Author Archive
‘White’ authority in Pakistani media – by Mazhar Arif: Most of the decision-makers in North American news and entertainment media are White. Media ownership is mainly concentrated in the hands of White males; White journalists dominate the mainstream media; and White people hold most creative positions in the
Nawaz Sharif’s Misaq-e-Pakistan – by Imtiaz Alam: Mian Nawaz Sharif has been baffling both his fans and critics with his conduct as an opposition leader, which is quite untypical of a popular Pakistani leader aspiring to be at the top again. While acquiring such a political
Relevance of the Bolshevik Revolution — by Dr. Lal Khan: As the ferocious crisis of Pakistani capitalism pillages and devastates society, there are frantic cries of ‘revolution’ by mainly right-wing politicians and intellectuals. It reflects their utter desperation and an impotent rage at the historical failure of their system
Cable operators’ press conference against Geo TV and Jang Group: As predicated by Naheed Khan (reported in Hamid Mir’s op-ed today), the Tsunami came, however, its direction was towards the dirtiest ever CEO of a Pakistani media group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who has broken his own past records of yellow
China: ‘Pakistan is our Israel’: When a US delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing’s uncompromising support for Pakistan, the Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcastic remark: “Pakistan is our Israel”. But judging by China’s unrelenting support for some of its allies,
Pakistan’s Pashtuns Feel More Alone Than Ever – By Shaheen Buneri: Pashtuns straddling the Pakistani-Afghan border face serious challenges to their socio-cultural survival. It’s very hard for the estimated 50 million Pashtuns to know whether the world recognizes their numerous sacrifices in the ongoing war, or whether all of them
Radicalisation of educated Pakistani youth — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: A purely religious radicalisation may mean nothing more than the believers of a religion beginning to observe their religious duties strictly in accordance with some core ideas. However, if radicalisation entails politicisation of a religion, it becomes part of
Baba Farid of Pakpattan: Another Shrine attacked by Taliban-SSP-LeJ beasts: Another blast at the shrine of Sufi Saint Baba Farrid Shakar Ganj has once again reminded us of the threat to our own cultural traditions from the Salafist Saudi Arabian ideology penetrated through huge political influence over us via
Basic structure myth – By Yasser Latif Hamdani: Thank heavens the apex court in our country has shied away from answering the question of basic structure and binding, as it were, the dreams and aspirations of the future generations of this great state of ours to what
Political agent torturing students – By Farhat Taj: It has been almost ten months now. The political agent (PA) of Khyber in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has subjected 13 students from the Government Degree College, Jamrud, Khyber Agency to acute mental torture. The students’ representative,
Karachi’s civil war: politics by other means – By Dr Mohammad Taqi: About 90 people — 12 in just one instance — were assassinated in Karachi earlier this week and approximately 1,300 have been killed in various acts of violence in the city this year. These are not random or targeted
City of Widows and Orphans – By Hasan Mujtaba: پاکستان میں تحریک بحالی جمہوریت کی ‘شہید’ بیگم نصرت بھٹو نے کئی برس پہلے کراچی کے حالات پر کہا تھا کہ اگر فرسٹریشن، غربت اور بیروزگاری کراچی میں حالات کی خرابی کی ذمہ دار ہیں تو پھر سب سے
Fragile democracy and 64-channels media cottage industry – by Chaudhry Ahmed Khan: I recently came across a comment by the President and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, which really struck me for its succinct and bold portrayal of the Pakistani media. The President was countering one of the many false impressions
The Statesman Editorial: Jinnah Was right: JINNAH’S famous address on 11 August 1947 to Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly was supposed to lay the secular foundations for a future Constitution of the country. Jinnah, after all, firmly supported equality of religions and the freedom to practise them
Reliable sources – by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: It has been revealed through reliable sources that for the past five years the moon has come out in the day and the sun at night. In other words, for the past five years what we have been seeing
Taliban, Jamaat-i-Islami and post-Islamism – by Ali Arqam: The killing spree of the Taliban in Pakistan is not limited to combatants, notwithstanding the propaganda of their Pakistani apologists. It extends to non-combatant civilians, minority sects, tribal elders, journalists, educationists, members parliament, clergy and intellectuals. Even shrines and
Beyond the Deep State: Prospects of Pak India relations – By Omar Ali: A friend from “Critical PPP” asked for an article about the current crisis in Pakistan and got me thinking on the question: Is there something peculiar about the crisis in Pakistan or is it similar to all the other
The “Ideology” of Pakistan and Bangladesh: anti-thetical or compatible? – by Shahid Ilyas: The following message depicts exactly – as far as historical records are concerned – the vision of Jinnah for a Pakistani state: “Pakistan not only means freedom and independence but the Muslim Ideology which has to be preserved, which
Viewpoint Interview: Undemocratic change will not be progressive: Farooq Tariq: Presently the spokesperson of Labour Party Pakistan, Farooq Tariq has long history of struggle against class-based society and fundamentalism. From opposing Ayub Khan’s military dictatorship to struggle for workers and peasants’ rights, he has stood against military dictators and
