Recently, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan addressed a joint session of the Pakistani Parliament for the second time in four years. In his speech, he took the opportunity to offer his condolences for the Siachen tragedy, discuss bilateral trade, economic cooperation and generally about the strong bond of friendship between Pakistan and Turkey. The premier also had something to say about the role of opposition parties, commenting that opposition parties exist to reform the government, not to kick it out. Mr Erdogan also talked about the very important role of the Parliament and finally, lauded Pakistan for upholding democracy. In short, a well worded speech covering a wide range of topics. Fortunately, our own politicians never fail to disappoint; Gilani’s started out good enough; he called Mr Erdogan’s address a milestone in the Pak-Turk relationship and about how the friendship between the two countries was very old. And then, in true Pakistani prime minister spirit, he started talking about the Khilafat Movement! Yes, about the Khilafat Movement, whose sole purpose was to keep a man whom the Turks did not like, in power. The abolition of the Caliphate was an extremely important event in the formation of a modern Turkish nation from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. You would think that the Pakistani prime minister would have the good sense not to use the Khilafat Movement as an example of how old the Pak-Turk relationship is, especially considering that Pakistan did not even exist at that time and our founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah was hardly happy about the Khilafat Movement. But then again, what else can the nation expect from Mr Gilani? Chaudhry Nisar was hardly better, pointing out to Erdogan immediately that the opposition was in the Parliament because of him (how lovely!). He then proceeded to talk about how Pakistan was facing problems from all sides instead of talking about Pakistan and Turkey and using the opportunity to properly welcome Mr Erdogan. Other than this, I think Gilani is a little confused about where Erdogan stands; Gilani called Turkey a role model for the Muslim world in democracy, forgetting, it seems that Turkey is strictly secular, something not acceptable to most Muslim nations. Personally, I’m all for following Turkey’s example, but it seems at little strange to call someone your role model when you don’t accept their ideology. Watch the video and you'll see for yourself!

‘Wasim bhai ap thaktay nahin hain?' (Wasim brother, don't you get tired?) ‘Nahi, mein cigarette nahin peeta.’ (No, because I don't smoke.)

A video showing the true colours of the Pakistani leadership is being passed around on the web. This time it's our Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, who has shown the world why Pakistan is in such a sorry state.  For the initial five minutes of this video, our prime minister makes the usual excuses that have become the trademark of the Pakistan government. In the last 15 seconds, interviewer Becky Anderson tells Gilani about poll results that reveal that about a third of Pakistanis want to leave the country. This is when the video gets really interesting. Following this remark come two statements that, to most Pakistanis, are perhaps the biggest indication of how the Pakistani leadership views us. Mr Gilani says casually and pointedly,

And why don't they leave then?

Who is stopping them?

My vision for Pakistan is that, in as little as five years, instead of a third of Pakistanis saying that they want to leave the country, those who have left will say they want to come back. I am simply an employee who is accountable to the entire Pakistani population. My life is dedicated to ensuring that I fulfill my responsibility, and help change this country into something they can be proud of!

When one talks about street harassment in Pakistan, an interesting question that is raised by most is,

Whose fault is it exactly?

“Men deliberately bump into women in the market place,” said one woman.

Mai ne chamaat mara kheench ke (I slapped him very hard)

“Some women ask for it by dressing improperly,” they said. "Men can’t be blamed all the time; women can be at fault too," was another answer.

"Yahaan pishaab karna mana hai" (Do not urinate here) "Yahaan ghadda pishaab kar raha hai" (The person urinating here is a donkey)

In the 60s, Shabab and Evernew studios were considered the two best film studios in Lollywood. Any director in Lahore would want to shoot his films there. Like many legends of that era, the beautiful Shabnam also spent most of her time shooting at these locations. After 14 years, Shabnam returned to Pakistan last month. Although Shahab no longer exists and Evernew is not what it used to be, Shabnam’s fans were keen to have one more glimpse of her as she visited her colleagues in Lahore. Film technicians who had worked with Shabnam back in the day described her as a courteous, modest and good-natured lady who was friendly on the film sets. “When Aina was being shot in 1977, she came to Evernew Studio. I was serving as a helper with an assistant at that time,” recalls one such man, now a tailor, who had a chance to meet the legendary actress. “I once spoke to her while serving tea to the artists on the set. She asked us to pray for the success of her film, which later became a huge hit. She wasn't arrogant at all and spoke to us with great respect,” he added. Aina, a Pakistani film from 1977 which starred Shabnam and Nadeem, is said to be the longest running Pakistani film on record. It is also called “Pakistan’s only crown jubilee film” with a total running period of 401 weeks in all cinemas and 48 weeks in the main cinemas in Karachi. The film was a musical success with music composition by Robin Gosh (Shabnam’s husband). The playback singers for the films were Mehdi Hassan, Mehnaz, Alamgir, Nayyara Noor and Akhlaq Ahmed. As I reminisce the golden days with her return to Pakistan, I remember how mesmerising her performance was in this film. The song “Mujhe Dil Se Na Bhulana” shown in the video above is one of the most celebrated songs of Lollywood. Another excellent on-screen performance by Shabnam was in Andleeb. The Shabnam-Waheed Murad on screen duo did wonders at the box office and the film ran continuously for 56 weeks in Karachi. In this film, she performed another timeless hit called “Mere Dil Ki Mehfil”. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgUuHFW-UhM]] Another song featuring Shabnam that brought two great artists together was “Mili Gul Ko Khushboo” sung by Runa Laila for Shabnam in Naseeb Apna Apna - a black and white film from the 70s directed by Qamar Zaidi and produced by Waheed Murad. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfOBkGGoIts]] I can safely say that Shabnam has been an inspiration for the whole generation - there are over 150 films to her credit, dozens of which are unmatched in Lollywood. While artists in Lahore’s old studios eagerly waited for her visit, she said herself that she might not find those places to be the same as before. Shabnam’s last film was released some two decades ago; things have changed dramatically for the worse in Lollywood since then. However, I am positive after hearing her say that she will try her best to contribute something to Lollywood. The hope in my heart to see this Lollywood queen on the silver screen again has been rekindled. Will we get to see the talented Shabnam in Pakistani movies like Khuda Ke Liye and Bol? I surely hope so! Read more by Ali here. Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Shabnam performed in the song "Mein Jis Din Bhula Doon Tera Pyar". The error is regretted.

