Author Archive
No ‘good’ Taliban – by Zafar Hilaly: The regularity with which the military claims to be killing as many as 30-40 militants in a day may be gratifying, but the frequency with which the Taliban are bombing schools and police stations and killing friendly tribals, police,
Tirah massacre: insensitive state response — by Farhat Taj: The Pakistan army simply does not have the tradition to punish its rank and file, unless the aggrieved party is also from within the army Recently, Pakistan Air Force fighter planes bombed Sra Vella area in the Tirah Valley
IJT thugs assault PU security officer: * Activists retaliate after guards prevent them from distributing pamphlets outside campus mosque following Friday prayers * PU admin had banned distribution of pamphlets on campus * Varsity spokesperson says admin seeking FIR against those involved in the violence
The standards the Supreme Court is setting for others, shouldn’t it be applying some of them to itself? – by Ayaz Amir: The new troika: Islamabad diary The political landscape is undergoing a shift, with some of the rules of engagement changing. Consequently, it is no longer true to say that the president, the prime minister and the army chief constitute Pakistan’s
A tale of a jihadi Mullah who did not want to join the Afghan jihad – by Nadeem Paracha: A tale of two calls A month before Benazir Bhutto decided to return from exile in 1986 to challenge the Ziaul Haq dictatorship, I was an 18-year-old student at a local college in Karachi. Studying economics and commerce, I
Pakistani labourers’ fair demands – by I.A. Rehman: Since it is not possible to push a new bill through parliament in two days the government has only two options. It may have the proposed new legislation issued as an ordinance or take refuge under the oft-criticised subterfuge
Sanam Bhutto’s rebuttal to Fatima Bhutto’s book: Sanam disputes Fatima’s views Friday, 30 Apr, 2010 AS the last surviving child of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, I feel a sense of obligation to respond to some of the allegations made by my niece Fatima Bhutto in her
A curse and a prayer: A Curse First, a curse on Senator Faisal Raza Abidi for his ruthless handling of anti-PPP anchors in various talk-shows (not least our dear Dr Shahid Masood). jav’s comment: عابدی بدنام تو پہلے بھی بہت تھا …مگر اتنا برا
Achievements of the democratic government: A moment for optimism — by Farahnaz Ispahani: The strategy evolved by the government, in consultation with the army and other stakeholders, and the determination shown by it in the face of heavy odds led to a complete ouster of the extremists from Swat The passage of
Democracy versus ‘the establishment’ in Pakistan: The shadow of the Establishment At independence, Pakistan inherited an over-developed colonial state structure, a relatively weak political class, and a fragmented society from the British. Rather than sparing efforts for nation-building, the colonial state structure, designed to maintain
Questions, more questions about the ISI’s involvement in Benazir Bhutto’s murder – by Kamran Shafi: Is Benazir Bhutto’s dupatta missing because it has a bullet hole in it? –File Photo So then, the UN report is out, setting many cats on many dovecotes (or is it mongooses on snake pits?), even hitherto forbidden dovecotes.
The kidnapped: Why did Punjabi Taliban capture Colonel Imam and Khalid Khwaja? – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: The kidnapped Rahimullah Yusufzai There is no doubt that North Waziristan is dangerous territory. It is a major sanctuary of local and foreign militants espousing diverse causes. No other place in the world has been subjected to so many
God, Qazi Anwar and I – by Hakim Hazik: Extraordinary Rendition By: Hakim Hazik Source: Justice Denied We don’t need bread, we need ideology. We don’t need a country, we need a religion. We don’t want our children to go to school, get qualifications and live in prosperity. We
In defence of the UN Commission Report on Benazir Bhutto’s murder – by Hamid Mir: وہ سچ جو ہمیں پسند نہ آیا …قلم کمان …حامد میر سچ یہ ہے کہ ہمیں صرف اپنی پسند کا سچ سننے اور کہنے کی عادت پڑ چکی ہے ۔ جو سچ ہمیں پسند نہ آئے اسے جھوٹ قرار
The outcome of fighting the footsoldiers and mentoring the masterminds: Can there be an end to this war? — by Daud Khattak Friday’s attack on a convoy of army soldiers in North Waziristan and the fresh wave of violence in parts of the newly-renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa signifies that armed
Media wars in Pakistan — by Shahzad Chaudhry: Along with projecting oneself as a peacenik, bashing the military is the easiest route to establishing the credentials of intellectual elitism in the overly expressive socio-political environment of Pakistan An electronic media explosion in this country has thrust open
Slow and painful death of the Left movement in Pakistan: Left fortunes Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif raised a very important question while addressing the International Literary and Cultural Conference in Lahore the other day. He pointed out that inequitable and unjust distribution of resources has brought Pakistan to
Hypocrisy, self-centred delusion, or a simple case of Islamism now losing its bearings? – by Nadeem Paracha: Lost bearings? A few weeks ago a young lady wrote a moving blog for dawn.com called ‘Confessions of a hijabi,’ she predictably rambled on about how painful it has been for her to hold on to her hijab in
The UN commission report on Benazir Bhutto’s murder and the ISI’s spin-doctors – by Haider Nizamani: After the UN commission report Ordinary Pakistanis, especially those who cannot read English, should be given the opportunity to access the report in its entirety, instead of leaving them at the mercy of spin-doctors and prejudiced television anchors trashing
Ahsan Iqbal says PML-N will not accept SC judgment: Claims invisible force trying to pit parliament against judiciary; an eye-opening interview with PML-N spokesman By Ahmad Noorani ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has officially stated that the judiciary can lose its respect and its role will become
