Asif Hanafi – Blogging from somewhere

In one of my previous blogs, I mentioned about the Youth Advisory Council of Pakistan(YAC).  A group started by MQM and led in its early days by Ali Rashid and Ali Raza Abidi. With lots of internal conflicts YAC split. Ali Rashid led YAC whilst Ali Raza Abidi incepted Professionals Research & Advisory Council of Pakistan (PRAC).

Although during my tenure in YAC which involved strategy and web development I had mixed thoughts about PRAC and its success. I disagreed with their online tactics of degrading rival political parties, in my mind MQM is better than playing blame games.  The hacking of the group and the inability for Ali Abidi to maintain basic security made PRAC a laughing stock. I met Abidi at an MQM meeting hosted by Dr. Farooq Sattar and in the small chit chat, Abidi seemed like an idealist. His only objective was to impress the higher echelons of MQM and he would not take no as an answer. There were rumours that PRAC is shutting down, MQM is fed-up with PRAC, but Abidi steered his growing group through all the stormy waters. Instead of giving up and disappearing from the new political scene, he stayed put.

Today PRAC has over 3000 members, growing at a dizzying rate and they have hosted their first summit which was broad casted live.  Whether PRAC has achieved all its objective or not, they have managed one thing, they have given MQM a much needed online face where anyone can come and discuss MQM without fear of being gunned down. Abidi has established himself as a social media expert, a skill MQM web developers require dearly. He has made himself easily approachable and generally comes off as friendly and he has developed a team that works even when he is not present.

I’ve quoted this before, but in this case it applies again.

Sherry Rehman said that no one can leave politics but politics can leave you at any time.

With all the anti-prac propoganda, Syed Ali Raza Abidi still stands strong.

Mistral House from Lalique

As I sit at the George V café on Champs Elysees in Paris reading the latest news updates on dawn.com from my PDA phone I cannot help but ponder on the future of Pakistan more specifically the future of luxury in Pakistan.

Luxury is the hidden desire amongst all of us to do better, to work harder, to earn more so we can enjoy the feeling of wearing a pair of sneakers from Louis Vuitton or admire the magnificent craftsmanship of the Antinea Vase by Lalique that is the constant reminder that yes, I worked hard to get here.

People often define luxury by its economic text book definition where they state that luxury is an indulgence, luxury is expensive; luxury isn’t required.

I say luxury is the key to our success.

If we were to live in a communist society where everything was distributed equally, where luxury is a word that does not exist what would be our incentive to work hard? To innovate? We would be no different than zombies.

What if the student in Pakistan who is in University studying to obtain his bachelors degree was to suddenly realize that no matter how hard he works he will still wear the same black trousers and white shirt for the rest of his life and work the same mundane job because that’s what he is trained for. Without luxury our entire economic system would collapse. Luxury and I repeat; is the very essence of what makes us work hard. The 12 years in school, 4 years in university and a further 2 years doing your masters is all so we can achieve that childhood dream of flying first class, wearing the top brands and decorating our homes with items that dazzle the visitor, because if we stop dreaming we might as well stop living.

With the tough economic situation Pakistan is in and the ping-pong war being played out in the North now spreading out to Baluchistan its even more imperative that the business society of Pakistan continues to promote luxury as it truly an important component in the salvation of Pakistan.

By Mehr Naik

Launched in 1948, British automotive stalwarts Land Rover are one of the longest lived four wheel drives in the world and are reputed to produce the worlds finest all terrain vehicles. The luxury automobile is favoured by the likes of Hollywood stars and musicians such as Charlize Theron, Kate Walsh, Pete Wentz, John Mayer and Katherine Heigl – locally, one has caught the likes of Asim Buksh and Shoaib Akhtar cruising the streets of Lahore in their luxury 4X4’S on occasion – in fact it is Asim who brings Land Rover in a big way to the country under the Premium Motors banner – they happen to have Jaguar in their portfolio as well and rumours of Bentley arriving this year are rife!

Before diving into technical specifics, one must acknowledge the business model of the company: This has a strong focus on global business growth and regionally speaking of our geographic area in particular, the Land Rover topped off a successful 60th Anniversary year by winning ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the CAR Middle East Awards which was held in late 2008.

Today we are looking specifically at the dynamic sports tourer, The Range Rover Sport which is a full size sports utility vehicle, SUV as its popularly referred to, introduced under the aegis of Land Rover in 2005 –  the automotive giants release a new model of the coveted car annually.  The luxury SUV has it all: extensive leather, wood and metallic finishes that can be customized to the owner’s preference, extensive road safety measures including high tech electronic crash-preventions such as antilock disc brakes, electronic brake assistance, emergency fuel shut-off device, front seatbelt height adjusters and hill-descent control. It not just a stunning but a safe ride too, it would appear.

Talking technicals, the SUV’s 4.2 litre supercharged V8 390hp petrol engine delivers massive torque and effortless acceleration with six-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift logic that adjusts itself to road conditions and your unique driving style. It also has a Sport’s Terrain Response System to boot which assures the driver will be up to nearly any off-road task which offer five different settings that adjust throttle response, gear changes, vehicle ride height in varying environments, ranging from pavement to sand. Land rover has participated in numerous rallies and has won the Macmillan 4×4 UK Challenge almost every year.

Heading inside the cabin, the interior baffles: genuine wood trim on the floor consoles, doors and instruments panel and genuine leather upholstery for seating.  The Range Rover Sport also offers a versatile selection of superior entertainment with a hybrid digital/analogue TV alongside a sound assaulting Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system. The system boasts 550 watts of power, the 14 individual speakers produce a dramatic 3D effect from a 12-channel digitally controlled amplifier, six CDs can be stored and played as well as MP3 encoded CDs.

Other swanky features include a keyless entry via key fob, panic alarm, 3-Memory adjustments for driver side which include seats, steering wheel and exterior mirrors.

The Range Rover Sport offers the best in luxury and technological advancements in the world of automobiles. Try it out in Pakistan in places such as the deserts of Sindh, the fields of Punjab or the rocky regions of the north. The vehicle is for anyone and everyone who has the taste for exploration without trepidation.