Child labour refers to work done by children that harms them or exploits them either physically or mentally. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) defines a 'child' as anyone below the age of 18, and 'child labour' as any form of work performed by children below age 18. On the way to university, a few days ago, I observed many children working in the streets of Quetta. Most of them were boys, between the age of 10 to 14. They were carrying an assortment of goods like paper, plastic, wood and pieces of metal in bags in order to sell these. Looking at these children who should be playing, studying and enjoying their childhood, I felt deeply saddened. I decided to interview a few of them to gauge what their life is like. While I made some startling discoveries from children who worked day in and day out in order to survive, there were also those responses that left me heart-broken.

Main gareeb hun aur gareeb ki koe khwahish nhain.’ (I am poor, and poor people don’t have desires.)

The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years in such manner as may be determined by law

As the Bhoja Air plane went up in flames on Friday evening, so did tempers within the Pakistani social media crowd. Along with the “RIP all victims of Bhoja Air crash” status updates on Facebook, there were angry tweets questioning why television channels aired the passenger list and why images of the crash site were being aired. It seemed that it was easier for people to direct their fury at the media for being “sensational, insensitive and unethical”. Some from the media circle, however, defended the coverage and retaliated by saying that the reporters were doing their jobs. This brings to light a few questions: do people realise how television works? Are viewers aware of the challenges of reporting tragedies? I asked The Express Tribune staff a few questions and recorded them in the video above. Their answers were varied and interesting, especially since they are journalists who have a good understanding of the breaking news cycle. I hope you can join in and add to the debate. Read more by Atika here or follow her on Twitter @AtikaRehman

In this video, I explored the true sense of excitement that surrounded Imran Khan’s rally in Quetta. As one of the locals who attended the jalsa (rally) in person, I recorded scenes that show what this gathering means to the people of Balochistan. I interviewed men who travelled long distances to see their beloved leader, Imran Khan. The general sentiment around the rally reflected adoration, positivity and patriotism. One can gauge the amount of respect people in Balochistan have for Imran Khan by the fact that many people showed up to support him despite the flooded streets and traffic jams.

“Rastay baray kharab hain; sari raat barish hui hai …. .” 

“Itna rush hai, na garaion ka jaggah hai, na bandon ka …. ,” says a local. (It is so jam-packed; there isn’t any space for cars or people.)

“Hum saray Imran Khan se love kertay hain. Is liye Zila Loralai se 300 km ka safar te kar ke jalsa dekhnay ke liye aye hain.” (We love Imran khan. That is why we have travelled 300 km from Zila Loralai to see Imran Khan’s rally.)

It is no surprise that both our top blogs this week have talked about the face veil. In the first one, our blogger wrote about a social experiment she conducted by wearing a niqab for a day. The other blog talked about the controversy surrounding a picture of a veiled woman holding up a bra. Here are some of the reactions to these pieces:

“'Female figure is a source of evil and therefore should be kept strictly hidden. All girl children be taught to be ashamed of their own bodies. Any reference to female anatomy meets with a response of disgust, or lust or even violence.' These were the golden rules I grew up learning in an average lower middle class Pakistani family. I struggled for a long time before finally growing out of it." "It's not so much the niqab but what it gets connected with that causes them to behave this way." "This hijab is violation of human rights, it is against the dignity of a woman……… it is not a matter of choice…………..it is just to show off that you are more pious and righteous." "You don’t really know who is behind that mask, second for communication reason you don't know what his facial expressions are, its like holding a conversation with a pole." "I don’t think feeling awkward around someone in a niqab has anything to do with being judgemental, per se. How would most people feel like when sitting in a restaurant next to someone dressed in traditional Sami, Inuit, Zulu or Maori fashion? Exactly, a bit awkward.