Author Archive
An analysis of price hike in Pakistan – by Dr Farrukh Saleem: Capital suggestion: Price hike Just before Election 2008, the average retail price of Dal Masoor (pulse) was Rs64 per kilogram. Dal Masoor now sells for Rs129 per kilogram; that’s up a whopping 101 per cent. In 2007-2008, the average
Smug thugs: the shameful role of right wing media in Pakistan – by Nadeem Paracha: The truth is, if men (and some women) gladly sacrifice the concept of responsible (and sane) journalism just so they can pull off a sensational show that would win them fame and a bagful of corporate sponsors, if they
Mian Nawaz Sharif, the lion wakes up — by Naeem Tahir: The Sharifs are leading the second largest political party and the largest province. People take them seriously even if they do not take the people or the province or the federation seriously. Let there be no mistake; the people
Parachinar: Pakistan’s Gaza Strip remains under siege by Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba: The following news item in Dawn today (27 March 2010) forced me to post this rather lengthy compilation of events. First the news item: Six kidnapped truckers found dead in Thal Dawn, 27 Mar, 2010 PESHAWAR: Police on Saturday
Dealing with the divides: Aman Ittehad – by Babar Sattar: Dealing with the divides Legal eye Saturday, March 27, 2010 Babar Sattar In October 2009, concerned citizens and activists from all four provinces and Islamabad congregated in Murree to develop a shared vision for peace in Pakistan and consider
At the Presidency: Tearful on Pakistan Day – by Adil Najam: Cross-posted from All Things Pakistan On March 23 I was at the Presidency in Islamabad for the Pakistan Day Awards Ceremony. This is usually a festive occasion full of pomp and ceremony and amongst the most elaborate state occasions of the
Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to transform from the Zia generation to the Jinnah generation – by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: The Zia generation can best be described as the confused generation. They have seen public flogging, but were told that it is best to forgive. They have experienced newspapers being censored but were told that it is best to
Sharifs unveil ‘Punjab Card’ to prolong zero-sum game – by Saeed Minhas: ISLAMABAD: With the Sharifs unveiling their ‘Punjab Card’, Maulana Diesel trying to get even with the government, ‘Bhai logs’ of Karachi going into a pensive mood and nationalists getting a hint coupled with the success of the Kiyani-Qureshi-led strategic
Whither “Progressive” Bacha Khan’s Wife? – by Yasser Latif Hamdani: Cross posted from Pak Tea House “If political consciousness is awakened amongst our women, remember, your children will not have much to worry about.” Founding Father of Pakistan, Mr. Mahomed Ali Jinnah, Lahore, March 22, 1940 The title? No
Adalat ho gi ma kay jaisi – by Honest People: Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is unique. His judges are his soldiers. The judiciary functions under his chain of command. Every judge is at his beck and call. His is the last word. He constitutes benches comprising of judges of
PML-N and PML-Q completely ignore the Pakistan Day – by Rana Kashif: Muslim Leagues miss out on ‘their day’ * Citizens concerned over major provincial parties’ role in remembering Pakistan Day * Cantt resident says neither party even asked office-bearers to organise a function * Chaudhry Zaheeruddin says PML-Q busy with
Citizens of Lahore name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh – by Afnan Khan: LAHORE: A large number of citizens, including students from various educational institutions gathered, at Shadman Chowk on Tuesday to mark the 79th martyrdom anniversary of Bhagat Singh Shaheed, one of the pioneers of the struggle for an independent subcontinent.
Jinnah’s role in the Kashmir War — by Yasser Latif Hamdani: The Supreme Commander of both Indian and Pakistan forces Sir Claude Auchinleck followed Mounbatten’s policy and advised the C in C of Pakistan Army to openly defy orders of the Pakistan Governor General In his article ‘The 1947-48 Kashmir
Strategic dialogue and the Pashtun — by Zubair Torwali: The Pashtun, who undoubtedly are the direct victims of terrorism and the war on terror, have never been asked to express their views in this regard. The Pashtuns are now so tired of the strategic depth policy that they
Changing realities of Afghanistan — by Dr Manzur Ejaz: Afghanistan’s political economy is drastically changing. The investments by China, India, Central Asian countries and Iran are changing the future prospects of Afghanistan. Furthermore, the Afghans’ migration to Western countries and socio-political experiences of millions of refugees in Pakistan,
As things get worse in Pakistan, the optimism continues to soar – by Robert Fisk: Thanks: The Independent As things get worse in Pakistan, the optimism continues to soar Civilians have paid the price in revenge attacks that usually target the army A few days ago, I was driving around Lahore, its population still
647 women killed in the name of ‘honour’ last year: HRCP report: * HRCP report says 3,021 people killed, 7,334 injured across country * 1,668 suicide cases reported ISLAMABAD: The 2009 report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released on Monday revealed that there was a sharp surge in
Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP) to announce new constitution: LAHORE: The Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP) has announced that it will soon introduce a new constitution for the party along the basic principles of Marxism, CMKP Additional Secretary Irfan Ali said on Monday. He said the CMKP were
Dialogue about Pakhtuns without Pakhtuns! — by Shahid Ilyas: Talking is not a bad thing, but when it is done without the participation of those who are the subject of such talks, it will most likely result in a disaster Pakistan’s political and military top brass will soon
