Azme Alishan
Encyclopedia
Azme-Alishan is a national awareness drive launched in Lahore
on 23 March 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution
.
The initiative aims to celebrate Pakistani identity and culture, while encouraging all Pakistanis – both at home and abroad – to make a new resolve to stand up for their country at a time when the Pakistani way of life is coming under threat.
Azme-Alishan is backed by some of Pakistan
’s leading media groups. Through a series of public events and activities planned throughout 2010, the initiative aims to:
Azme-Alishan was established to help patriotic
Pakistanis find their voice. The people behind the movement stress that it’s nothing to do with government
or big business
. It’s about Pakistanis as a people, taking part in something together, renewing their faith in each other, and rekindling the communal spirit that laid the foundations for the creation of Pakistan 70 years ago.
, something that every young Pakistani is brought up to learn and love.
The Azme-Alishan initiative centres on asking Pakistanis to make a new resolve to stand up for their country; calling on them to register their support and declare themselves a Nishane-Azm (A symbol of Resolve)
Complex in Lahore on 23 March 2010, the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution.
The event featured performances by local students and star acts such as Waris Baig
, Sajjad Ali
and Arieb Azhar
.
Pakistan’s leading film actress, Reema, used the occasion to endorse the Azme-Alishan initiative and to urge Pakistanis to offer their support.
The evening culminated with a symbolic passing of a Diya
to the younger generation, as young achievers in areas such as sports and education
were recognised with special awards from the AeA movement.
The official site was launched at the event on 23 March and has become a one-stop-shop for all things related to the initiative. It is regularly updated with videos and images of AeA events, and includes a ‘Live Blog
’ where visitors can comment on relevant issues and articles and have their say on the future of Pakistan.
Prior to the official launch, azmealishan.com featured a special digital image of the famous Minar-e-Pakistan
monument made up of hundreds of separate pixel
s, each one representing an Azm (resolve) made by a supporter.
Supporters can still claim a pixel and declare themselves a Nishan-e-Azm on the website or by sending an SMS to 5454, Azme-Alishan’s dedicated cell number.
Azme-Alishan also has its own Facebook
page and an active Twitter
account, @azmealishan.
‘Sanwaro Pakistan’ – literally meaning ‘Make Pakistan Better’ – is an initiative encompassing one of the largest clean-up campaigns ever seen in Lahore and a series of tree planting ceremonies across 40 of the city’s schools.
Two mass motorbike rallies were held in Lahore and Karachi to drive awareness and participation. More than 150 riders wearing branded AeA T-shirts and helmets, on green bikes with AeA flags attached ,took part in the events.
Public participation events such as the symbolic lighting of Diyas in and around Lahore have become commonplace and attracted widespread support and media coverage.
From 5 June 2010 onwards, Strings
along with Arshad Mehmood will start appearing on TV1, NEWS1 and Waseeb TV as judges for the Azme Alishan National Song Competition. The Azme Alishan movement’s manifesto is to revive the same spirit of nationhood and community that lies at the heart of their vision of Pakistan. Azme Alishan aims to highlight the Pakistani youth musical talent within Pakistan and all across the world with this televised competition. The TV shows will continue throughout the summer, concluding with the grand finale announcing the winner on August 14. The competition opened mid-March with a request for all Pakistanis from within and across borders to send in their original national song entries – no song covers were entertained. For the television show, a jury panel has been established which will feature the likes of Pakistani model Vinnie, the multifaceted Arshad Mahmood and music producer and previous member of the band Vital Signs
, Shahzad Hassan (Shahi), Khalid Anwar from Aaroh
, Najam Sheraz
and many others as guest judges along with Strings, who are the permanent judges.
advertising campaign
featuring TV, press, radio and digital ads.
The advertising campaign used to support the launch events featured Pakistanis burning words such as ‘intolerance
’ and ‘division’ in the flames of Diyas, which are increasingly becoming associated with – and symbolic of – the Azme-Alishan initiative itself.
The online Nisham-e-Azm campaign features contributions from thousands of Pakistanis, and in April 2010 the initiative announced that more than 100 people had submitted songs for the National Song Competition.
