Newspaper Articles Archive
Crucial Damage Control – by I.A. Rehman: THE attempts being made to control the damage caused by the killing of more than 60 civilians in two bombing attacks in the Tirah valley can only be welcomed. But one hopes this is the beginning of a more
Nasrullah Baloch – “The Supreme Court No Longer Talks of the Missing Persons”: Source The Baloch Hal An exclusive interview of Nasrullah Baloch, chairman Voice for Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP) with The Baloch Hal Interview by Malik Siraj Akbar If there is one issue one cannot skip while talking about Balochistan, it
Current account deficit narrows by 68pc in 9 months – by Shahid Iqbal: The current account deficit kept supporting the traditionally weak external imbalances of the country as the deficit fell by 68 per cent at the end of third quarter of the current fiscal. The State Bank reported on Monday that
Fear of Books: From Burning to Banning: Taking away a book is taking away freedom from others. Those that choose to challenge books choose to take away a freedom from others that they should have no control over. When we start talking about banning certain reading
Faiz on Iqbal – by Farooq Sulehria: Few students of Pakistani literature know that Faiz Ahmed Faiz translated Allama Iqbal’s Payam-e-Mashriq into Urdu. An equally little-known fact is Iqbal’s presence at the founding conference of the Progressive Writers Association. While Iqbal, being the national poet of
Paradox republic – by Nadeem Paracha: Pakistan has been in the news for quite some time now. A country that (until about the early 1980s) was little known and usually mistaken for being a province of India in Europe and the United States, has rapidly
سندھ کا ’سیکیولر‘ مدرسہ: ریاض سہیل بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام کراچی ترقی اور تیزی کے ساتھ بدلتی سیاسی، سماجی اور معاشی صورتحال نے کراچی کے روشن ماضی کو دھندلا دیا ہے۔ برطانوی راج کے خلاف جب بھی تحریک چلیں، چاہے وہ
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
UN Report & Conspiracy Theories – Munizae Jahangir: Source Express Tribune Is it not strange that there are so many conspiracy theories around the murder of a leader who before she was killed clearly named those she suspected of being a threat to her security? Certainly the
The Shia holocuast continues: Editorial: Tragedy in Kohat Kohat was struck with tragedy on Saturday as two suicide bombers attacked an IDP camp as a group of internally displaced persons (IDP) were waiting to get themselves registered and receive aid handouts. More than
Interview with Abdul Baseer, a suicide bomber, an ex-student of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid madrassah: In this photo taken on Feb 18, 2010, alleged Pakistani militant Mohi-ud-Din, talks to the Associated Press while in police custody in Lahore, Pakistan. – AP Financed by Saudi Arabia, planned by the ISI, and executed by the Taliban
Religious minorities in an intolerant nation: Consequences of promoting Islamofascism: An intolerant nation Dawn Editorial Monday, 19 Apr, 2010 The site of the suicide attack outside an emergency ward at a local hospital in Quetta. A suicide bomber attacked a hospital emergency room where Shiite Muslims were mourning a
Ajoka’s Dara Shikoh: a story about the disputes between the Salafi and Sufi forms of Islam – by Taha S Siddiqui: Ajoka’s Dara – an ancient story of modern day proportions People say Lahore is rich with cultural treasures and that if one starts digging into the past, every street, lane and neighbourhood in this city contains in it a
Govt initiates action over UN report on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination: Officials named in UN report suspended By Syed Irfan Raza ISLAMABAD: Four days after the release of the UN Commission’s report on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, the federal government went into action and suspended eight officials, including former City Police
How gay is being ‘gay’ in city? – by Andaleeb Rizvi: As Karachi continues to resonate with sparring political parties, sanctimonious religious outfits and bloodcurdling acts of terrorism in the post-Zia Pakistan, there is only one place where those who are ‘different’ could really be their own selves and get
Religious overtones of Pakistani media: It fell from the heavens – by Nadeem Paracha: It fell from the heavens “With the emergence and success of new, more modern sounding, albeit equally conservative and traditionalist preachers in various urban drawing rooms from 1995 onwards, the new trend was picked up by various TV channels