On whose side are the Taliban apologists? — by Babar Ayaz: Apologists of the Taliban should realise that no matter who is ruling, it is high time that these terrorists should be dealt with. There should be no confusion that it is the agenda of the people of Pakistan. The
Pakistan’s low-cost housing needs — by Syed Mohammad Ali: In big metropolitan cities like Karachi and Lahore, housing projects often get started with little idea of urban planning to link them with roads and the required infrastructure. Unless these processes begin to take place simultaneously, new housing developments
Tribal warriors: a response to Farhat Taj – by Ishtiaq Ahmed: For me, ‘tribal’ is not synonymous with Pukhtun. All Pukhtuns are not tribals, even when most tribals are Pukhtuns. Within tribals, the awareness about badal or retaliation upon which Pukhtunwali is based keeps them under control in such situations,
A longitudinal interview with Imran Khan (five episodes): (1) دو سال پہلے ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ سوال ۔ پاکستان کا بنیادی مسئلہ کیا ہے ؟ جواب ۔ دیکھیں جی ، جب تک پرویز مشرف اس ملک پر مسلط ہے ، کوئی مسئلہ بھی حل نہیں ہوسکتا۔ سوال ۔ آپ نے
PML-N and ANP disagree over renaming the NWFP – by Amir Wasim: New name for NWFP threatens to hit constitutional reforms The blame game between the two parties started a day after the 26-member all-party parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms completed the first reading of the draft of the proposed 18th
Abid Hasan Minto elected president of Workers Party Pakistan: LAHORE: The Workers Party Pakistan (WPP) on Sunday elected renowned lawyer Abid Hasan Minto and Akhtar Hussain as its president and secretary respectively at the concluding session of the party’s founding conference held at Mehfil cinema. WPP, formed after
Pack your bags and get out, Lahoris tell intelligence agencies: Pack your bags and get out, Model Town tells security agencies * MTS residents hold protest, demand removal of security offices from residential neighbourhood * Demonstrators carrying placards, banners demand compensation for victims of terror attacks * Slam MTS
Ilyas Gujjar, a PML politician from Punjab, caught on camera: Politicians of Pakistan Muslim League (including all of its various factions, N, Q, F etc) usually claim to be guardians of Islam and Pakistan. It is however a known fact that most of the PML politicians are as hypocritical
Missing persons: No relief from the courts: Cross posted from: FKPolitics.wordpress.com While Dawn asks us to feel “relief” over the issue, the courts have once again failed miserably at bringing relief. All the big talk by Justice Javed Iqbal appears to be a tempest in a teapot. A
An Article 370 for Balochistan — by Riaz Shahid: I propose an Article 370 type provision in the constitution of Pakistan to satisfy the Baloch. There should be a bar on people from other provinces on voting or buying property in Balochistan for a period of at least
Dilemmas of counter-terrorism — by Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi: The perspective of Islamic parties and the political right that expresses varying degrees of sympathy for the Taliban has seeped into other sections of society that either do not blame the Taliban for the violence or attempt to rationalise
Is PML-N a lesser evil? by Gibran Peshimam: The ‘lesser-evil’ argument There is nothing like a timely wrong step taken by one political force to send the rivals skyrocketing onto a higher moral platform. For the people, it is the ultimate aphrodisiac in a country where we
The mysterious case of the grey lady of Bagram – by Robert Fisk: Why didn’t Aafia Siddiqui’s family report her missing in 2003, asks Robert Fisk. ISLAMABAD: Dr Shams Hassan Faruqi sits amid his rocks and geological records, shakes his bearded head and stares at me. “I strongly doubt if the children
De facto versus de jure rulers of Pakistan – by Ardeshir Cowasjee: As far as the army chief is concerned he has to do nothing but wait and deal competently with the menace of militant extremism that stalks the land. The other day I had a conversation with a man less
Mice: Treatment of minorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan – by Nadeem Paracha: NFP asks if minorities will ever be treated well enough to not feel like misfits. — File photo Some days ago, while waiting in my car for a traffic signal to turn green, a young kid nonchalantly stuck a
My daddy’s never coming home – by Hayat Umar: LAHORE: Thirteen-year-old Waqar lives with his paternal aunt in Keer Kot, a small dwelling near the Defence Housing Authority. His nine-year-old sister Noor and brother Waqas live with their maternal uncle in Islampura. This scattered family of four, along
General Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s letter to Mullah Baradar – by Hakim Hazik: A man believed to be Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in a photograph taken in 1998, given to The New York Times by a former photographer for the Taliban. Photo – New York Times Article cross-posted from: Justice Denied Brother
Punjab can no longer live in a state of denial – by Ayaz Amir: If FATA represents the cutting edge of terrorism in the name of Islam, Punjab, unfortunately, is the hinterland of this phenomenon. Or, to borrow a phrase from the repertoire of military folly, Punjab is the strategic depth of bigotry
Allama Iqbal Town blasts in Lahore were a message to Shahbaz Sharif: The following is a most interesting yet much ignored news item in Pakistani media. Here is how I interpret the series of six low-intensity ‘cracker attacks’ in Lahore. The Taliban do not ‘waste’ their precious assets (human bombers and
Shahbaz Sharif’s Taliban entreaties — by Zafar Hilaly: We can be sure that when the Taliban do not respond positively to his entreaties, Mr Sharif will not blame the Taliban, or fate, but Musharraf, the PPP, the MQM, the Americans, the Indians, the British, the Nigerians, the
Talibangate and Sharifs’ old tricks – by Cyril Almeida: Shahbaz Sharif was saying, I get it, God, country and family is my motto, too. I feel your pain. Support me and I’ll take care of you. –Photo by AP Shahbaz Sharif’s boo-boo had everyone up in arms. Even