Paradox republic – by Nadeem Paracha: Pakistan has been in the news for quite some time now. A country that (until about the early 1980s) was little known and usually mistaken for being a province of India in Europe and the United States, has rapidly
Evolving campus politics – By Nadeem Paracha: In 1947 the only established student organisation in the newly created country of Pakistan was the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student-wing of the Muslim League. The Muslim League began to disintegrate as Pakistan’s first ruling party. Consequently, the
Fatima Bhutto: Dad who would be king – by Nadeem Paracha: “Fatima’s attempt at setting the record straight regarding her father is understandable, but her deriding the woman who led her party into power not through the bullet but by the ballot is not.” The much-awaited book by Murtaza Bhutto’s
Al-Zulfikar: The unsaid history – by Nadeem Paracha: Pakistan is infamous for having a history cramped with assorted Islamist and sectarian organisations that have been unleashing havoc on its people and the state for over a decade. But long before violent terror groups like Sipah-e-Shaba, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and
Asif Zardari: The sudden hero – By Nadeem Paracha: The historic passage of the 18th Amendment Bill in the current National Assembly is rightly being paired with the country’s first ‘Constitutional revolution’ i.e. the making and passage of the 1973 Constitution during the government of the country’s first
Punjab khappay? – by Nadeem Paracha: According to many emails that I received after posting a blog in the wake of the terrible bomb attacks in Lahore last week, I was ‘spreading politics of ethnicity.’ I don’t know exactly what made these folks think this way,
Glory, piety and politics – by Nadeem Paracha: With Pakistan’s two main political parties looking exhausted by being made to play a continuous game of cat and mouse with the establishment, the new generation of young Pakistanis began to look elsewhere. Many young Pakistanis, who in their
The shameful role of Geo TV in Rawalpindi by-poll: Our fellow bloggers at Cafe Pyala have recently exposed the shameful role of Geo TV and Hamid Mir in the recent by-elections in NA-55. Nadeem Paracha too has written an article on this topic, an excerpt from which is
Hijacking Democracy – by Anas Muhammad: Today we live in an increasingly dangerous world, which is filled with people who have their ulterior motives and willingness to harm others to benefit themselves. Our world is filled with criminals, gangsters, murderers, and terrorists. The people who
From Maududi to Aafia – by Nadeem F. Paracha: She’s being called the “daughter of the nation” who needs to be rescued from the fanged jaws of the Americans. Her name is Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Pakistani TV channels and drawing-rooms are buzzing with talk of this gallant woman
Nadeem F. Paracha vs Aamir Liaquat Hussain: Source: Pakistan Media Watch VS Though we typically focus on news talk shows and newspapers, it is not beyond the boundaries to also include some religious television shows. Obviously, this is not a blog about Religion Watch, and I
The froth of Imran Khan – by Nadeem Paracha: Related article: Imran Khan will sweep next elections – by Abdul Nishapuri What can one say about Imran Khan? A great former cricketer, a compassionate philanthropist … a sorry excuse for a politician. But his continuing forays into bad
A short history of the Babble Media Mujahids – by Nadeem Paracha: Babble Media Mujahids (BMM, and also called, BAAM!) is a group of superheroes operating in Pakistan. They advocate religious tolerance through the killing of heretics and glorification of an independent judiciary. The BMM was formed through divine intervention when
The scholar, the sufi, and the fanatic – by Nadeem Paracha: Roughly speaking, the political and social aspects of Islam in Pakistan can be seen as existing in and emerging from three distinct sets and clusters of thought. These clusters represent the three variations of political and social Islam that
The myths, the madness, and the media – by Nadeem F. Paracha: Among other things, Nadeem Paracha also mentions Hamid Mir’s onslaught against Let Us Build Pakistan in the following article: After talking of the dangerously concocted narratives peddled by the state, government, and religious parties of Pakistan that I mentioned
Little monsters – by Nadeem F. Paracha: There is nothing new anymore about the suggestion that over a span of about 30 odd years, the Pakistani military and its establishmentarian allies in the intelligence agencies, the politicised clergy, conservative political parties and the media have, in
Democrats, beware! – by Nadeem Paracha: In the following article, Nadeem Paracha offers a critical analysis of certain (pro-establishment, pro-Taliban and anti-democracy)elements in Pakistani media (e.g. Dr Shahid Masood, Shaheen Sehbai, Geo TV, and The News) who are dismantling the institution of democracy in Pakistan