The initiative has also been endorsed by a range of famous Pakistanis including actor
s, musician
s, journalist
s and sportsmen.
Significant names associated with the movement include the noted TV anchor Faisal Qureshi
, the singer and actor Sajjad Ali
, and Taher Khan, the founder and chairman of Interflow Group, one of Pakistan’s largest marketing
and media companies.
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
on 23 March 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution
Lahore Resolution
The Lahore Resolution , commonly known as the Pakistan Resolution , was a formal political statement adopted by the Muslim League at the occasion of its three-day general session on 22–24 March 1940 that called for greater Muslim autonomy in British India...
.
The initiative aims to celebrate Pakistani identity and culture, while encouraging all Pakistanis – both at home and abroad – to make a new resolve to stand up for their country at a time when the Pakistani way of life is coming under threat.
Azme-Alishan is backed by some of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
’s leading media groups. Through a series of public events and activities planned throughout 2010, the initiative aims to:
- Celebrate the real Pakistani identity and culture; shared values of peacePeacePeace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
, diversityMulticulturalismMulticulturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, toleranceTolerationToleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and unity; and rejection of the image that has been assigned to Pakistanis everywhere. - Challenge all Pakistanis to speak up for these values and to act on them, and
- Invite Pakistanis and the world’s media to see a different Pakistan, the one behind the images and stereotypeStereotypeA stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s of division provoked by a few.
Background
In 1940 the very idea of Pakistan was born in Lahore through the signing of the Lahore Resolution (sometimes called the Pakistan Resolution). Today, it appears that the country has reached a crossroads. Suffering from problems at home and an increasingly poor image abroad, the country’s very way of life is coming under threat.Azme-Alishan was established to help patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
Pakistanis find their voice. The people behind the movement stress that it’s nothing to do with government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
or big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
. It’s about Pakistanis as a people, taking part in something together, renewing their faith in each other, and rekindling the communal spirit that laid the foundations for the creation of Pakistan 70 years ago.
The name
Azme-Alishan (the Glorious Resolve) is a line in Pakistan’s national anthemNational anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, something that every young Pakistani is brought up to learn and love.
The Azme-Alishan initiative centres on asking Pakistanis to make a new resolve to stand up for their country; calling on them to register their support and declare themselves a Nishane-Azm (A symbol of Resolve)
Launch Event
The Azme-Alishan initiative was launched with a TV event filmed at the Aiwan-e-IqbalAiwan-e-Iqbal
The Aiwan-e-Iqbal is an office complex at The Mall having three buildings and a very big convention hall. Its public sector building in Lahore....
Complex in Lahore on 23 March 2010, the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution.
The event featured performances by local students and star acts such as Waris Baig
Waris Baig
Waris Baig, is a Pakistani singer. He was born in Lahore, Punjab.Waris Baig started his career as a playback singer from Syed Noor's film Sangam released in 1997...
, Sajjad Ali
Sajjad Ali
Sajjad Ali is a Pakistani semi-classical, pop singer, film actor, director and producer. He is trained in classical singing.- Early life and education :...
and Arieb Azhar
Arieb Azhar
Arieb Azhar is a Pakistani pop singer. His most famous hit is Husn-e-Haqiqi. He has made appearances in Coke Studio's Season 2 and Season 3.He is listed in the artist section of Danka - Pakistan's Cultural Guide since 2010.- References :...
.
Pakistan’s leading film actress, Reema, used the occasion to endorse the Azme-Alishan initiative and to urge Pakistanis to offer their support.
The evening culminated with a symbolic passing of a Diya
Diya
Diya may refer to:*Oladipo Diya, a Nigerian general*Diya , a ghee-based candle*Diyya, an Islamic term for monetary compensation for unintentional murder*Dia Mirza, a South Indian actress...
to the younger generation, as young achievers in areas such as sports and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
were recognised with special awards from the AeA movement.
Digital Media
Azmealishan.com is the home of the AeA movement on the web.The official site was launched at the event on 23 March and has become a one-stop-shop for all things related to the initiative. It is regularly updated with videos and images of AeA events, and includes a ‘Live Blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
’ where visitors can comment on relevant issues and articles and have their say on the future of Pakistan.
