Author Archive

Hajj, Karbala and Hussain – by Dr Ali Shariati: The following is an excerpt from “Hajj: Reflections on Its Rituals” written by Dr Ali Shariati highlighting the significance of the Karbala movement. The book is one of the most read works of Dr Shariati (available in English).

NRO: ‘Judicial Messiah’ or Democracy? – Guest Post by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: I participated in movement for restoration of Chief Justice till his restoration with a belief of doing a right thing as a Lawyer and a common citizen. Since restoration of Judiciary things has not turned to our expectations. I have tried

Remembering Shaheed Benazir Bhutto: Contributed by: Ahsan Abbas Shah اُداس رات کے سینے سے ایک چیخ اُٹھی زمین کانپ گئی آسمان لرز گیا

An Historical Perspective on Supreme Court’s Decision against the NRO – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: Ahsan Abbas Shah offers an in depth historical perspective on the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decision against the process of national reconciliation in the country. He warns that any unconstitutional step to derail democracy may result in dire consequences

Taliban target Peshawar Press Club. Time to do some investigative journalism, Ansar Abbasi.: Pakistani security personnel collect evidence from the scene of a suicide bomb blast in Peshawar. – AFP While Friends of Taliban, such as Ansar Abbasi, Shaheen Sehbai, Dr Shahid Masood, are busy in derailing the democratic government in Pakistan,

Ayyaron ki hukumat – by Abdul Nishapuri: So, do all roads go to the Bangladesh model? At least, that is what seems to be the key desire of those (really) at the helm of affairs, i.e. the men in khakis and their aides in

Undignified ‘Lordships’ at war against ‘People’s Will’ – Guest post by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: The deterioration of judicial institutions which began with notorious judgment of Justice Munir touched its bottom when superior judiciary convicted ZA Bhutto – the elected Prime Minister of the country to death on directions of a dictator. One of

United we stand for democracy. Reconciliation is the key word.: While the Supreme Court of Pakistan has struck down the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), the Central Executive Committee of Pakistan People’s Party has very wisely reasserted their commitment to the process of national reconciliation in the country. The Central

Bilal Qureshi’s Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan: “Your actions reflect a medieval mindset of revenge and tribalism, not the rule of law that so many of your supporters had expected when they campaigned for your restoration. Looking forward to the day you appoint an independent panel

The Pakistan Government along with her Military and Citizens – Guest post by Agha Haider Raza: In the December 18th New York Times publication, an article Pakistan Ministers Are Called Before the Courts was written by Jane Perlez and Salman Masood. Though the article does state the annulment of the National Reconciliation Ordinance and the repercussions

Troubling changes in Pakistan: A coup in the works? – Guest post by Tarek Fatah: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet On Thursday morning as Pakistan’s Defence Minister was preparing to board a flight to China for an official visit, he was

A Military Coup in Pakistan? – Guest post by Tarek Fatah: A Military Coup in Pakistan? Restive generals represent the backers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda – bad news for the war next door A military coup is unfolding in Pakistan, but, this time, there is no rumbling of tanks

The Temple of Justice and Veneration of Capital: Supreme Court’s Decision on NRO – By Lal Khan: A Comment by Lal Khan of IMT (Translated by AA from “Tabqati Jiddojehd”) The recent Supreme Court’s recent decision declaring the NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) null and void has emerged as latest explosion in the series of tremulous events

Miscarriage of Justice or Abiding by the Law – Guest post by Peja Mistri: Let me first describe the overall context in which the recent judgment was announced by the CJ Iftikhar Chaudary. 1. Politics and Courts — A historical perspective. The courts of Pakistan (be it a session court or a supreme

LUBP needs you: We at “Let Us Build Pakistan” (LUBP) are currently expanding and restructuring our team of writers and editors. If you are interested in Pakistani politics, if you happen to fully or partially agree with the aims and policies of

“The judge raj” in Pakistan is paving way for another military dictatorship: …Our lordships may be cautioned about the possibility that judicial activism sometimes runs the risk of intruding on turf strictly belonging in our constitutional scheme of things to other institutions of state. In the post-judiciary restoration era, the respect

The Pakhtun, the Taliban and Imran Khan — by Farhat Taj: Hate for the US is the problem of Imran Khan or his anti-Pakhtun allies. It is not the problem of the people of FATA. Their problem is occupation of their land by the international jihadi gangs. There are clear

Foodkush attack on halwakhore Mullahs. All survive, unfortunately.: Here is perhaps the funniest news item in quite a while. The saddest part is that none of these douchebags got killed in this foodkush attack:

Chargesheet against Rehman Malik: The chargesheet against Rehman Malik is very long. Here are a very few glimpses based on analyses by various columnists and writers:

Arrest warrants of Rehman Malik: Judicial mafia’s onslaught against democracy in Pakistan; an attempt to weaken Pakistan’s war on terror?: While the state of Pakistan is surrounded by Taliban terrorists, the Supreme Court and the Cheap Justice, it seem are hell bent on dismantling the institution responsible for fighting Pakistan’ war on terror, i.e. the interior ministry of Pakistan.

