Sufi Night: Everyday thursday in all the shrines in Pakistan

I am spending my evenings at the Word Performing Arts Festival at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. Artists from all over Pakistan (Punjab, Balutchistan, Kashmir, NW Frontier, Sindh), India and some from Europe were invited to perform.

Yesterday was like every thursday Sufi Night, with amazing artists singing, praying and preaching muslim thoughts accompinied by Tabla, Harmonium, Doll, Flute and dancing …

The Zivildiener – social servant – in Lahore works at a cultural platform, which tries to bring the artists together and connect cultural events. I recommend to see the movie of Abida Praveen they uploaded on their page – the mother of Sufi Music:

http://www.danka.pk/showallvideo.php

Salaam to everybody.

 

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Enjoying this festival with excellent musicians, we went there on Saturday night as well. The evening program was called “Fusion Night”. We were waiting outside to enter the stadium, until we could here and feel the pressure wave of an explosion very closeby.

“Boom!”. White smoke rose up into the night sky.

The people were rushing outside. We were reluctant of running outside, since the explosion seemed to have taken place outside. The police kept repeating:

“Nothing happened, nothing happened!”

“A gas zylinder exploded.”

“Everything is under control.”

 There was a Fair going on across the road, so it might have happened there. Hearing that me and my friends were relieved of the shock. After a few minutes I went to the ticket counter to buy a ticket for the performance but all the staff left. I asked why they leave and explained them that it was only a gas zylinder on the other side of the road. Ignoring what I said they assured me that it was a blast and moved towards the exit.

I did not know whom I should believe. I decided to stick togeter with a British guy who has spent a long time in the country and who thought that it was more dangerous to go outside now because of all the people rushing out. On the other hand, there was also quite a rush of people coming and going inside the stadium. All of a sudden another “Boom!”.

Now it was clear that there were bombs exploding very close to our sight. I could feel the vibrations of the blast in my body. While all the foreigners were very stressed out, running around asking what to do, the Lahoriites stayed very cool and relaxed. I tried very hard to be in the mood of the Pakistani but the fear of another blast next to me was more dominant.

We decided to go to a friends place a few minutes away. Unfortunately, we had to cross the roundabout, where the media reporters and the ambulance already arrived. As fast as we could we left the place by motor bike and arrived safely at the friend’s home. Just as we were taking off our clothes we heard the third blast.

We spend the time after with updating the news on the internet to see what actually happened:     

 

Three blasts in intervals at PIL building in Lahore (Sat, 22nd November, 2008):

LAHORE: At least 3 persons, including a child, were injured when a series of 3 blasts occurred with intervals at the building of Punjab Institute of Language (PIL) near Gaddafi Stadium Saturday night. A cameraman is also included in the injured. According to reports, all three blasts were of low intensity while the police say the blasts could have been triggered by time device. The first two blasts happened inside the building which shattered the window panes of the cafeteria there while the third blast occurred at the gate of PIL building later. A programme was going on in nearby Al-Hamra Cultural Complex at the time of the first blast. People present there panicked and rushed out to save their lives. Relief activities kicked started at the site of the blasts while fire brigades engaged in dousing the fire that these blasts caused. According to eye witnesses, the sound of the blasts were heard in Alama Iqbal are Achra areas which are located at a good distance from the site of the blasts. Police has picketed the area and keeping the media at bay. Police has warned the people to stay away from the blast site as more such blasts could not be ruled out.

LAHORE: The organizers of the World Performing Art Festival in Lahore said, “the festival will continue to go on like it was going before three blasts occurred outside at the building of Punjab Institute of Language (PIL) near Gaddafi Stadium Saturday night.” After the blasts here in a press conference the organizers of the event Faizan Pirzada and Usman Pirzada vowed, the remaining programs included in WPAF would not be affected by the serial blasts and would go on as per schedule. They hoped the people of Lahore, to turn to festival in a huge number to send a strong message to the elements involved in Lahore blast that Lahoriities would never be deterred by such inhumane activities.

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Apparently these blasts were not to kill people but to scare them. This festival was the only place where I saw foreigners in Pakistan. Besides that, there were mostly upper class Pakistani present. There were traditional artists from the country, musicians from abroad and fusion performances, however, that made it more a progressive event in Pakistan. So far, though, I have not heard any statement of who is responsible for the attack. I think the country is in such a state that there are more serious events that these “crackers” – as they called it (bombs of low intensity) – are not a big thing.

After Lahore I wanted to travel north. Having felt the blasts, I decided to  stay in Punjab and not to go too far and to remote areas. I returned back to India and thought maybe it is not a good time to visit Pakistan.

I arrived in India and heard about the “War on Mumbai”.