Asma has undergone a transformation in these last few months. She has filled out in all the right places. Her skin is radiant. Her eyes, by far her most striking feature, are olympic-sized limpid pools. They are second only to her dazzling smile. And to top it all, her body has come alive with that special glow of fertility --at high noon. Estrogen seems to be shooting out from her every pore. Some have suggested that she has gotten married, but I don't see any rings on that finger. Whatever she's done, or had done to her, it's paying phat dividends.
Clearly she is pretty enough to be a movie star. But just being pretty doesn't get you on PakiKaki. The fact is, her every little move is lathered in sensuality. The shot where she is sitting with her legs closed and looking right at the PM --that alluring look alone-- is worth a viagra-a-second. You can see the PM sitting with that pained expression, looking skyward with his legs crossed. The guy is willing to risk blue balls for his honour and dignity.
You have to appreciate the clever and under-stated (or is it underhanded) dichotomy of her dress. It's a style adopted by a particular class these days, who want to have their cake and eat it too. Although appearing to be conservatively dressed in a scarf and a dupatta, she has taken pains to exhibit her feminine charms (much to our delight).
The dyed hair has been deliberately let out from the scarf. The deep neckline leaves half of her chest exposed and last but not least, the diaphanous layered dress gives the viewer that tingly feeling that he has gotten away with seeing more than he is supposed to. It's a smoke-n-mirror operation with just enough fire behind it to raise an alarm, among other things. Asma is smart enough to have pulled it off well. Some girls here will pull on a tank top and low-rider jeans and then wrap a tiny scarf around their head. Now that, just insults our intelligence.
Asma has worked her way up from a lowly reporter job at the Parliament, to now anchoring various programs for ARY. I have seen her standing in the sun, outside the Parliament, looking like an orphan, waiting for some jackass politician to show up. When the police were shelling the capitol, late last year, Asma was clambering around, inhaling tear gas like every other beat-up black coat on the street. This girl has paid her dues and has come up the hard way. She is now a veteran journalist and that's why you have to get up pretty-early-in-the-morning to get one past her.
The neat thing about Asma is that she is intelligent enough to know and brave enough to ask follow-up questions. No slimy politician can expect an easy ride. She has this innate confidence in herself which besides being sexy, is a rare and commendable trait for any professional. The girl has got brains and spunk. In this particular interview she did not back down from asking our (puppet) PM, the hard questions, albeit, cushioned in her soft, but firm manner.
I like Asma as a journalist. I want her to succeed. I want her to take names and kick ass in the corridors of power. Not because she's a fox, but because she works hard and deserves it. Bearing witness to her loveliness along the way, is just gravy.