Jang and The News contradict while reporting the same drone strike – by Watanpal Yousafzai: A US missile strike is thought to have killed a number of German nationals in Pakistan’s tribal region. Estimates place the number of Germans killed at five. A rocket attack from a US drone aircraft left eight suspected Islamist
Secularism Debate: A fallacious binary – by Saqlain Imam: The word secularism seems to be the most contentious one in the Pakistani political culture. Anything that is anti-religion or non-religious is dubbed secular; it is understood as a Western concept with no direct connection with Islam; for example,
Enlightened Moderation, Part 2 – by Hakim Hazik: It is great to see the best and the brightest in Pakistan assembled for this historic occasion. I welcome Mr Sher Afgan Niazi, the foremost public intellectual of the Eastern hemisphere; Dr Naseem Ashraf, physician, philosopher and toad eater
Jamia Binoria accussed of abduction of a hindu teenage girl: Jamia Binoria Al Aalmia, a religious seminary located at the Industrial area of Karachi(i.e SITE) has a bad name among its other contemporaries for alleged involvement in grabbing land of commercial value with its pressuring tactics. It is said
Dr. Farooq Khan’s assassination by the Taliban: Another son of KP, Pakistan has laid down his life: According to police, Dr. Farooq was in his clinic when two unknown gunmen entered his clinic and started firing. Dr Farooq was the Vice-Chancellor of the proposed Islamic University. He also served as a Shura member of Jamaat-e-Islami for
Are times a-changin’ in Pakistan? – By Daud Khattak: Two and a half years of fragile democracy, war against terror, devastating floods, economic slow-downs, millions of displaced people, and now calls from the self-exiled leader of Urdu-speaking community in Karachi, Altaf Hussain, for a French-style “revolution.” Meanwhile, some
Taliban: An anathema to Pashtun Nationalism – By Ali Arqam: Antonio Gramsci, an Italian (1891-1937) Marxist thinker, has defined the term hegemony as “the predominance of one social class over others (e.g. bourgeois hegemony). This represents not only political and economic control, but also the ability of the dominant
Viewpoint Interview with Wajahat Masood: Mullah-military nexus has subverted public opinion: Al-Qaeda, Taliban, jihadis, sectarian groups, and so-called parliamentary Islamic groups have a global agenda and as such are natural allies. Pakistan’s religious/missionary parties and the Taliban constitute “an archipelago of evil”, says Wajahat Massod. Presently working as Editor Coordination
Obama’s Wars: implications for Pakistan — by Dr Mohammad Taqi: We do not know if Bob Woodward had meant to time it this way, but his latest book, Obama’s Wars, has hit the shelves exactly 14 years after Kabul fell to the Taliban, with Pakistani ‘security advisers’ present as
Obituaries : Demises of Afaq Khan Shahid and Fatehyab Ali Khan: Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Afaq Khan Shahid died of cardiac arrest on Sunday. He was a lawyer by profession and considered among those who were close to PPP leader Benazir Bhutto. Former Student leader, political activist, president
On Pakistani Navy’s forced Impounding of Baloch’s Land in Turbat – By Aamir Hussaini: Source: Daily Aajkal
Baloch columnist and lawyer Ali Sher Kurd martyred: It has become a trend in Balochistan that weekends arrive with the news of a death of a big figure in Baloch movement by the intelligence agencies and Pakistan army. Although in weekdays Balochs of any status are disappeared
Umar Cheema: Pakistani journalist speaks out after an attack (by the ISI) – by Jane Perlez: Related articles on the LUBP: An act of barbarity: kidnapping and torture of Mr. Umar Cheema – by Aamir Mughal Umar Cheema Saga — Other view point by Fawad Manzoor ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — An investigative reporter for a major
Starplus Soap Operas and our TV Talk Shows – by Aasima Niazi: ٹی وی اسکرین پر کیبل نیوز آپریٹر کی چرف سے اعتزار کے ساتھ یہ خبر چل رہی ہے کہ سپریم کورٹ کے فیصلے کے مطابق چند ٹی وی نیوز چینل ، جس میں کچھ انڈین انٹرٹینمنٹ چینل اور کچھ
Pakistan Peoples Party on the crossroads – by An LUBP Visitor: یوں لگتا ہے کہ جو کام ضیاء الحق، غلام اسحاق خان، پرویز مشرف، حمید گل اور ان کے سولین بغل بچے اپنی تمام تر قہر سامانیوں کے باوجود نہ کر پاے، وہ جنرل کیانی صاحب کے دور با برکات
Is the military cheating Orakzais? by Farhat Taj: A potentially dangerous development is afoot in Orakzai and no one in Pakistan seems to care. The military authorities and the Orakzai political agent (PA) have ordered the internally displaced persons (IDP) from the Lower Orakzai to go back
The Verdict of Dr Afia and Our Reaction -by Raza Habib Raja: Right now the media is voicing its vociferous opposition to the sentence handed to Dr. Afia Siddiqui. The entire case, even before the verdict was announced, had become an overly emotional episode for the Pakistanis. The media has been
Our expats: The Pakistanis living abroad, Part 2 – by Fawad Manzoor: In the original article( click here) I wrote about the negative contributions of our Ex-Pats with few positive ones. I was expecting the editor will hesitate in posting the article but I am glad he posted. I am also surprised that I
People’s government suggesting universities to generate resources of their own – by Usman Qazi: Link to the LUBP Forum discussion on this topic: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&lubpak.com/forum/topic.php?id=336 ملک کو درپیش قدرتی اور مالیاتی بحران کے پس منظر میں محترمہ شہناز وزیرعلی کا بیان نظر سے گزرا جس میں ان کا روے سخن صحت اور تعلیم، خصوصا