Salam Ay Zardari – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: Ahsan Abbas Shah’s poem in appreciation of the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari:
Kidnapping for ransom: a family’s ordeal — by Farhat Taj: The Pakistan Army is conducting an operation in Bara, Khyber Agency. Thousands of people of Bara have become IDPs due to the operation. Despite the operation, the Mangal Bagh group is active and kidnapping people for ransom as usual
“Mr Ten Percent” has in fact given “One-Hundred-and-Ten Percent” back to the country – by Tarek Fatah: Giving up power in Pakistan The man lampooned unfairly by the country’s powerful establishment as “Mr Ten Percent” has in fact given “One-Hundred-and-Ten Percent” back to the country Few leaders have emulated Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, who in 1985
Mufti sahib and the fatwa for suicide attack: Contributed by: Zalaan مفتی صاحب اور خود کش دھماکے کا فتویٰ سلام علیکم مفتی صاحب وعلیکم سلام و رحمت الله و بر کا تہ مفی صاحب آج میرا دل بڑا دکھا ہوا ہے اور میں بہت اداس ہوں مفتی
What is the difference between ZAB, Benazir Bhutto and other politicians? – by Munno Bhai: Munno Bhai’s article on this topic: ماں کے ہاتھ کی پکی روٹی اور اپنی پسند کی موت…گریبان…منوبھائی یہ تو معلوم نہیں کہ ”اقوال زریں“ کیسے وجود میں آتے ہیں مگر یہ عالمی سچائی ضرب المثل بن چکی ہے کہ
Are the institutions ready to clash? – by Shafqat Mahmood: Reality check Friday, April 23, 2010 The lines are being drawn on the 18th Amendment for the mother of all legal and political battles. Arrayed on one side is the entire political class, reflecting a rare and historic consensus
No matter what Pakistan army claims, the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have merely relocated – Dawn report: On the run, militants find new haven ISLAMABAD: They were never routed, no matter what Pakistan claimed. Instead, the Taliban and al-Qaida fighters have merely relocated. They’re still near the Afghan border. Months after Pakistani troops chased them from
Innocent Shias and Sunnis of Kurram agency thrown to the Taliban wolves – by Tayyab Ali Shah: Thrown to the wolves The Taliban accepted the Turi surrender with the condition that tribal elders would be loyal to the Taliban, would dismantle the current lashkar, would never raise another anti-Taliban lashkar in the area again and would
Malik Ishaq, a most dangerous terrorist of Sipah-e-Sahaba, about to be released by Shahbaz Sharif’s government: First the sorrow, now the fear By Asad Kharal Thirteen years ago, Fida Hussain Ghalvi and three other witnesses boldly testified against Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s top hitman Malik Ishaq for the killing of 12 members of their family. They didn’t know
The UN Commission’s report on Benazir Bhutto’s murder is an indictment of Pakistan’s army and intelligence agencies – by Syed Talat Hussain: The commission, from the very word go, builds up its argument of ‘rogue establishment’. This dimension of the report makes it arguably the most important document to have been produced in recent times. A document that is likely to
Dr Shahid Masood as Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s Jan-Nisar: Dangerous portents – by Kamran Shafi: Dangerous portents I was horrified to see recently a private TV channel advertising one of their talk shows with the blurb ‘Chief teray jan nisar…’ and then the names A.H. Pirzada, Akram Sheikh and one other that I do
Religious political organisations and parties — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: It is important that the open, secular parties make specific arrangements for representation of religious and ethnic minorities in parliament and in sharing public office. Under all circumstances, a clear distinction must be maintained between the private religious beliefs
Rana Sanaullah, Abid Sher Ali named in fresh financial scam: * PML-N leaders accused of embezzling Rs 65m in commissions against bogus development schemes in Faisalabad Aaj Kal Report LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Faisalabad parliamentarian Abid Sher Ali have been named in a financial scam regarding
The Zia-ul-Haq group stages kidnap drama or wants to dispose of used cartridges? Two ex-ISI officials and a dubious journo “abducted” by the Taliban: Have they been ditched and bitten by one of their own? Or the General Zia-ul-Haq group of Pakistan’s ISI has staged an interesting drama by claiming that two of its visible assets Squadron Leader (retired) Khalid Khwaja and Colonel
Accountability of Pakistan’s judiciary – by Saeed Khurshid: Justice begins from me The ‘National Judicial Conference 2010’ – which is in the last day of its session – began with the objective to come up with a plan to make the dispensation of justice possible for all.
Moving beyond a clientelism model of democracy – by Luv Puri: The cross-party consensus on Pakistan’s constitutional reforms is a shot in the arm of the parliament and strengthens the process of democratisation in the country. Democratisation is an answer to the country’s many contemporary challenges, including the fight against
Paranoid about Pakhtun ethnic identity — by Farhat Taj: “The people of Hazara have the right to demand a separate province in their area, but they have no right to dictate a name of their choice on the overwhelming majority of the Pakhtun”, writes Farhat Taj
Pakistani democracy delivers — by Wajid Shamsul Hasan: Why Pakistan needs strong institutions is amply demonstrated in recent events of monumental importance. However, these events did not get enough attention either because of indifference from analysts or their lack of comprehension about these issues. It is a
Taliban / Sipah-e-Sahaba’s attack on Shias in Quetta: At least 10 killed in suicide blast at Civil Hospital: A suicide bomber on Friday (16 April 2010) blew himself up in a hospital in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least ten persons, including a TV journalist (Samaa TV), a DSP, an MNA, and injuring over