By Amrita Chaudry - Express India - Ludhiana, India
Thursday, August 3, 2006
INDO-PAK marriages are nothing new but this high profile Indo-Pak marriage promises to script a new chapter in the ongoing peace process between the two nations.
WPC chairman Fakhar Zaman feels he and Indian scholar Dr Fatima can help the cause of peace.
On July 5, former Pakistani culture minister and present chairman of the World Punjabi Congress Fakhar Zaman married Dr Fatima, a scholar of history at Delhi University, and this marriage in the words of Zaman is ‘‘a true metaphor of Indo-Pak friendship’’. The marriage was solemnised at Lahore which was followed by a reception on July 15. The couple plans to entertain its Indian guests to a royal treat this December. ‘‘Through our union my wife and I will be meeting politicians and prominent people on both sides of the border and ask them not to let any incidents break the peace process,’’ he said.
‘‘The WPC started this peace process between the two nations way back in the eighties when many said we were mad; others called us socialists; some said we were communists. Despite all these labels and opposition we carried on our work and see we have been able to achieve our goal to a great extent,’’ he said.
Coming back to his marriage, Fakhar, on the phone from Lahore, said, ‘‘Dr Fatima had come to Lahore for a conference last April. At that time she read a paper on Sufism which is also her field of expertise. I was highly impressed by her level of intellect and at the same time she was very beautiful. Then over a period of three-four conferences we came closer and this year we decided to marry.’’
Notably, Fakhar Zaman had lost his wife of 18 years — well-known Punjabi and Urdu poetess Shaista Habib — to cancer a couple of years ago. Fakhar and Shaista also had a son. ‘‘After Shaista’s death I thought I would never marry again and I went into these long bouts of depression and loneliness. But those intellectual meetings with Dr Fatima brought back the zest for life in me. My son is studying film-making in Canada and he too is very happy about my marriage,’’ he says.
About his cross-border marriage where many times even getting a visa is a big hurdle, Zaman says, ‘‘We will overcome all this. As such the two of us at least for a year to come will be shuttling between India and Pakistan. In another fortnight I will be in Delhi as I am writing a play on Bhutto which is to be staged in the Indian capital and then Dr Fatima is coming to Lahore for her conferences. She has her share of work at DU after which she can decide in which country to settle down.’’
After their marriage the couple flew to Sweden for a conference from where they went on their honeymoon in Holland, France and Finland.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Friday, November 17, 2006
A marriage of Indian and Pakistani intellect
By Amrita Chaudry - Express India - Ludhiana, India
Thursday, August 3, 2006
INDO-PAK marriages are nothing new but this high profile Indo-Pak marriage promises to script a new chapter in the ongoing peace process between the two nations.
WPC chairman Fakhar Zaman feels he and Indian scholar Dr Fatima can help the cause of peace.
On July 5, former Pakistani culture minister and present chairman of the World Punjabi Congress Fakhar Zaman married Dr Fatima, a scholar of history at Delhi University, and this marriage in the words of Zaman is ‘‘a true metaphor of Indo-Pak friendship’’. The marriage was solemnised at Lahore which was followed by a reception on July 15. The couple plans to entertain its Indian guests to a royal treat this December. ‘‘Through our union my wife and I will be meeting politicians and prominent people on both sides of the border and ask them not to let any incidents break the peace process,’’ he said.
‘‘The WPC started this peace process between the two nations way back in the eighties when many said we were mad; others called us socialists; some said we were communists. Despite all these labels and opposition we carried on our work and see we have been able to achieve our goal to a great extent,’’ he said.
Coming back to his marriage, Fakhar, on the phone from Lahore, said, ‘‘Dr Fatima had come to Lahore for a conference last April. At that time she read a paper on Sufism which is also her field of expertise. I was highly impressed by her level of intellect and at the same time she was very beautiful. Then over a period of three-four conferences we came closer and this year we decided to marry.’’
Notably, Fakhar Zaman had lost his wife of 18 years — well-known Punjabi and Urdu poetess Shaista Habib — to cancer a couple of years ago. Fakhar and Shaista also had a son. ‘‘After Shaista’s death I thought I would never marry again and I went into these long bouts of depression and loneliness. But those intellectual meetings with Dr Fatima brought back the zest for life in me. My son is studying film-making in Canada and he too is very happy about my marriage,’’ he says.
About his cross-border marriage where many times even getting a visa is a big hurdle, Zaman says, ‘‘We will overcome all this. As such the two of us at least for a year to come will be shuttling between India and Pakistan. In another fortnight I will be in Delhi as I am writing a play on Bhutto which is to be staged in the Indian capital and then Dr Fatima is coming to Lahore for her conferences. She has her share of work at DU after which she can decide in which country to settle down.’’
After their marriage the couple flew to Sweden for a conference from where they went on their honeymoon in Holland, France and Finland.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
INDO-PAK marriages are nothing new but this high profile Indo-Pak marriage promises to script a new chapter in the ongoing peace process between the two nations.
WPC chairman Fakhar Zaman feels he and Indian scholar Dr Fatima can help the cause of peace.
On July 5, former Pakistani culture minister and present chairman of the World Punjabi Congress Fakhar Zaman married Dr Fatima, a scholar of history at Delhi University, and this marriage in the words of Zaman is ‘‘a true metaphor of Indo-Pak friendship’’. The marriage was solemnised at Lahore which was followed by a reception on July 15. The couple plans to entertain its Indian guests to a royal treat this December. ‘‘Through our union my wife and I will be meeting politicians and prominent people on both sides of the border and ask them not to let any incidents break the peace process,’’ he said.
‘‘The WPC started this peace process between the two nations way back in the eighties when many said we were mad; others called us socialists; some said we were communists. Despite all these labels and opposition we carried on our work and see we have been able to achieve our goal to a great extent,’’ he said.
Coming back to his marriage, Fakhar, on the phone from Lahore, said, ‘‘Dr Fatima had come to Lahore for a conference last April. At that time she read a paper on Sufism which is also her field of expertise. I was highly impressed by her level of intellect and at the same time she was very beautiful. Then over a period of three-four conferences we came closer and this year we decided to marry.’’
Notably, Fakhar Zaman had lost his wife of 18 years — well-known Punjabi and Urdu poetess Shaista Habib — to cancer a couple of years ago. Fakhar and Shaista also had a son. ‘‘After Shaista’s death I thought I would never marry again and I went into these long bouts of depression and loneliness. But those intellectual meetings with Dr Fatima brought back the zest for life in me. My son is studying film-making in Canada and he too is very happy about my marriage,’’ he says.
About his cross-border marriage where many times even getting a visa is a big hurdle, Zaman says, ‘‘We will overcome all this. As such the two of us at least for a year to come will be shuttling between India and Pakistan. In another fortnight I will be in Delhi as I am writing a play on Bhutto which is to be staged in the Indian capital and then Dr Fatima is coming to Lahore for her conferences. She has her share of work at DU after which she can decide in which country to settle down.’’
After their marriage the couple flew to Sweden for a conference from where they went on their honeymoon in Holland, France and Finland.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment