Taseer’s murder and Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan: A rebuttal to Prof Shahid Alam – by Badruddin Gowani: I read Professor M. Shahid Alam’s recent article “Pakistan: A political murder or war” (Counterpunch Weekend Edition January 14, 2011) His allegations of the United States role in Pakistan and the corrupt Pakistani establishment that have screwed up the

Latif Khosa: Reconciliation between PPP and PML-N is a death warrant for anti-democracy forces: Benazir Bhutto’s policy of reconciliation Khosa for reconciling differences with PML-N January 15, 2011 Punjab Governor Latif Khosa has said he would meet PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif after his visit to Nodero in a bid to reconcile differences with

Who is behind restoring the MMA in the guise of the blasphemy law movement? – by Irfan Siddiqi: Related articles: A plan well executed Salman Taseer: Another victim of the deep state, its ideological and political faces The LUBP was the first blog which identified and confronted the efforts by you-know-who to reunite moderate mullahs including Barelvis,

Year of missing persons? – by Hasan Mujtaba: لاپتہ لوگوں کا سال حسن مجتییٰ | 2011-01-19 ،16:32 اب تو امریکہ نے بھی پاکستان میں ایجنسیوں کے ہاتھوں سینکڑوں افراد کی گمشدگيوں پر تب تشویش کی ہے جب بلوچستان سے گمشدہ افراد کی لاشیں بر آمد ہونا شروع

The republic of silence — by Saroop Ijaz: An LUBP reader has recommended to cross-post this article. According to the reader, “Saroop isn’t a PPP basher. He is a supporter. His uncle stood against Pervaiz Elahi. These are dissenting voices within the party [which the party should

There was a naughty boy: Salma Mahmud remembers her brother Salmaan Taseer: There was a naughty boy, And a naughty boy was he, He would not stop at home, He would not quiet be. – John Keats There are so many memories of those days gone by, that it is almost

An open letter to Rehman Malik – by Sana Saleem: Related post: Focus on religious madrassahs and their mentors instead of Rehman Malik – by Dr. Saifurrehman Cross-posted from The Dawn Blog Dear Mr. Rehman Malik, I recently found out that you have decided to take action (aka, block,

The PPP, the mullahs and the blasphemy law – by Abbas Ather: Source: Daily Express, 18 Jan 2011

Taseer’s murder and the call for a ‘broad-based alliance’ between PPP and the ‘civil society’ – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: Related posts: Deconstructing Pakistani liberals: A response to Shashi Tharoor and Raza Rumi The Civil Society Bulletin – by Abbas Baloch Some myths and realities about the self-labelled civil society – by Shahid Khan “Supreme Court shall not remain

The “epicentre” of terrorism – by Ayesha Siddiqa: So we don’t like what US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said about us: that Pakistan has become an “epicentre” of terrorism. Many have disliked the statement and consider terrorism as a temporary phenomenon linked with American presence

295-c, A Black Law – by Abbas Ather: Related article: ‘Everyone Declare Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law as Black Law’ Campaign

What is the common message in Salman Taseer’s murder and Justice Javed Iqbal’s parents’ murder?: چند روز پہلے تک حکومتی اتحاد میں کوئی دراڑ نہیں تھی۔ مگر اچانک مولانا فضل الرحمن نے حکومت سے علیحدگی کا اعلان کر کے سیاسی ہلچل بھی پیدا کر دی۔ ہرچند حکومت اس میں سے عارضی طور پر بچ

Umar Bin Khattab (RA), the forerunner of visionary modern state – by Shaukat Masood Zafar: People say good leadership is like a prized perfume. Its very first scented waft announces its presence with astonishing freshness. Bad leadership like skunk just stinks. Democracy is not a separate ideology from Islam. In fact democracy is very

General Zia-ul-Haq’s (balack) laws are not Allah’s laws – by Tanveer Qaiser Shahid:

In support of Nasrin Sotoudeh: We condemn Iranian judiciary and mullahs for their decision to sentence prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to 11 years on flimsy charges (on the pretext of national security). It may be noted that not unlike GHQ’s influence on

The ISI-Sipah-e-Sahaba alliance responsible for the recent wave of Shia target killings in Karachi: Two Shia men Martyred by the Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists in Sindh The target killing of Shia Muslims remains continued in the Sindh province as two more Shia Muslims, Syed Yawar Abbas Jaffari and Asim Zaidi, have been gunned down by

A survey of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries – by Wusatullah Khan: Related article: Namoos-e-risalat or namoos-e-zia-ul-haq? – by Abbas Ather کاش انہیں ضیا مل جائے وسعت اللہ خان بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کراچی اس کرہِ ارض کی آبادی چھ ارب نوے کروڑ ہے۔اس میں ایک ارب ستاون کروڑ

Taseer’s murder: This is Jinnah’s Pakistan – by Ayesha Siddiqa: One hopes that after January 4, the ruling elite will realise that the majority of people are not peaceful onlookers, but a mob which will happily condemn people to death without understanding their logic. Salmaan Taseer was against a

Namoos-e-risalat or namoos-e-zia-ul-haq? – by Abbas Ather: Source: Express, 8 January 2010 Link to Column Kaar’s episode mentioned in the above article: Allama Tahir Ashrafi’s views on the blasphemy law and Taseer’s murder – Abbas Ather’s Column Kaar

From Shaheed Justice Arif Iqbal Bhatti to Shaheed Salman Taseer: PPP’s struggle against the Ziaist Blasphemy Law: The PPP has a long history of standing up to Islamofascism and Islamopatriotism in Pakistan, which have been systematically and institutionally cultivated in the curricula, mosques, schools, madrassahs, media and other aspects of Pakistani society by the military establishment.

