps the place sparkling clean and serves up to 100,000 vegetarian meals free every day, all day and to everyone who visits.

The local devotees doesn’t even allowed me to leave without having the langar bhoj, And trust me the taste of that thali was so yummy and very satisfactory.

There is a ceremony every morning and night when the book is moved from the temple and then put to bed in the “Akal Takhat” which also contains a collection of sacred Sikh weapons. The ceremony is really interesting to watch, it happens at 5 am and 9.40 pm in winter or at 4 am and 10.30 pm in summer. But I was late in the morning and could not stay long as I have to catch my flight. But next time whenever I visit this amazing lace I’ll make sure I’ll attend the ceremony and will write you guys the experience.

So like this I have covered this beautiful place by enjoying and feeling the every bit of it. And I managed to click some of the other corners of this shrine.

There is a small market on the walk way to Golden temple with a pure essence of Punjab .

You can find the pair of lovely juttis or that beautiful Patiala salwar kurti easily girls !!

At about 2 pm I finally left the Golden Temple after spending over 6 hours here.

I hope I’ll be back one day.

After leaving from The Great Golden Temple, the nearby place is “The Jallianwala Bagh”. We’ll write another post for the great memory of this sad event.

So Friends this is another destination, make sure you backpack soon for this place on nearby future. And there must be so many friends who have already visited this place, do let me know if my words did justice to this wonderful destination!!

“Do not forget to write me your stories for the destination”

Your’s

Richa Gujaria.

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pakistanichefs · 4 years ago

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Lab E Shireen Pakistani Food Recipe

Hello everyone! Today I am going to share a very delicious and tasty recipe with you. It is Famous in Pakistani because it is very easy to make at home. This dessert is popular and our Eid Festive recipe. Lab E Shireen Pakistani Food Recipe is easily available in every Pakistani Dubai and other countries restaurant. It is also called a street food dessert recipe. That recipe is very healthy…

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celebritydecks · 1 year ago

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Sophia Ali Movies and TV shows, Age, Height, Wiki, Biography, Parents, Net Worth, Boyfriend & More

Sophia Ali is a San Diego, California-born American actress. She gained tremendous acclaim for her breakout role as Dr. Dahlia Qadri on Grey’s Anatomy, an ABC medical drama series. Aside from Grey Anatomy, the actress is known for her roles as Sabrina in Faking It and Fatin Jadmani in The Wilds, as well as guest appearances on shows such as Famous in Love, CSI: Miami and Shake It Up! Sopia appeared in the 2022 film Uncharted alongside Tom Holland.

Sophia Ali Biography / Wiki

Her birthplace is San Diego, California and although her family is from Dubai. She and her mother flew to Dubai when she was 10 days old. She stayed there until she was four years old, when her family moved to Texas. Sophia traveled to California when she was 19 years old to seek a career as an actress.

Up until the age of 16, Ali was a dancer and she enjoys painting with watercolors and defacing furniture with graffiti. She’s got a lot of tattoos.

Sophia Ali Parents & Siblings / Age

She was born on 7 November, 1995 in the United States to a Pakistani father and a European American mother. She is 27 years old as of now September 2023. Asim Ali is her father; he owns and operates a vegan restaurant by the name of a viridescent kitchen. Her mother name is Brooke Ali. Sophia has two brothers, one named Shan Ali who works as a chef and the other named Kamran Ali.

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blizinhotelsus-blog · 5 years ago

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Blizin Hotels

Cheap Prize Hotels in Pakistan

Tourism plays a necessary role in a rustic's economy. Other than bringing in tourists and overseas income tourism additionally helps promoting a country's culture, traditions, norms and values to the outer world. As increasingly tourists come they take away some fragrance of a country with them. Many countries focus allot on their Social Network Here tourism sector, because it offers some other advantages, for instance, offering supply of revenue for individuals. These folks sell their traditional goods and meals to these vacationers and hence make their way of life; same is the case with vacationer guides, journey brokers, tourism companies, lodges, drivers and many others.

Tourism sector being so important for a country's financial system is effected by allot of factors. These factor one way or the other the opposite impact the tourism and tourists instantly or indirectly. Some main factors are political scenario, express hotel lahore legislation and order situation, perspective of people in direction of foreigners, availability of fine inns at a reasonable worth, availability of traditional wholesome food, roads and infra structure, climate and climate, and clearly availability of tourists resorts.

Pakistan is likely one of the few countries that's thought of an excellent place for tourism, from stunning snow lined and luxurious inexperienced mountains, huge deserts, lovely landscapes, 4 seasons, rich and numerous culture, historical civilization and archeological sights, rivers lakes, seashore, number of food, luxury motels it merely all the things. However in previous few a long time tourism has not been promoted because it ought to have been because of the negligence of the concerned authorities. Nonetheless in recent times the federal government has lastly realized it and is at present engaged on tourism tasks.

