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    Theater Review: 'Siachen'

    Review of Play Siachen by Anwar Maqsood

    Written by: Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid
    Posted on: November 02, 2015 | | 中文

    Official poster of 'Siachen'

    KopyKats Productions and Anwar Maqsood have teamed up once again very successfully, and the outcome is a tragi-comic play about the India-Pakistan faceoff in Siachen. The script has more depth than their last theater offering, Anwar Maqsood ka Dharna. The underlying message of the play is the futility of war, but the grim message is coated with Maqsood’s sharp wit, making his satire all the more poignant.

    There is a sense of doom in the opening scenes as the stage is enveloped in darkness, except for the spotlight that focuses on different soldiers bidding farewell to their respective families. There are flashbacks throughout the play, as the soldiers communicate with their families through letters. A mother, having already lost two sons in similar circumstances, is shown sending a third one to this outpost.

    When the scene opens against the backdrop of the snow-covered mountain at 20,000 feet, the soldiers are bantering with the unseen enemy through mikes about cricket. Cricket seems to have become a metaphor and a symbol of the India-Pakistan relations, inciting primeval passions of war and competition, and making the England-Australian rivalry over Ashes a child’s play in comparison. I’m reminded of the recent Bollywood blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijan, where the pretty, deaf and dumb girl’s identity is revealed when she starts clapping for the Pakistani side to the horror of her Hindu hosts. However, in Siachen the stakes are higher, but the one-upmanship is juvenile. When the Pakistani captain arrives and tells his soldiers to back off, the faceless enemy shouts, “dar gaya” (you lost your nerve), a quintessential schoolboy response.

    Play Siachen by Anwer Maqsood

    As the soldiers deal with the monotony and difficulty of everyday survival with shortage of water and rations, get homesick and pine for their families, Maqsood’s witticisms keep the audience entertained. One soldier ruminates that with the army busy in operation Zarb-e-Azb (military operation against the terrorists) and occupied in places like Siachen, the danger was that if there was a military coup, then the navy would have to take over. The audience roared with laughter at the prospect of the relatively small Pakistan navy trying to wield the reins of power.

    The play became electric when Yasir Hussain made his appearance as an Indian soldier who loses his way and finds himself in the middle of the Pakistani post.  Yasir, whose acting skills I have compared to Naseeruddin Shah in the past, was not only the architect of the well-crafted set for Siachen, but played the role of the Bihari soldier with a great deal of sensitivity. Speaking in melodious Purbi with aplomb, a version of Urdu spoken in eastern UP and Oudh, the Indian soldier comes across as just another human being, only concerned with saving his life. The pathos of this scene is interspersed with gems of Maqsood’s inimitable humour: when asked who the Prime Minister of Pakistan is, the Indian soldier answers, “Mian Muhammad Raheel Shareef”.

    There is a dig at the western media too, as the naïve BBC correspondent arrives at the post; her presence distracts the soldiers, compromising their security.

    Play Siachen by Anwer Maqsood

    Siachen is about the hardship, loneliness and monotony of our soldiers’ lives, stuck in the middle of nowhere, where time stands still. When one of the soldiers dilates at some length on his love for Pakistan and how he’d like to give the last drop of his blood for it, but quickly adds, if Raheel Shareef could get him a job in the Gulf, he’d be very happy to go. It’s a Maqsoodian reminder to the audience that all that the soldier wants is a better life, and an escape from poverty.

    Anwar Maqsood has done a brilliant job of showing that the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation in Siachen has the absurdity of a Sisyphean tale, and is out of all proportion to the human and financial cost.

    The KopyKats have excelled once again, and the amateur actors have given a good performance, but the management of the gates and handling of media was an absolute disaster on the 31st of October. KopyKats need to work on that front.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021