Taseer’s murder: A plan well executed: Related article: Salman Taseer: Another victim of the deep state, its ideological and political faces – by Shaista Aazar How fake is “civil society’s” liberal agenda? – by Shakeel Arain It is becoming increasingly apparent that shaheed Salman Taseer’s

Updated: Ban the supporters of Taseer’s murder: An appeal to international organizations and governments: This is an ethical and legal appeal to all international organisations and governments including the United Nations, Governments of UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and other countries of Europe, USA, Canada, UAE, India and all other countries of the

‘Everyone Declare Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law as Black Law’ Campaign: Please participate in this campaign by joining this page. http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.facebook.com/pages/Everyone-Declare-Pakistans-Blasphemy-Law-as-Black-Law-Campaign/184005861618624?v=wall On 4 January 2011, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was shot dead by an Islamofascist terrorist in Islamabad. Shaheed Salman Taseer’s only crime was: 1. He raised voice in support

Asma Jahangir’s interview: Taseer’s murder will embolden the Pakistani religious right: In the following interview conducted by Shamil Shams of DW, Pakistan’s leading human rights activist Asma Jahangir tells that after the assassination of the governor of the Punjab, it will become more difficult for people to challenge the country’s

Salman Taseer, Shaheed-e-Thaffuz-e-Rehmat-e-Risalat (PBUH), ko salam: Related articles: Salman Taseer zindah hai – by Khalid Chaudhry Death of a hero: the aftermath – by Waseem Altaf Death becomes his – by Nadeem F. Paracha Salman Taseer: Another victim of the deep state, its ideological and

Shame on extremist Barelvis: More than 500 religious scholars belonging to the Barelvi school of thought paid rich tributes to the assassin of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer on Tuesday and urged ‘Muslims across the country’ to boycott the  funeral ceremony. While the Deoband and

Mumtaz Qadris are everywhere – by Altaf Ahmad: I am ashamed of being a Pakistani today. I still remember the day a foreign firm that I worked with online for 2 years offered me to join their office at Warsaw. They were willing to increase my pay

Taseer’s murder is a warning to all sane voices in Pakistan – by Imran Qadir Butt: One by one, extremists are silencing every sane voice in Pakistani society. The cold blooded murder of Salman Taseer is another warning for people who are harbingers of sanity and tolerance and crude reminders for them that they are

A brainwashed fanatic kills Governor Punjab Salman Taseer: An extremist and religious fanatic (reportedly of the Barelvi sect) killed Governor Punjab Salman Taseer in a brazen attack in Islamabad today. Governor Punjab had received death threats from the following because of his bold stance on the blasphemy

“Don’t chant the hollow slogans on my birthday: Says ZA Bhutto” – by D. Asghar: We are pleased to publish an excellent post by our fellow blogger D. Asghar who wrote this article to mark the birthday of Quaid-e-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (born 5 January 1928). Yes it is 5 January. Yes it is

The Winter Establishment Tournament: Final results pending – by Brandon Wallace: So MQM finally quits the PPP-lead Coalition Government. It’s not a surprise and neither would be the role of the military establishment in nudging one of its favorite offspring to do so. As sure as night brings darkness,, the

Where Islamists and fake liberals of Pakistan converge: The GHQ induced patriotism: The aim of this post is to highlight how liberals and mullahs of Pakistan can, at times, converge to reinforce and propagate a GHQ’s induced narrative on patriotism. In the following post, it is hard to miss the common

Book review: Hazrat Ali and Nahjal Balagha — by Khaled Ahmed: Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali By Reza Shah-Kazemi; IB Tauris 2006 Pp 254; Special price Rs995 Available at bookstores in Pakistan This is a book from The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, and is dedicated

Did Jinnah aspire for a secular Pakistan? – by Dr Safdar Mehmood: Photo: Dawn Related article: A Rebuttal to Dr. Safdar Mehmood’s article “Did Jinnah Aspire to a Secular Pakistan” – by Naveed Ali قائداعظم پر بہتان لگانے والے صبح بخیر…ڈاکٹر صفدر محمود گزشتہ چھ دہائیوں سے یہ بحث جاری ہے

Bruce Riedel, a former CIA officer, explores future scenarios for Afghanistan and Pakistan: Source: Majallah Interview conducted by Constantino Xavier First publication date: 22 December 2010 A former CIA officer, Bruce Riedel has been a close observer of the radical developments that South Asia has witnessed since 2001. In this interview with

Blasphemy law, Kamran Khan ke sath – by John Bosco: It doesn’t look good that we should start our 1st day of the year with the same problems and issues that we have been dealing for over 2 decades. Please find herewith web link of a programme telecast on “Aaj

Charter of irresponsible journalism in Pakistan in 2011: “Responsible optimism” is the catchy title of an article that I read today in my ‘favourite’ newspaper, The News (of Jang Group!). According to the byline, Mr Mosharraf Zaidi, the author of the article, “advises governments, donors and NGOs

She died as her father did: Bravely – by Tarek Fatah: Source: Counter Currents First publication date: 28 December, 2007 It was the summer of 1966. We were mere teenagers meeting Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who had just resigned as Pakistan’s foreign minister and was about to launch a new left-wing

Benazir Bhutto: torchbearer of freedom and democracy — by Amjad Ayub Mirza: Her initial act after coming to power for the first time in 1988 was to lift the ban on student unions and to legalise labour unions. She restored the free operation of NGOs and for the first time in

MQM and PML-N introduce each other: غیر اخلاقی بیان بازی کے بعد فائر بندی فریقین میں تلخی اور توہین آمیز بیان بازی کا سلسلہ اس وقت شروع ہوا جب مسلم لیگ (ن) کے سربراہ نواز شریف نے مظفرآباد میں ایک خطاب میں ایم کیو ایم