Author Archive

Another Christian victim of the black blasphemy law: Sawan Masih: Today  Sawan Masih an innocent Pakistani Christian sweeper was sentenced to death under the allegations that he had blasphemed against Prophet Muhammad after waiting for an year for a verdict. This took place after Sawan and his Muslim friend
Shahbaz Bhatti Murder Case: Witnesses Threatened: “Threatening pamphlets claiming to be from the Punjabi Taliban were found in the office of our key witness, whose name cannot be disclosed for security.” Shamoon Gill, spokesman of APMA, told AFP. He said the pamphlets had warned the
Children of Lesser God: Early this January, liberal quarters of Pakistan’s civil society commemorated fourth death anniversary of Shaheed Salmaan Taseer, the slain Governor of the Punjab. He was assassinated in broad daylight four years ago because of his unrelenting support for a
Pakistan should protect minorities says UK Attorney General: Britain’s Attorney General Dominic Grieve MP has said that it’s the responsibility of the government of Pakistan to protect its religious minorities from persecution by the extremist groups through vigorous action against those who perpetrate crimes in the name
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appoints ‘untouchable’ as adviser: Karachi: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, has appointed a Hindu ‘untouchable’ as his adviser, an unprecedented office for a low caste Hindu in this conservative society. Surendar Vallasai, a former journalist, who later joined the
Minority MPAs demand withdrawal of LG ordinance:   Thursday, December 19, 2013 KARACHI: Over half a dozen minority lawmakers of Sindh Assembly on Wednesday demanded provincial government to immediately withdraw amendment in Sindh People’s Local Government Act 2013 through third amendment ordinance, promulgated by Sindh Governor
Pakistani Christian selected for Canadian National Cricket Team:   Cecil Pervez Khan recorded his name in the history of Cricket Canada by becoming the first ever Pakistani Christan to play for team Canada in the international cricket matches after his good spell of bowling and batting on
Peshawar Church Bombing Culprits: Taliban or Us?: The news I heard today was devastating. I could picture the whole scenario of how it is for Christians to go church every Sunday, the preparation done all week by families and the excitement for Christians to dedicate their
Remembering A Slain Hero:   As soon as the calenders were flipped to September an excitement would begin to build in two specific houses in Islamabad. One my nano’s and the second mine. Shahbaz’s birthday would be coming up soon. We would begin
Christian nurse living in fear she does not want to marry Muslim man: Ghulam Muhammad, an influential and feared Muslim businessman in Sanghar District, has threatened to abduct Nazia Masih and disfigured her with acid because she has refused to marry him. The man is known to police because of several complaints
Why is there silence?: I read these words by a dear friend today while checking my Facebook. And these words touched my heart. کل تک قرآن کی بے حرمتی پر شور مچانے والے مسلمان آج قرآن کی وارث بی بی زینب (ع) کے
Sikh holy book desecrated again in Sindh: KARACHI: Before police could arrest culprits who desecrated Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib in Pano Aqil, a similar incident happened in Shikarpur, in which unknown people tore 24 pages of the sacred book. The incident has caused annoyance
Maulana Tariq Jameel and Agha Rahat Hussaini meet for Sunni Shia Muslim unity in Gilgit: By Shabbir Mir Published: June 11, 2013   GILGIT: The ongoing Tablighi Ijtima in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has provided an opportunity to bring Sunni and Shia sects closer in a manner the region has never witnessed before. On Monday, Maulana Tariq
Hindu lawmaker in Pak asks new regime to safeguard rights of minorities: Islamabad: Pakistani Hindu legislator has cautioned Pakistan’s new government about a possible exodus of members of his minority community and called for a quick and effective legislation to safeguard their rights, according to a media report on Monday. Malani,
Power riots erupt in Punjab towns: Police storm houses to arrest protesters: From the Newspaper FAISALABAD: A large number of people from villages around Khurrianwala town vented their anger against power outages on Tuesday and attacked a grid station and offices of the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco). They blocked traffic
Non-Muslim candidates largely absent in Pakistan’s election: Few non-Muslims are running in Pakistan’s planned election, which critics say reinforces non-Muslims’ status as a poor underclass there. by Aamir Saeed, written for UPI.com Pakistan’s major parties are ignoring Christians, Hindus and other minorities as potential candidates —
Once a landlord’s serf, Pakistani Hindu woman enters poll fray:   Reuters | Apr 14, 2013, 06.12 PM IST HYDERABAD (Pakistan): When Veero Kolhi made the asset declaration required of candidates for Pakistan’s May elections, she listed the following items: two beds, five mattresses, cooking pots and a bank
Scholars call for end to discrimination against minorities:   Wednesday, April 10, 2013 – Karachi—Scholars and parliamentarians representing different South Asian states identified that there was democracy deficit in the entire region that had caused weakening voice of minorities. People had become merely vote banks and the
Shura Hamdard discusses nation’s responsibilities towards minorities:   April 13, 2013 RECORDER REPORTER Speakers at the meeting of Shura Hamdard Karachi chapter urged the government to improve governance, change the mindset of people and bring the minorities in main stream of the society in order to
Drive-by shooting: Christian leader Saleem Khokhar survives attack: KARACHI: The president of All Pakistan Minorities Alliance Sindh chapter, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, survived an attack on him on his way to Karachi from Badin on Wednesday. Two unidentified men on a red motorcycle tried to stop his white Corolla