Karachi city is in the southern a part of Pakistan, which is the capital of Sindh Province and is positioned on the Arabian Sea. Karachi being the most important metropolis of Pakistan https://www.blizinhotels.com/ is considered to be the hub of major trade, manufacturing, financial and commercial actions. Most of the worldwide commerce passes through this city through the seaport.

Some main sectors in terms of production in Karachi are steel, textile, petroleum, footwear, chemical compounds, machinery, processed meals and handicraft. Town can also be necessary in terms of it banking and monetary sector with Karachi Stock Trade and the top places of work of all banks. Karachi city has to supply allot to its guests, together with domestic in addition to foreigners it has few of probably the most spectacular sights of Pakistan, together with the seaport of Gawadar, Masjid-e-Tooba, Mohatta Palace, Wazir Mansion, Trinity Church, beautiful seaside, Mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam.

Hotels are one of many important parts of town; there are few luxury inns that cater the visitors who come to admire the great thing about the town. Some well-known and major motels have been listed in this article along with their quick description and detail.

The Sheraton Karachi Resort and Towers is the one 5 Star internationally managed hotel in Pakistan. It is situated 17 kilometers from Jinnah International Airport. Vacationers can have access to instant buying and can enjoy the great thing about close to by seashores or can go to Kamari Harbor. The hotel has over 407 properly furnished guest rooms with outsized beds and elegant furniture.

One other 5 Star hotel that has luxurious with fashion, it is located within the coronary heart of Karachi. Marriot lodge is provided with all of the up to date amenities that fulfill the needs of enterprise clients. A number of the highlights embody, excessive speed internet access, visitor rooms, leisure room, mini bar, electrical retailers and so forth.

Pearl continental lodge was beforehand the a part of Intercontinental Lodge chain. Pearl Continental is widely often known as COMPUTER Karachi. It was bought by an area enterprise ground in 80's and since then is now a part of country's 5 Star inns. It is the member of the leading hotel of the world, and with the passage of time has performed allot of improvements the resort now has Pakistani, Chinese language, Thai and Japanese restaurants along with a coffee store and a grill. It's located close to Sheraton Lodge.

Another elegant hotel that gives a very charming and relaxed setting to its shoppers. Seashore Luxury Resort offers finest level of companies. The lodge include 82 properly furnished rooms with three different eating places serving Italian, continental, Chinese and local cousines. Set among lush tropical gardens, this resort supplies superior views of the Arabian Sea.

Avari towers in Karachi is the tallest building in Pakistan. It is located in the mid city space of Karachi, shut to various purchasing malls and jiffy drive from Pearl Continental and Sheraton Resorts. It is owned by the awari family who own accommodations of the identical identify in Dubai as properly, it is a good business resort and is most famous for its eating places that offer Japanese Fujuyama and Chinese language meals.

Hotel Sarawan is a 3 Star hotel positioned in downtown Sadar Karachi. It has been lately renovated with very elegant; the club ground is decorated maintaining in thoughts the needs of government class. The strategic location of the Lodge Sarawan at the very coronary heart of Karachi's business belt makes it an ideal location where the tradition and hospitality of Pakistan blends with the fashionable facilities.

Ramada Plaza Resort is situated near Jinnah Worldwide Airport, with lovely panorama and plush green areas makes it a great place for spending vications.

Regent Plaza Resort is located 15 minutes of drive from Quaid-e-Azam Worldwide Airport and about 10 minutes of drive from city's foremost business centre, buying malls, Arabian Sea, beaches, government offices. Regent Plaza Resort has roughly 440 well furnished rooms with an eye catching blend of nationwide and international dÃ©cor that cater all wants of the guests.

Superb for marriage ceremony and other capabilities, Carlton Resort has eighty deluxe rooms and huge halls for features. Carlton Lodge is located in the beautiful locality of DHA Part VIII, with a pleasant peaceable Blizin Hotels surroundings and surrounding, and subsequent to Marina Creek Membership which has all facilities of swimming, squash, gold and jogging, all mixed to form a really peaceful and healthy place to remain.

Since Lahore has efficiently been attracting thousands of tourists annually from a really long time, the lodge business has been fairly worthwhile in the metropolis. From delicious food being served at Gawalmandi and Fort Food Streets to breathtaking Click here for Wikipedia beauty of Shalimar Gardens and Badshahi Mosque, Lahore is a great place to spend a number of days at and explore issues. Nonetheless, it is vitally needed to decide on an excellent hotel from a variety of resorts in Lahore Pakistan.

