ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) said on Tuesday it would hold its first public rally on October 11 in Quetta, adding that the event would mark the beginning of the group's anti-government campaign that would engulf the country in the coming days.
The PDM is an alliance of various political factions that attended the opposition's multiparty conference on September 20 that agreed on launching countrywide protest demonstrations to bring down the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) administration.
The opposition parties announced to take decisive action in January by marching toward the federal capital to build pressure on the government.
Addressing a news conference after the first meeting of its steering committee, opposition leaders pledged to continue their struggle against the government and promised "true political change" in the country.
The PDM meeting was convened only a day after Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in a corruption reference.
PDM leaders denounced the development while addressing the news conference, adding that such arrests would further erode people's trust in democracy and produce more political frustration in the country.
The PDM steering committee will hold its next meeting on Monday to consolidate the alliance's future political strategy.
Alliance of opposition parties to hold first rally in Quetta on October 11
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Alliance of opposition parties to hold first rally in Quetta on October 11
- The Pakistan Democratic Alliance was formed after the opposition's multiparty conference on Sept. 20
- The alliance's steering committee held its first meeting just a day after the country's anti-graft body arrested PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif
Pakistani sculptor turns scrap into colossal metal artworks
- Self-taught Islamabad artist Ehtisham Jadoon builds 14-foot metal sculptures using more than 90 percent discarded vehicle parts
- Former martial artist scours scrapyards weekly, transforming scrap into giant beasts and ‘Transformers’-inspired figures
ISLAMABAD: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by “Transformers” movies and dinosaurs.
The 35-year-old sculptor’s studio brims with cogs, chains, hubcaps and engine parts as his hulking creations — a lion with a mane of twisted steel, a giant Tyrannosaurus rex and a towering Optimus Prime — take shape.
“I have always been fascinated by metal objects,” Jadoon told AFP after assembling the 14-foot (4-meter) “Transformers” character, his biggest creation yet.
“When I see metals in scrap, I imagine forms in which it could be utilized.”
It took Jadoon and his team months of welding and warping to fashion his Optimus Prime, with over 90 percent of its parts sourced from discarded vehicle pieces.
The arms are forged from motorbike springs and gears, its shoulders are curve from car rims, the spine is molded from a fuel tank and its knees are pieced together with chains and suspension parts.
Even its piercing eyes are crafted from vehicle bearings, completing a sculpture that is both intricate and awesome.
“Whenever I see an object, I visualize a form,” Jadoon said.
“I could imagine a block transforming into a shape, so I simply solve the puzzle and bring it to life.”
‘Waste becomes valuable’
Jadoon, a former martial artist who once worked in the steel fabrication business, has never formally studied art. He designs his gargantuan models spontaneously while working.
He told AFP he has to visit a doctor almost every week due to sparks affecting his eyes and burns on his hands and arms, yet he insists this is the only work in which he can channel the energy of his training as a fighter.
Jadoon’s work primarily focuses on crafting giants, beasts and powerful forms, which he describes as a reflection of aggression.
“Setting the anatomy and proportions requires visualization from multiple angles and repeated adjustments,” he said.
Every week, Jadoon tours scrapyards in Islamabad, sifting through tons of discarded metal in search of pieces that fit into his imagination and then become sculptures.
“What is waste to us became something valuable in his hands,” scrapyard owner Bostan Khan told AFP.
“It’s incredible to witness.”