Prior to the official launch, azmealishan.com featured a special digital image of the famous Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan
Minar-e-Pakistan is a tall minaret in Iqbal Park Lahore, built in commemoration of the Lahore Resolution. The minaret reflects a blend of Mughal and modern architecture, and is constructed on the site where on March 23, 1940, seven years before the formation of Pakistan, the Muslim League passed...
monument made up of hundreds of separate pixel
Pixel
In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled....
s, each one representing an Azm (resolve) made by a supporter.
Supporters can still claim a pixel and declare themselves a Nishan-e-Azm on the website or by sending an SMS to 5454, Azme-Alishan’s dedicated cell number.
Azme-Alishan also has its own Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page and an active Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account, @azmealishan.
Azme-Alishan events
Several public events have been launched to encourage support for the Azme-Alishan initiative.‘Sanwaro Pakistan’ – literally meaning ‘Make Pakistan Better’ – is an initiative encompassing one of the largest clean-up campaigns ever seen in Lahore and a series of tree planting ceremonies across 40 of the city’s schools.
Two mass motorbike rallies were held in Lahore and Karachi to drive awareness and participation. More than 150 riders wearing branded AeA T-shirts and helmets, on green bikes with AeA flags attached ,took part in the events.
Public participation events such as the symbolic lighting of Diyas in and around Lahore have become commonplace and attracted widespread support and media coverage.
From 5 June 2010 onwards, Strings
Strings (band)
Strings are an internationally acclaimed pop rock band comprising two members from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood , Faisal Kapadia , Rafiq Wazir Ali and Kareem Bashir Bhoy in 1988...
along with Arshad Mehmood will start appearing on TV1, NEWS1 and Waseeb TV as judges for the Azme Alishan National Song Competition. The Azme Alishan movement’s manifesto is to revive the same spirit of nationhood and community that lies at the heart of their vision of Pakistan. Azme Alishan aims to highlight the Pakistani youth musical talent within Pakistan and all across the world with this televised competition. The TV shows will continue throughout the summer, concluding with the grand finale announcing the winner on August 14. The competition opened mid-March with a request for all Pakistanis from within and across borders to send in their original national song entries – no song covers were entertained. For the television show, a jury panel has been established which will feature the likes of Pakistani model Vinnie, the multifaceted Arshad Mahmood and music producer and previous member of the band Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
, Shahzad Hassan (Shahi), Khalid Anwar from Aaroh
Aaroh
Aaroh was an alternative rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1998...
, Najam Sheraz
Najam Sheraz
Najam Sheraz is a Pakistani pop singer, musician, composer and comedy actor. He is most prolific singer; indeed he is a household name in Pakistan. Many of his songs have become anthems all over the world. His latest album, eight in his career, "Najam" has been released recently both in India and...
and many others as guest judges along with Strings, who are the permanent judges.
Advertising Campaign
Azme-Alishan’s events are supported by a mass mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
advertising campaign
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
featuring TV, press, radio and digital ads.
The advertising campaign used to support the launch events featured Pakistanis burning words such as ‘intolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
’ and ‘division’ in the flames of Diyas, which are increasingly becoming associated with – and symbolic of – the Azme-Alishan initiative itself.
Significant Supporters
Support for Azme-Alishan is growing all the time.The online Nisham-e-Azm campaign features contributions from thousands of Pakistanis, and in April 2010 the initiative announced that more than 100 people had submitted songs for the National Song Competition.
The initiative has also been endorsed by a range of famous Pakistanis including actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and sportsmen.
Significant names associated with the movement include the noted TV anchor Faisal Qureshi
Faisal Qureshi
Faisal Qureshi is a Pakistan entrepreneur, electrical engineer, and a founder chair person of a non-profit organization , anchor person of several TV talk shows, currently including on , on Business Plus and on Samaa TV, and formerly Breakfast at Dawn on Dawn News, and founder chairperson of...
, the singer and actor Sajjad Ali
Sajjad Ali
Sajjad Ali is a Pakistani semi-classical, pop singer, film actor, director and producer. He is trained in classical singing.- Early life and education :...
, and Taher Khan, the founder and chairman of Interflow Group, one of Pakistan’s largest marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and media companies.