Published in The Post - Eyecandy [In Focus section] - 27-01-2008
http://www.thepost.com.pk/icon_eye.aspx
:: Controversial Beauty Pageants ::
On the grapevine there was a lot of controversy of Miss Pakistan World pageants held abroad without any official or local sanction. We reproduce excerpts from an interview Ahmad Babar, a freelance journalist had with Ms Sonia, President Miss Pakistan World Organisation. But the main question is that is Pakistan ready for such a thing, that I leave you to decide
Could you tell us a little about the organisation and how it started?
In 2002, I came up with this idea for starting the first Miss Canada Pakistan pageant. I was in University and always getting involved in fashion shows and cultural activities. These activities were laying the foundation as well giving encouragement to the Miss Canada Pakistan idea. The campaign for the pageant started in Canada in the year 2002 —- and we had the first Miss Canada Pakistan in Ottawa crowned in on 1st February 2003. After that this event moved to Toronto, where the population of Pakistanis was huge. In the year 2004, Batool Cheema was the reigning Miss Canada Pakistan, In 2005, Naomi Zaman was the second delegate to win two international titles in international pageants and then in 2006 Sehr Mahmood was crowned Miss Pakistan World 2006. She went on to represent Pakistan in the Miss Earth pageant and Queen of the World and won an international title called Queen of Elegance. In 2005 the concept of Miss Canada Pakistan pageant changed allowing more Pakistani girls coming from different parts of the world to compete as well. Thus the name of the pageant changed from Miss Canada Pakistan to Miss Pakistan World. Today the winner of the pageant is Mahleej Sarkari for the Miss Pakistan World 2007 pageant. Our runner ups Nida Khan and Bushra Jamil, have both brought a lot of attention to the pageant world for Pakistan. The support for the pageant grew internationally and the word spread to different countries and more contestants started calling from USA and European countries. So the pageant was called Miss Pakistan World. The media presence for the Miss Pakistan World pageant grew as well especially in India and USA.
What is the status of the organization, i.e. are you officially allowed to participate in International Pageants by the Pakistan Government?
The government has no time to indulge in girls in evening gowns representing their beauty on stage. So no, the government has never disturbed us.
What kind of media coverage has the competition received in past?
We get media from India, Pakistan, Middle East, USA, UK and Canada and the rest of the world.
Why not participate in Miss World and Miss Universe Competitions? Also, why didn’t Miss Pakistan participate in the recently held Miss Earth 2007, given that previous Miss Pakistan in 2005 and 2006 participated in the same?
(Regarding participation in) Miss World and Miss Universe, we cannot since we are not holding it on the land of Pakistan; Miss Earth, due to financial reasons.
Why not hold the pageant in Pakistan? I am sure there will be a lot more talent available here!
Not interested in holding the pageant in Pakistan, because of the overwhelmingly orthodox view in society.
What checks are placed to ensure the nationality of these girls as rumours have been going around that a majority of these girls are Indian?
Dual nationalities come with two passports, and we check if each contestant has a Pakistani passport as well. Some Pakistanis can’t believe that we are actually going in a direction, which was never there for Pakistani women, so to balance their disbelief they spread rumors. How long can they do that? They will have to come to terms with their Muslim Pakistani women participating in beauty pageants and accept them one day or the other.
Do participants usually show any reservations about the Bikini round? Are there any objections from their parents? And how does the organization deal with it?
No, as girls are given the information, when they apply and are given a choice if they want to take part or not. And if they want to take part then the Bikini Round is there. A rule is a rule and they will have to abide by it, if they want to be a part of the pageant.
While watching the video of the 2007 pageant’s bikini shoot, some of the poses were a little too obscene in nature. We would like you to elaborate on that.
Again, that’s in your eyes, nothing was obscene. It is entertainment and unfortunately, when Jennifer Lopez comes in a bikini or a Britney Spears does the same, the same people look at it from a different point of view and make them into great people, but just because we are Pakistanis we have to get the word obscene.
Tell us a little about the past winners. Who they were and what kind of response have they had being Miss Pakistan. Are past winners involved with the organization?
Mahleej Sarkari, was crowned Miss Pakistan World 2007 on 23rd June in Toronto Canada. This demure beauty excelled in talent, performance and over all presence on stage and won over the hearts of the judges. At the age of 24 Mahleej, is planning to attend international pageants and represent Pakistan on an international level. She has made several appearances at many events in the US. Mahleej is currently preparing for the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant 2008 to be held next year in China.
Bushra Jamil – Miss Pakistan Tourism 2007/World Miss University Pakistan 2007
Bushra Jamil later on represented Pakistan in the 20th World Miss University pageant that was held in Seoul, Korea. At the age of 22, Bushra was given the Certificate of becoming a peace ambassador of Pakistan from the Korean government.
Nida Khan – Queen of the world Pakistan 2007/Miss Internet World Pakistan 2007/ Winner of Miss Internet World Asia Runner up 2
Nida Khan, also went on to become the face of Asia on the Miss Internet World pageant. She achieved the second runner up position for Asia. During her law degree, Nida is an aspiring model and will be representing Pakistan in more pageants in the coming month. Nida was also Miss Perfect 10 for the Miss Pakistan World 2007 pageant.
Sehr Mahmood – Miss Pakistan Earth 2006 in Philippines/Queen of the World Pakistan 2006 in Germany (won Queen of Elegance title)/Miss Pakistan World 2006
Sehr Mahmood was born on 10th August in Karachi, Pakistan. She completed her O’ and A levels there and later moved to Boston, USA. Moving from Pakistan to the West was a huge change as the culture and lifestyle was very different but she integrated with the lifestyle of the West. She completed her undergraduate degree - a specialized honors in Economics. She is currently writing GMATS as she will apply for Masters Program next year.
Naomi Zaman – Miss Pakistan Earth 2005/Miss Tourism Pakistan 2005
Born on 8th of January, Naomi Zaman spent her growing years in Toronto, Ontario. Her family, originally from Lahore, Pakistan, instilled Pakistani values in her and since childhood she was very Pakistani at heart. At the age of 19, Naomi took part in the Miss Canada Pakistan Pageant. This was just the beginning of it all.......
Naomi is the second Pakistani beauty queen who successfully competed in international pageants like Miss Earth & Miss Tourism representing her home country, Pakistan. Her passions in life are singing and arts, and after wining the title of Miss Talent at the Miss Canada Pakistan 2005 pageant, she went on to participate in Miss Tourism Queen International held in China and Miss Earth in Manila, Philippines. There Naomi achieved two titles: Miss Disco Girl of the Year and Miss Best Talent. This was a major accomplishment for Naomi considering that this was the first time a Miss Pakistan was taking part in an international pageant.
What is the next step for the organisation? What are the upcoming International Pageants that you are targeting?
Miss Pakistan holds a promising future for these girls to be a part of the prestigious international pageant circle. These delegates will get an opportunity to be representing Pakistan in different countries. Besides all that the current winners have been part of the entertainment industry as well. We would like the proper and well educated side of the Lollywood industry to join hands with us but again it all depends on what will work best. —- There is no doubt that Pakistani women are beautiful, now we need to show that beauty lies in Pakistan, and that we can too become an international face for all cultures to relate to. This is not just a pageant, it is an empowerment for those women who were kept in the dark, and were told that if they ever did something like that, then it would be a black spot on their reputation. We will definitely not be a slave to the old fashioned thoughts of male chauvinism in Pakistan. I think Musharraf and his ideas are great. We believe in him, and the main reason I started believing in his change for Pakistan was because he brought back the entertainment industry by making media a free body. We are his die hard followers and we are proud of the fact that Pakistan is now geared towards a developed nation in the future. The only thing politically I want is for Pakistan to become a secular country.
What is the status of the organization, i.e. are you officially allowed to participate in International Pageants by the Pakistan Government?
The government has no time to indulge in girls in evening gowns representing their beauty on stage. So no, the government has never disturbed us.
What kind of media coverage has the competition received in past?
We get media from India, Pakistan, Middle East, USA, UK and Canada and the rest of the world.
Why not participate in Miss World and Miss Universe Competitions? Also, why didn’t Miss Pakistan participate in the recently held Miss Earth 2007, given that previous Miss Pakistan in 2005 and 2006 participated in the same?
(Regarding participation in) Miss World and Miss Universe, we cannot since we are not holding it on the land of Pakistan; Miss Earth, due to financial reasons.
Why not hold the pageant in Pakistan? I am sure there will be a lot more talent available here!
Not interested in holding the pageant in Pakistan, because of the overwhelmingly orthodox view in society.
What checks are placed to ensure the nationality of these girls as rumours have been going around that a majority of these girls are Indian?
Dual nationalities come with two passports, and we check if each contestant has a Pakistani passport as well. Some Pakistanis can’t believe that we are actually going in a direction, which was never there for Pakistani women, so to balance their disbelief they spread rumors. How long can they do that? They will have to come to terms with their Muslim Pakistani women participating in beauty pageants and accept them one day or the other.