Azad Adliya ya Madar Pidar Azad Adliya? – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: معطلی کے بعد بحال ہونے والی عدلیہ کا این آر او کے پیچھے ہاتھ دھو کر دوالے ہونے میں اَنتقام، عدلیاتی مُفادات، عدلیاتی آمریت کے نفاذ اور مُلک میں سیاسی افراتفری پیدا کرنے کی کوششوں کو عوام بخوبی سمجھ

Yet another lie of Saleh Zaafir, the liar in chief of Geo TV / Jang Group: احمد مختارخود ایئر پورٹ نہیں گئے تھے اسلام آباد (صالح ظافر)وزیردفاع احمد مختار چوہدری کو چین کے 3روزہ دورے پر جاتے ہوئے اسلام آباد ایئر پورٹ نہیں روکا گیا کیونکہ وہ تو ایئر پورٹ گئے ہی نہیں ۔انہیں ایئر

A Pakistani political dictionary – by Naseer Ahmed: Asif Ali Zardari. A re-incarnation of devil himself because the illiterate, infidel and impious people of Pakistan have elected him as their president. Baluchistan. A place whose oil and gas is more important than its people. It is also

Post-NRO frenzy, the Roedad Khans and the 16 Decembers: Post-NRO frenzy In the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court’s judgment on the NRO, the ever-churning political waters in the country have been stirred to a frenzy. Uncertainty, if not panic, is detectable in the ranks of

Shame on you CJ Chaudhry: رحمتیں ہیں تیری جرنیلوں اور طالبانوں پر برق گرتی ہے تو بے چارے سیاستدانوں پر You sold your soul to the devil and the price was so cheap! قوم فروختند و چہ ارزاں فروختند ؟

Supreme Court of Pakistan must refrain from interfering into the executive authority of the democratic government: The decision by the mostly Punjabi, some of them pro-Taliban, judges in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the process of national reconciliation in the country has had a visibly adverse impact on the capacity of the democratic government.

People of Pakistan protest againt judiciary’s interference in the executive; regret biased decision against NRO: PPP workers in Lahore protest against the Supreme Court’s decision against the NRO. لاہور میں پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے کارکنوں نے این آر او پر عدالتی فیصلے کے خلاف احتجاج کیا۔ پی پی پیکارکنوں کی ایک ٹولی نے لاہور

NAB to re-open cases against Nawaz Sharif, family and other leaders of PML-N: Here is an unexpected development of the Supreme Court’s decision against the NRO. We at LUBP condemn the lopsided accountability of politicians while the Supreme Court remains silent on innumerable charges of corruption against many serving and retired officers

GHQ, CIA and Pakistani Media: Hamid Akhtar’s op-ed on Kamal Azfar’s statement in the Supreme Court of Pakistan:

Supreme Court’s Lopsided Decision Against NRO: Double Standards, Justice Chaudhry?: ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 (APP): A larger bench of Supreme Court here Wednesday declared NRO as null and void as it violated various constitutional provisions as a law void ab-initio.The

Failed state? Try Pakistan’s M2 motorway – by Alistair Scrutton: Wednesday, 16 Dec, 2009 For sheer spotlessness, efficiency and emptiness there is nothing like the M2 in the rest of South Asia. –File Photo ISLAMABAD: If you want a slice of peace and stability in a country with a

If politicians have the “Sindh Card”, “Islam Card” etc, army has the “India Card”: The travails of our democracy —Munir Attaullah The days of direct military rule are now probably over. Even though nothing is certain in unpredictable Pakistan, every passing day makes it more and more likely that the public will resist

Tahir Sarwar Mir’s rebuttal to Shaheen Sehbai’s column: Tahir Sarwar Mir’s rebuttal to an op-ed by the veteran CIA agent Shaheen Sehbai (The News):

Punjab: Bullets in Bansri – Guest post by Bahadar Ali Khan: The rural Punjab has gone through a subtle but certainly very conspicuous change during the last two decades. The ‘new’ Punjab doesn’t resonate with its traditional and historical composition, as it used to be known for its friendliness, easy

Will General Kayani care to save the young, impressionable soldiers from the pro-Taliban brainwashing?: Abracadabra! By Kamran Shafi Tuesday, 15 Dec, 2009 We must make efforts to ensure that the impressionable minds of our soldiers are not tainted by visions of heaven that we saw lately in our press. –Photo by AP And

A perspective on Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder: Nazir Leghari offers a perspective on Zulfiar Ali Bhutto’s judicial murder, which was a handiwork of the Mullah-Military-Judiciary Alliance in Pakistan:

Saif-ur-Rehman versus Jang Group – Guest post by Aamir Mughal: Let us assume PML-N’s ex-senator Mr. Saifur Rehman’s allegations against President Asif Ali Zardari telecast through Geo TV/ Jang Media Group (Meray Mutabiq by Dr Shahid Masood) are correct, then how would the same Jang Group of Newspaper and

A tale of two classes – by Mohammad Waseem: Tuesday, 15 Dec, 2009 In Pakistan, two dominant classes compete with each other for influence and privilege. One is the middle class, which provides the catchment area for the civil bureaucracy, technocrats, the military’s officer cadre and the business