Author Archive
Filling in the Dots: Why PILDAT is reviving Kalabagh debate – by Aziz Narejo: Kalabagh Dam is a very bad idea indeed. If ONLY for the reason that 3 out of 4 federating units of this blessed country have rejected it. I am familiar enough with the Mardan-Nowshera-Charsadda area well enough to know that when
Rehman Malik: The Civilian Face of Pakistan’s Military Establishment – by Imtiaz Baloch: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, the civilian face of the country’s powerful military establishment is a continuation of the former dictator General Pervez Musharraf’s policies in Balochistan. He is the one who sanctioned and devised the policies of empowering
Baloch Missing persons: Mehboob Wadela and Arif Rehman dead bodies found near Ormara: From different local sources, dead bodies of two missing persons were found near Hadh Cross, Ormara of District Gwadar, the dead bodies were identified as Mehboob wadhela & Arif Rehman. Mehboob Wadhela s/o Beg Mohammad Wadhela was an activist
The Indian-Pakistani Divide: Why India Is Democratic and Pakistan Is Not – by Christophe Jaffrelot: An excellent article by the pen of Christophe Jaffrelot in which he unwinds the book of Philip Oldenburg. The book puts forth an extensive view of the political history of the sub-continent and in depth analysis the reason of
Age relaxation for CSS 2012 exam Part 1 – by Shamoon Qureshi: This post is related to CSS candidates’ age relaxation and I would like to offer some recommendation based on comparative analysis of age limits in our neighboring countries which are also common wealth sovereign states that how they relax
Raymond Davis – by Shoaib Adil: Related articles: In Pakistan, everybody hates Raymond? – by Brandon Wallace Lahore shooting by a US national and “the legal issues to settle”: Some questions for Ejaz Haider Curious case of Raymond Davis – by Sindhyar Talpur Civil society
The Case of Cholistan’s Stolen Land – by Ayesha Siddiqa: Anyone passing through lower Cholistan, especially if they happen to be participating in the famous Cholistan jeep rally, will not fail to notice the prominent Lashkare Tayyaba (LeT) and Jamat-ud-Daawa (JuD) wall-chalkings. One of the slogans decries India for
Islamic liberalism vs. digital fundamentalism – by Farman Nawaz: It is not a difficult task for any Muslim or non-Muslim to understand the true spirit of Islam. Though it is very difficult even for educated Muslim to study in detail the first 50 years of Islam or to
Injustices in Pakistan: Startling Disclosures of Federal Employment Figures – by Aziz Narejo: Sindhis and Baloch have been complaining about injustices to them since the inception of Pakistan. Be it the distribution of resources, apportionment in budget, provincial autonomy, water rights, share in economic development, expenditure in social sectors, education, health and
On Hamid Mir, Jonah Goldberg and Liberal Fascists: The new face of moderate Pakistanis, renowned columnist and talk show host, Hamid Mir along with his other counterparts like Javed Chauhdry have coined an oxymoron term “Liberal Fascists”. He referred to Jonah Goldberg’s book with the same title.
The tale of ‘general’ Usmani – By Ayesha Siddiqa: This is not the story of Lt-General (retd) Muzaffar Usmani of the 1999 martial law fame, but that of an ordinary travel agent from Bahawalpur, Waqar Usmani, who eventually came to be known as ‘general’ Usmani due to his
Badshah Khan: the frontier’s grand old man – by Dr Mohammad Taqi: A columnist friend recently asked me to do a write-up on what he described as the Pashtun political dynasties and, specifically, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s family. At the time it did not appear to be a difficult proposition to
Killing and dumping – Baloch dilemma: Source: Raasth “Though I have lost my son but I can raise my head high because my son was killed for his association with the land that gave him birth.” Said the mother of slain Baloch journalist Alyas Nazar
Freeing kashmir, chaining Baloch – by Rashed Aurakzai: Khabar Nama lines of innocents disappearance, killings and tortures, house-searches, bullet spreeing on rallies in Indian Held Kashmir comes to one’s mind when Balochistan insurgency is in news. How naive or dishonest of us not seeing both through the
‘Imran Khan is a Taliban without a beard’ – Indrajit Hazra: Indrajit Hazra talks to writer-journalist Amir Mir about the investigations into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the future of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the murder of Punjab governor Salman Taseer. Excerpts from the interview: You mention the collaborative role
Devotion to Muhammad (SAWW) or egotism? Views of an eminent Deoband Maulana Mehmudul Hasan: The following extract is from a book which is a collection of memories of Maulana Manazir Ahsan Gilani, a prominent Deobandi scholar, writer and acdemic. During his studies in Darul Uloon Deoband, he was taught by prominent Ulemas like