Do participants usually show any reservations about the Bikini round? Are there any objections from their parents? And how does the organization deal with it?
No, as girls are given the information, when they apply and are given a choice if they want to take part or not. And if they want to take part then the Bikini Round is there. A rule is a rule and they will have to abide by it, if they want to be a part of the pageant.
While watching the video of the 2007 pageant’s bikini shoot, some of the poses were a little too obscene in nature. We would like you to elaborate on that.
Again, that’s in your eyes, nothing was obscene. It is entertainment and unfortunately, when Jennifer Lopez comes in a bikini or a Britney Spears does the same, the same people look at it from a different point of view and make them into great people, but just because we are Pakistanis we have to get the word obscene.
Tell us a little about the past winners. Who they were and what kind of response have they had being Miss Pakistan. Are past winners involved with the organization?
Mahleej Sarkari, was crowned Miss Pakistan World 2007 on 23rd June in Toronto Canada. This demure beauty excelled in talent, performance and over all presence on stage and won over the hearts of the judges. At the age of 24 Mahleej, is planning to attend international pageants and represent Pakistan on an international level. She has made several appearances at many events in the US. Mahleej is currently preparing for the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant 2008 to be held next year in China.
Bushra Jamil – Miss Pakistan Tourism 2007/World Miss University Pakistan 2007
Bushra Jamil later on represented Pakistan in the 20th World Miss University pageant that was held in Seoul, Korea. At the age of 22, Bushra was given the Certificate of becoming a peace ambassador of Pakistan from the Korean government.
Nida Khan – Queen of the world Pakistan 2007/Miss Internet World Pakistan 2007/ Winner of Miss Internet World Asia Runner up 2
Nida Khan, also went on to become the face of Asia on the Miss Internet World pageant. She achieved the second runner up position for Asia. During her law degree, Nida is an aspiring model and will be representing Pakistan in more pageants in the coming month. Nida was also Miss Perfect 10 for the Miss Pakistan World 2007 pageant.
Sehr Mahmood – Miss Pakistan Earth 2006 in Philippines/Queen of the World Pakistan 2006 in Germany (won Queen of Elegance title)/Miss Pakistan World 2006
Sehr Mahmood was born on 10th August in Karachi, Pakistan. She completed her O’ and A levels there and later moved to Boston, USA. Moving from Pakistan to the West was a huge change as the culture and lifestyle was very different but she integrated with the lifestyle of the West. She completed her undergraduate degree - a specialized honors in Economics. She is currently writing GMATS as she will apply for Masters Program next year.
Naomi Zaman – Miss Pakistan Earth 2005/Miss Tourism Pakistan 2005
Born on 8th of January, Naomi Zaman spent her growing years in Toronto, Ontario. Her family, originally from Lahore, Pakistan, instilled Pakistani values in her and since childhood she was very Pakistani at heart. At the age of 19, Naomi took part in the Miss Canada Pakistan Pageant. This was just the beginning of it all.......
Naomi is the second Pakistani beauty queen who successfully competed in international pageants like Miss Earth & Miss Tourism representing her home country, Pakistan. Her passions in life are singing and arts, and after wining the title of Miss Talent at the Miss Canada Pakistan 2005 pageant, she went on to participate in Miss Tourism Queen International held in China and Miss Earth in Manila, Philippines. There Naomi achieved two titles: Miss Disco Girl of the Year and Miss Best Talent. This was a major accomplishment for Naomi considering that this was the first time a Miss Pakistan was taking part in an international pageant.
What is the next step for the organisation? What are the upcoming International Pageants that you are targeting?
Miss Pakistan holds a promising future for these girls to be a part of the prestigious international pageant circle. These delegates will get an opportunity to be representing Pakistan in different countries. Besides all that the current winners have been part of the entertainment industry as well. We would like the proper and well educated side of the Lollywood industry to join hands with us but again it all depends on what will work best. —- There is no doubt that Pakistani women are beautiful, now we need to show that beauty lies in Pakistan, and that we can too become an international face for all cultures to relate to. This is not just a pageant, it is an empowerment for those women who were kept in the dark, and were told that if they ever did something like that, then it would be a black spot on their reputation. We will definitely not be a slave to the old fashioned thoughts of male chauvinism in Pakistan. I think Musharraf and his ideas are great. We believe in him, and the main reason I started believing in his change for Pakistan was because he brought back the entertainment industry by making media a free body. We are his die hard followers and we are proud of the fact that Pakistan is now geared towards a developed nation in the future. The only thing politically I want is for Pakistan to become a secular country.
