Author Archive
Religious extremism: Bomb with the fuse lit – by Zafar Hilaly: Once upon a time to get on in Pakistan religion did not matter. On the other hand, a criminal record did not help. Today, by the looks of it, one can have a criminal record and still actually occupy
Did Jinnah know about the Kashmir War? — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Those who want us to believe that an obscure colonel forced Pakistan into a war without the knowledge of the top political leadership, especially someone of the stature of Jinnah, are insulting common sense In his comment, ‘Jinnah’s role
Nawaz Sharif ne apna zameer baich diya – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: نواز شریف نے اپنا ضمیر بیچ دِیا سید احسن عباس رضوی
Nawaz Sharif, a true heir of General Ziaul Haq – by Junaid Qaiser: Mian Nawaz Sharif has, throughout his political career, by and large shown little respect for constitution, parliament and democratic norms and traditions. Because of these ‘virtues’ (lack of respect towards constitution, parliament and democracy), the nation always regarded him
Americans for Democracy and Justice in Pakistan: Hello, As a supporter of democracy in Pakistan, I’m writing to let you know about a new organization that has formed in the United States, Americans for Democracy and Justice in Pakistan. Our goal is simple: Support the Pakistani people’s
Pak-US dialogue: a Pakhtun perspective — by Farhat Taj: Basically, the jirga is saying that it does not trust the military establishment, which is leading the dialogue with the US. The military establishment will follow the policy of strategic depth in Afghanistan, which is the key cause of
One jab in Punjab — by Salman Tarik Kureshi: It is clear that there is such a thing as the Punjabi Taliban. One can no longer refer to the Taliban as a uniquely Pakhtun phenomenon. Punjabi militants are running training facilities and have established cells across the province
Descent into anarchy – or love for dictatorship? – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: A group of ’self-proclaimed’ intellectuals has waged a crusade against present government sine it took power in Islamabad after showing an exit to dictator. The group has announced several dates in past when government was supposed to be overthrown
Where is justice for Constable Khalil, my lord? – by Abdul Nishapuri: I am writing this post in support of an unsung hero, Constable Khalil, a 26-year-old police constable who was abducted by the Punjab Rangers personnel on Wednesday (24 March 2010), while he was on duty at Lahore’s Liberty Market.
Provincial autonomy, myths and reality – by Asif Ezdi: Part I The News, March 22, 2010 The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reform is reported to be very close to completing its task and is expected to submit its report later this week. This news has been widely welcomed
Zaid Hamid’s Hate Speech – by Fasi Zaka: PART ONE Source: The News, September 18, 2008 This August 14 I was bored out of my mind late at night, and started scanning TV channels for fodder to feed my idleness. I came across a programme where a
1997 attack on Supreme Court: SC dismisses former PML-N MNA’s plea against suspension: ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by Mian Muhammad Munir, former MNA of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, seeking suspension of his conviction by the SC over misconduct in attacking the court building in 1997, while observing
DSP Babar’s arrest, treatment leaves mark on cops in Lahore: * Senior police officers say issue could have been better managed * Babar’s treatment creates rift in police circles, some oppose suspended DSP, others support him By Shahnawaz Khan LAHORE: The arrest and the subsequent alleged third degree investigation
Rangers ‘pick up’ cop for scuffle with DG’s son in Lahore’s Liberty Market: Will the Khadim-e-Aala Shahbaz Sharif and Munsif-e-Aala Justice Khawaja Sharif look into this matter? * Constable stops car from entering Liberty parking from wrong end * Young driver scuffles with official, threatens him with ‘dire consequences’ * Rangers appear
In view of Gujrat by-elections, PPP should jump out of PML-N’s catboat – by Shafiq Awan: Punjab’s ruling coalition earned nothing but embarrassment in the Gujrat by-elections. In fact the federal and Punjab governments – with all the resources and each other’s support – failed to wipe the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid out from the political
Pak-Afghan relations — by Agha H Amin: I fail to understand how some of the country’s leading analysts can dub Afghanistan as being Pakistan’s backyard. Afghanistan is an independent state that boasts a great history. Seen in this context, how would Pakistanis feel if India tried
‘Strategic depth’ at heart of Taliban arrests – by Shibil Siddiqi: Pakistan has recently arrested a number of top Taliban leaders, including the second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and many of the Quetta shura. It also killed in a drone attack Mohammad Haqqani, a leader of the powerful
America’s “Islamists” go where oilmen fear to tread – by Peter Chamberlin: By following the trail of militant terrorists US forces and American interests have gained access deep in Central Asia, where oil companies have had little luck gaining a foothold on their own. To students of American foreign policy in
The chestnuts are our own – by Kamran Shafi: It is wrong to think that all it will take for the Taliban to stop their attacks on Pakistan is the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan And by golly are they in a raging fire, no matter what
Moral policing the internet – by Sana Saleem: How many of you have come across content claiming to ‘expose’ or tell the ‘truth’ about a certain someone? More importantly how many of you have shared such content? If you’re one of those who hits forward without thinking,
Shahbaz Sharif – a real darling of right-wing media, establishment and Taliban – by Junaid Qaiser: Mian Shahbaz Sharif proudly identifies a number of commonalities between Taliban and PML-N, i.e., opposition to foreign dictation, stance against General Musharraf, and strong position against Kerry-Lugar Bill and the USA. It’s quite true that Nawaz Sharif and his
For Pakistan’s Sikhs, a kidnapping – and a killing – reflect fears of nation’s minorities: In this photo made on March 19, 2010, Surjeet Singh, from Pakistan’s Sikh community, sits with family members after his release in Peshawar, Pakistan. Singh, who had been kidnapped for ransom by alleged militants, was freed after 42 days
General Zia-ul-Haq to be deleted as president from the constitution of Pakistan – by Rauf Klasra: ISLAMABAD: President General Ziaul Haq will be deleted from Pakistan’s constitutional history when the 18th Amendment, to be moved in parliament in a few days, is passed. A new history is being written by our politicians as ruthless military
Inside the constitutional package – by Rauf Klasra: Being the president won’t be fun any more; Minimum age for judges 45; president can’t impose emergency with impunity; PM to appoint services chiefs; judges validating coup to be tried for high treason ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari’s sweeping
What Punjab CM should learn from Taliban? – by Ismail Khan: How does it feel caught in the eye of the storm? For nearly seven years, the people of the NWFP and the adjacent tribal regions and the security forces braved bombings and terrorist attacks, laying down their lives and
Terrorists of Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba kill three Shias in Quetta: Genocide of Shias and the Hazara community continues unabated in Balochistan. At least three Shiite Muslims were killed on Saturday when two men riding a motorbike opened fire on the outskirts of Quetta. (SIFY News) Police sources told that
Remembering Baba Abdul Ali Mazari – by Abdul Nishapuri: Related post: Baba Abdul Ali Mazari – A Shia Hazara but a Global Father Last week, the Afghan nation in general, and the Shia Hazara community in Afghanistan and Pakistan in particular, commemorated the 15th anniversary of martyrdom of
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PakUS Strategic Partnership without Pashtuns: Contributed by: Nasir Ahmad Pashtun Peace Forum Press Release Toronto – (March 19, 2010 ) – The United States and Pakistan will hold their first strategic dialogue at the ministerial level in Washington DC on March 24. The significance
Was Shahbaz Sharif’s statement on Taliban lost in translation? – by Babar Sattar: Lost in translation? If Shahbaz Sharif’s statement at Jamia Naeemia was indeed taken out of context, can one construct a frame of reference in which such a statement would be justifiable? Maybe he did not mean to say that
Assaulting the Pakhtun culture: a rejoinder to Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed — by Farhat Taj: The Pakhtun culture is reflected in Ghaffar Khan’s non-violent movement, in the mysticism of Rahman Baba’s poetry and in the romanticism of Ghani Khan’s poetry. This is a society that produced hundreds of anti-Taliban lashkar leaders all over Pakhtunkhwa
The terror is next door, Mr CM — by Naeem Tahir: The chief minister Punjab needs to be reminded of the fate of JUI. People in the NWFP rejected that party because of its relations with the Taliban, and history can also repeat itself in Punjab Over 12 terror attacks
Nawaz Sharif: Pakistan’s teflon tiger – by Irfan Hussain: Nawaz Sharif has a remarkable ability to retain the image of a clean, mainstream leader despite such a tarnished record. Teflon tiger Pity the poor tiger: hunted to the brink of extinction, it now has to suffer the indignity
Justice Khawaja Sharif speaks once again, this time against Hindus – by Abdul Nishapuri: Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, Justice Khawaja Sharif, has spoken once again, with the hate speech and prejudice which are his usual characteristics. Justice Sharif is notorious for his unflinching support for PML-N and Taliban and for his hostility
To PML-N: ‘If you shut your door to all errors, truth will also be shut out’ – by Shafiq Awan: The Punjab chief minister’s unique idea of offering an olive branch to the Taliban and in return demanding amnesty for Punjab from their terror spree was not at all a precipitous act but a well-thought out deliberation. The CM’s
Congratulations to the British boy’s family, however, local kidnapping cases go ignored in Pakistan: Pakistani woman Shamin Akhtar Butt, mother of kidnapped Mahnoor Fatima, 6, holds a placard and a picture of Mahnoor at a police office in Jhelum on March 16, 2010. – AFP JHELUM: When six-year-old Mahnoor Fatima disappeared, her mother’s
Why did General Kayani chair a meeting of key federal secretaries at the army headquarters?: Strange things happen in the Islamic (military) Republic of Pakistan. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, a meeting of federal secretaries was presided over by a military chief in a civilian set-up. Where are we heading to? Have
Blasphemy in a human world — by Sikander Amani: Whether you like it or not, the notion of blasphemy, or of ‘defamation of religion’, creates a hierarchy of beliefs which is simply incompatible with the plurality of the world, and the very right to hold a belief The
Fighting in the dark against terrorism in Punjab — by Meher Bokhari: Last year alone, innumerable incidents made a mockery of the Punjab government and its denial. The truth is, there is no dearth of facts. The tragedy is, there is no visible action being taken to address the evil, which
The 1947-48 Kashmir War — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Take up any book published in Pakistan on the division of the common assets of the Indian Royal Armed Forces and you will find Pakistan, justifiably, claiming that it was not given a fair share of the tanks, guns