ECP to decide the fate of 182 minority candidates today: Friday, April 05, 2013 ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will decide the fate of 182 minority candidates contesting elections on 10 national assembly seats reserved for minorities today (Friday). The ECP is scheduled to hold scrutiny process of
Reserved seats for minorities: Nomination papers of 22 candidates accepted: PESHAWAR: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday accepted at least 22 nomination papers of candidates vying for seats reserved for minorities in the provincial legislature. An ECP official said 22 nomination papers were screened and accepted out of
Thank you, CM Najam Sethi: PML-N-led mob targets Christian locality in Gujranwala: Sunni (deobandi) Muslim mob targets Christian locality in Gujranwala ‘for disrespecting Islam’ Related post: Najam Sethi and others continue to obfuscate the truth while nearly 200 Christian homes burn – by Ali Taj Sethi-Rumi minions exonerate Deobandi militants from
Indian girl who strayed into Pakistan, sent back with new dress, candies: Report: Published: April 2, 2013   A seven-year-old Indian girl who had strayed into Pakistan was given a new dress, footwear and candies before the Rangers handed her over to Indian authorities, reported Indian news agency TNN on Tuesday. The girl,
‘Nothing changes for us … we will live and die sweeping’: PESHAWAR: Afzal Masih, 28, slowly walks along Warsak Road, reflecting on his situation, broom in hand. “I am a sweeper, my sons will be sweepers and, in the future, so will my grandsons,” he says. In a jarring similarity shared
Sidelined minorities: ‘The present system has turned us into second-class citizens’:     Published: April 2, 2013 PESHAWAR: Non-Muslims in Nowshera on Monday demanded the government give them what they described as the right to elect their representatives so people subscribing to various religions can play their due role for the
‘Don’t burn this house. It belongs to a Muslim’:   By Ali Usman / Photo: Abid Nawaz / Creative: Essa Malik Published: March 30, 2013 LAHORE: While most of the two hundred houses set on fire in Joseph Colony have been rebuilt, the shattered confidence of the residents will
PML-N backstabs the Christian community again:   While Shahbaz Sharif led PML-N government has practically refused to punish the PMLN-ASWJ leaders and militants involved in attacks on Christians in Gorja or Joseph Colony Lahore, its intentions about financial compensation of the victims are equally dubious. Shaheed-e-Haq
Joseph Colony: Cheques handed out by Punjab govt bounce: Published: March 21, 2013   LAHORE: The cheques distributed among victims of the Joseph Colony attack by the Punjab government bounced, Express News reported Thursday. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced Rs0.5 million in compensation for each of those affected in
Living among the marksmen:   Supporting those who are busy killing us At the end of every working day, when we sit in front of the TV screens, my mother, who cannot understand Urdu, comes to us and asks us a question, “How
Forensic report: Deobandi militant of ASWJ-Taliban involved in Parveen Rahman’s murder: By Faraz Khan Published: March 19, 2013 KARACHI: Ballistics have matched the weapon used to kill Orangi Pilot Project director Perween Rahman to that said to be found on a suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban commander’s aide in Manghopir. The Sindh forensics
A history of an oppressed community: By Kunwar Khalid Yunus Published: March 18, 2013 The genesis of the Shia community’s persecution goes back to October 1979, when the Iranian revolution occurred. The impact of the revolution was far-reaching. Certain Middle Eastern kingdoms and caliphates panicked.
Terrorism’s Illicit Affairs: By Khaled Ahmed | From the March 15, 2013, issue. After the Feb. 16 massacre of 90 Shia Hazaras in Quetta, and the universal condemnation of the act, Pakistan’s politicians are desperately distancing themselves from the terrorist group that
A pipeline to some sovereignty: Ayaz Amir Friday, March 15, 2013 Just last year the leading national flavour was anti-Americanism… and the heroic assertion of national sovereignty. After the Raymond Davis affair, the stealth assault on Bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad and the killing
Sindh assembly passes resolution over misuse of blasphemy law: KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly passed a resolution regarding the ‘misuse of the blasphemy law’ and to condemn the ‘barbaric’ attack on the Christian homes in Joseph Colony, stated a press release on Monday. The Joseph Colony incident took place on
Violence brews at BZU: By: Our Staff Reporter | March 15, 2013 MULTAN – A visiting lecturer of English Department of Bahauddin Zakariya University, who has been accused of blasphemy, was the target of a students rally bought out against him while Tehreek
Media Blackout: Why Is the World Not Acknowledging Shahbagh?: Posted on February 19, 2013 | When I was a little girl, I always wanted Bangladesh to be famous. I did not like that whenever people asked me where I was from I would have to explain, “Bangladesh, this
Election 2013: Abid Raza Deobandi of ASWJ-LeJ gets PML-N ticket from Gujrat: From the Newspaper | Waseem Ashraf Butt | GUJRAT, March 17: As the `sufferings’ of old guards at the hands of new entrants to Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) continue in Gujrat, the fresh `casualty’ is party’s district president and
Women Who Dare: Nafis Sadik, Champion of Choice for Women Around the World:   BY Jaime-Alexis Fowler   |   February 28, 2013 Nafis Sadik has been called one of the most powerful women in the world. One of the greatest women’s advocates of the twentieth century, Nafis is an obstetrician, author, mother, and global thought
Death by a thousand cuts: After each act of violence against religious minorities, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi or Sipah-e-Sahaba proudly own up to it without fear of punishment The recent mob attack on Christians in Lahore, resulting in the burning down of over one hundred