It's possible you'll discover a number of motels offering numerous amenities and properly-furnished rooms at competitive prices however following are the very best resorts in Lahore Pakistan to spend a couple of days in:

A highly inexpensive lodging choice, Liberty resort is positioned within the heart of Liberty market, a really famous procuring place of Lahore. Apart from air conditioned rooms with attached rest room, fridge and television, Liberty Here is our Blog Hotel enjoys a really perfect location from the place friends can have quick access to greatest eating places of Lahore at M M Alam Highway. Liberty Lodge can also be close to Allama Iqbal Worldwide airport and Daewoo bus cease.

Positioned close to Lahore Railway Station and downtown, Marco Polo Hotel is a great option for travelers who want to explore Previous Lahore. With so many issues out there in Previous Lahore, you will see it handy to remain at Marco Polo Resort which affords clean rooms fitted with air conditioners and hooked up lavatory. Television can be obtainable and the lodge is satisfactorily secured by guards. Complimentary breakfast is served and eating choices can be found onsite.

One of many oldest accommodations in Lahore Pakistan, Faletti's was constructed in 1880 throughout British Colonialism. Regardless of being an historical property, it is a lovely place to reside in on account of a current technique of renovation that came about. There is a big variety of rooms to select from relying upon your necessities and price range. Although accommodation at Faletti's could cost lots, the experience will likely be worth your cash. A corridor is on the market contained in the hotel that can accommodate approximately 1800 folks. Faletti's is at a close distance to Lahore Fort, Badshahi Mosque and Food Street.

Lodge One is a phenomenal dwelling choice at Mall Highway for enterprise and leisure travelers and is well accessible from Lahore airport, motorway, procuring areas and tourist attractions. With a minibar, kettle, coffeemaker and flat-screen satellite tv for pc television, the air conditioned rooms of Lodge One Mall will provide you with an amazingly comfortable dwelling experience. You may as well go to Lahore Museum located at a distance of simply four kilometers.

At a super location of Anand Road at Upper Mall, Royal legacy presents excellent rooms with attached bathtub, air conditioner, Wi-Fi, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY tv and telephone. There is the power of effective eating at an onsite restaurant where delicious meals is served. With armed guards, the security of Royal Legacy is reliable. The laundry and ironing wants are fulfilled by the environment friendly workers available. So these five are the perfect accommodations in Lahore Pakistan that may fulfill all your lodging requirements.

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Dubai Visa - with malik_express

UAE visa services and assistance is provided by Malik Express , we are associated with travel and tourism industry for the last 27 years. The professional and well trained team of Malik Express is consistently in touch with embassies, consulates, and other concerned departments. Hence, our expert staff members are well informed on the latest rules and regulations pertaining to visa requirements and provide visa services to our clients in line with local regulations.

We offers you UAE visit visa at reasonable and affordable prices. Our visa experts personally manage the application process. We are here to provide you visa assistance in the easiest and quickest possible ways.

Applicants can submit the UAE visa application by person or through any authorized representative.

For all visa related services about UAE visa in Pakistan our dedicated team is here to help you. Our professional agents will guide you through the visa procedures from start to end.

If you are planning to visit UAE on a visit visa and you are looking for information about other services, our team will get you the best rates for flights, accommodation, transportation and tours.

To visit UAE on a visit visa Malik Express will help you to lend a hand on the following information:

UAE visa requirements

UAE visa fees

UAE visa application form/UAE Visa form

Processing time

For above services you are at a right place. Following are the UAE visa requirements for Pakistani nationals.

UAE Visa Requirements

UAE visa requirements are very simple and easy to follow, you will have to provide:

Scan copy of Original Passport with 6 months validity

Passport size clear pictures

Scan copy of original CNIC front & back )

Terms and Conditions

Malik Express Travels and Tours is licensed by the Directorate of Tourist Services License No. PR-2041 issued on November 25, 1992, and internationally recognized and accredited by (IATA) International Air Transport Association.

Please read the following Terms & Conditions before applying for visa through Malik Express.

1. Documentation

Applicants must submit the relevant and necessary documents required by the issuing authority. Most of the countries requires that your passport must have at least 6 months validity. Before starting with visa application, make sure that you must have a valid passport and all other documents.

2. Payment Medium

Malik Express entertain different payment mediums to provide comfort to their clients. Payment can be done through credit or debit card, bank transfer and cash at counter. The processing fee along with visa application requisites, is subject to change without any prior notice.

3. Processing Time

The processing time of visa application varies from country to country. It begins usually the next day of receiving your visa application and do not include any public holiday.

4. Approval and Rejection of Visa

Once you submit your visa application, the documents will be evaluated by the issuing authority or Embassy. The grant or denial of your visa is purely on Embassies's discretion. Malik Express is not able to give any assurance of your visa approval.

5. Use of Intellectual Property.

All the text, information and content contained on this website is a sole property of Malik Express and protected by copy write laws. Therefore, we hold the authority to stop the access to all or any part of the website at any time, to resolve technical and other issues.