Don’t Let Aasia Die – by Haris Ubaid: Governor Punjab Salman Taseer has been assassinated for speaking in support of a christian woman Aasia Bibi, a 45 year old Christian wife and mother who was sentenced to death by hanging in Pakistan for being a Christian on
The Liberal is Dead, Long Live The Liberal – by The Baloch Hal: The tragic murder of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer by his own security guard in Islamabad is the most high-profile assassination in the country since the killing of the Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. Both Benzir
Death becomes his – by Nadeem F. Paracha: Punjab Governor, Salman Taseer, was assassinated yesterday (January 4) by one of his security guards. The guard, who soon gave himself up to the police, proudly claimed that he killed the late Governor because Taseer had described the controversial
Salman Taseer’s murder: An assault on the integrity of Islamic faith – By Taha Kehar: Salman Taseer’s murder highlights nothing but the small-mindedness of a microscopic faction of extremists who do not value justice. It is, in all earnest, an assault on the integrity of the Islamic faith. As I write this post, I
Sangat Interview: Pakistan needs democracy for peace: Shaheed Benazir Bhutto: Here’s an exclusive interview of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, I did for quarterly Sangat in 2002. If you deem it fit, may publish it on LUBP. It may have some value even today.(Aziz Narejo) Demands commission to probe rigging junta’s
A Thousand Year Writer’s Block.. – by Omar Ali: William Burroughs famously remarked that Islam had hit a one thousand year writer’s block. Is this assessment justified? First things first: obviously we are not talking about all writing or all creative work. Thousands of talented writers have churned
Blasphemy laws: The shape of things to come – by Omar Ali: Taking Sides : The Liberals and the Right The decision of a lower court to award the death penalty to a poor Christian woman accused of blasphemy has ignited a wide debate over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Liberals have asked
Tripping democracy again? — by Dr Mohammad Taqi: I write these lines on the evening of December 27, 2010 at exactly the same time when Benazir Bhutto breathed her last, three years ago. Her martyrdom remains one of those immense tragedies where one cannot forget the place
Happy new year? – by Kamran Shafi: WELL, hopefully, what with the obscurantist forces back on the march in an attempt to bludgeon into submission those who advocate the imperative and immediate need of making the blasphemy laws in this country less draconian, less obnoxious; what
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto: The Soul of PPP – by Aamir Hussaini: After the Judicial murder of ZAB, it was BB who was the life force for the young idealist activists of PPP. For these activists, often referred to as jiyalas, ZAB was a myth while BB was the current life
Benazir Bhutto: A charismatic leader – by Hamza Ameer: Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the first women leader of a Muslim nation in modern history, a woman who represented a family filled with brilliance and a nation leading ability, a family that reached out to the needs of the
BB’s Assassination: A Strategic Murder – by Hasan Mujtaba: ڈاکٹر سکندر نیویارک میں ٹیکسی چلا رہے تھے جب ستائیس دسمبر سنہ دو ہزار سات کو پارک ایوینیو پر انہیں پاکستان سے ان کی بیٹی نے فون پر بتایا کہ بینظیر کو قتل کردیا گيا ہے۔ ڈاکٹر سکندر نے
A flashback of the Benazir Murder – By Taha Kehar: On the evening of 27th December, 2007, we edged along the crowded Shahrah-e-Faisal in Karachi. A cold winter breeze drifted in from a car window that had been left open for ventilation. Air-conditioners were a redundant luxury now that
Jinnah and the Islamic State – Setting the Record Straight – by Pervez Hoodbhoy: What did Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, want for the country he was destined to create in 1947? This essay originated from my lecture in Karachi in 2007, delivered at the invitation of the Jinnah Society
Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Facts not to be ignored – by Nayyer Khan: Courtesy: Naya Zamana
“Opposition to RGST is shortsighted and irresponsible”, Asad Sayeed’s interview to The News: RGST has turned out to be an explosive issue which is likely to alter the political landscape if not overturn it entirely. Meanwhile, the public as well as the stakeholders who are doing politics around it remain ignorant about
On Pak-China Friendship and CIA-ISI feud: The Pamir Knot and beyond – by Dr Mohammad Taqi: The relationship between the US and Pakistani intelligence agencies appears to be moving from playing uneasy footsie to a fairly sordid affair. The blowing of the CIA’s Islamabad station chief’s cover, allegedly at the behest of the host country’s
JUI breakup: Evading North Waziristan Operation – by Faruq Adil: Related article: Maulana Fazlur-Rehman and the military establishment’s new game – by Nazir Naji