The visitors may view the information but it is strictly prohibited to use the trademark, logo, company name, content and other materials for any such act copying, altering re-posting or selling and it may subject the users to penalties.

5. Disclaimer

Malik Express's official website do not represents that the data or material provided on this website is absolutely perfect and comprehensive. The content may contain errors or mistakes. But we make timely and consistent effort to ensure the accurateness of the content.

6. Query and complaint

If you have any query and complaint related to our services, you can communicate to our team on 051 111 77 88 00 or send us an email [email protected]

UAE - An Overview

United Arab Emirates (UAE) sometimes called as Emirates. It is a country in Western Asia situated at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf.

Geography

The country has its borders with Oman to the east, Saudi-Arabia to the south, Qatar to the west and Iran to the north.

UAE is a federation of seven emirates consisting of:

Abu Dhabi

Ajman

Dubai

Fujairah

Ras Al Khaimah

Sharjah

Umm Al Quwain

Abu Dhabi serves as a capital of UAE. Each emirate governed by the ruler and one of the rulers serves as the President of United Arab Emirates.

Climate

The climate of the country is subtropical. It has hot summers and warm winters. The hottest months are July and August with the max. average temperature reach above 45 C and average min. in January and February are between 10 to 14 C.

Top places to visit in UAE

The United Arab Emirates is a country with a lot of wonders. If you wish to travel to UAE here are some must visit places listed below:

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. It has a height of 828 meters. The construction of this tower was started in 2004 and it was opened to the public in 2010. The tower was built and named in honor of the ruler Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

You have many option by Express Holiday Homes to stay in UAE. The rooms are available from basic to luxury at affordable prices. You can go to UAE by traveling with Malik Express Travels and Tours.

Dubai Marina

Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city and as well a district in Dubai. It also accommodates Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and the American University.

Dubai Miracle Garden

Located in the district of Dubai Land. It has millions of flowers of different colors blooming together. Dubai Miracle Garden establishes in the year 2013 on Valentine's Day.

Desert Safari

When we talk about desert safari the first place that comes to our mind is Dubai. It has always been a favorite destination for desert adventures.

Dubai Creek

Dubai Creek is a saltwater creek, part of the new Dubai canal. Dubai Creek is on the emirate's most beautiful areas famous for its atmosphere and appeal.

Wild Wadi Water-park

Wild Wadi Water-park is in Jumeriah, Dubai near to Burj Al Arab. One of the famous outdoor water park with a heated and cooled wave pool, surfing machines and slides. To attract people the park also has gift shops restaurants and snack bars etc.

Dubai Dolphinarium

Dubai Dolphinarium is a place where people can interact with dolphins and seal. It was built with an aim to motivate young generation to protect marine life.

Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab has most stylish and luxurious hotels in Dubai. Located about 280 meters away from Jumeirah Beach. It is connected with the mainland via an artificial bridge.

Ferrari World

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, situated on Yas Island, is the amusement park with Ferrari mark.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

It is a stunning picturisation of the sturdy underwater world. It has unusual reptiles and sea animals floating freely in the clean and clear water.

Atlantis Palm Hotel

Atlantis is one of the most luxurious and remarkable resorts in the world. It is in the Palm Jumeirah Island.

Ski Dubai

In the hot summer nothing can be a better option than an ice cold ski of Dubai, the first indoor ski resort in Dubai.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

It is one of the world's biggest mosques. The modern and ancient styles and techniques creates an interpretation of Islamic architecture.

Jumeirah Beach

A white sandy beach located on the banks of Persian Gulf in Jumeirah district. The beach has a space for hundreds of people to sit and relax.

Palm Jumeirah

It is an artificial archipelago in UAE, created by utilizing land recovery by Nakheel. It was initially charged as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Bollywood Parks

Dubai Bollywood Park is a must visit with a mixture of actions, adventure, romance and horror.

Ibn Battuta Mall

With the culture, entertainment and the fun of shopping Ibn Battuta in Dubai will blow your minds.

Dubai Opera

Dubai Opera is located in the Opera district at Downtown Dubai. The construction of Opera was done in 2016. It has different art forms like theater, opera, ballet, conferences, exhibitions and concerts.

Global Village Dubai

Another must visit place for you is Dubai Global Village, a place where you can find everything. It is the world biggest tourism, recreation, shopping and amusement park.

Get your UAE visa through Malik Express, reach their by traveling with us “Book your Ticket now” and explore the wonders of UAE by staying at Express Holiday Homes throughout your stay.

Conclusion

We are glad to provide you with the information about how to get UAE Visa. Apply for your visa now at Malik Express and get the best visa services in town. For further more queries and submission kindly visit our Contact Us page or call at our UAN 051 111 77 88 00..

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