Govt Silence Sounds Death Knell for Faisalabad Ahmadis – Nasir Jamal: Source Dawn: LAHORE, April 16: It is no longer just a doorbell for Mohammad Iqbal and his family; instead it has a ring of alarm about it. As a boy goes to answer the call the other inhabitants form
Madly in hatred for Pakistan’s constitution!: Premature warning Dawn Editorial, 18 Apr, 2010 Taken at face value, the comments made by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Friday simply restate a known legal approach: “Judiciary supervises a regime of the rule of law and not the rule
Unrest among Sindhis on 18th amendment: HYDERABAD: A group of civil society leaders has made quite a critical evaluation of 18th constitutional amendment bill and said that Sindh remained the major loser once again because neither the issue of provincial autonomy nor of natural resources
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
Tariq Ramadan and his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – by Tarek Fatah: The Montreal Gazette Tariq Ramadan, the darling of the world Islamist establishment is back in Montreal. This time however, the Swiss scholar who usually camouflages his Islamist agenda under the niqab of ambivalent doublespeak, is going to do away
Balochistan’s depressed Press – Baloch Hal Editorial: Source The Baloch Hal Daily Asaap. Abid Amin. Khuzdar Press Club. Malik Arif. All these tags lead to divergent but equally disheartening conclusions which narrate an abysmal state of the press freedom in Balochistan. These tags help us to
The rise of Mehran man (urban middle class) in Pakistan – by Irfan Husain: Pakistan’s power elite will increasingly come from the cities and not from the rural hinterland. This will have a profound impact not just on politics, but on society as a whole. Writes Irfan Hussain.
Punjabi Taliban (Sipah-e-Sahaba) slaughter Pakhtun Shias in Kohat refugee camp. Burqa clad suicide bombers kill at least 40 people: After yesterday’s brutal attack on Shias in a hospital in Quetta, terrorists of Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba have struck Shias once again, this time in a refugee camp in Kohat, killing more than 40 persons. Two suicide bombings at a
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
Ex-MI Chief Nadeem Ijaz Ordered CPO to Wash Benazir Murder Scene – By Tariq Butt: Source The News: ISLAMABAD: The report of the UN fact-finding commission says the then Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO), Saud Aziz, had ordered to hose down the scene of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination at the Liaquat Bagh on the order
U.N. Probe of Bhutto Killing Faults Pakistan Military – Time Magazine: By Omar Waraich: Pakistani authorities not only failed to provide former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto the security that could have saved her life, but elements within the powerful military establishment may even have played a role in her December
More Provinces debate…: Dangerous games Dawn Editorial Friday, 16 Apr, 2010 Tempers in Hazara appear to be cooling after several days of violence. A general strike was called off recently, businesses are reopening and leading politicians have visited the area, ostensibly to
Strengths and pitfalls of the 18th Amendment – By Asma Jahangir: Our political leadership must make up its mind: either it commits itself to non-discriminatory policies on minorities or confesses to bigotry., writes Asma Jahangir. The much-awaited constitutional reforms may have sailed through the National Assembly and Senate but there
What the provinces gain – by IA Rehman: Source Dawn: The biggest beneficiaries of the 18th Amendment would be the federating units and this should be made known to the people of these units, otherwise the reform measures will not receive the kind of public support that
Evolving campus politics – By Nadeem Paracha: In 1947 the only established student organisation in the newly created country of Pakistan was the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student-wing of the Muslim League. The Muslim League began to disintegrate as Pakistan’s first ruling party. Consequently, the
The Pakistani woman’s crusade against the system: By Sadef A. Kully Thursday, 15 Apr, 2010 KARACHI: Although, it has been twenty something odd years since Dr. Kauser Saeed Khan has been participating in and witnessing women protest for equal rights, there still seems to be some
In defence of the ANP and Kyber Pakhtunkhwa – by Hamid Mir: آئیے ذرا آج اپنے گریبان میں جھانکتے ہیں۔ کیا یہ درست نہیں کہ ہم میں سے اکثر لوگوں نے خود کو مفتیان کرام اور سپریم کورٹ کے ججوں کی جگہ پر فائز کر رکھا ہے؟ جی ہاں مفتیاں کرام
Mullahs vs Zaid Hamid: The hypocrisy of juggernaut vs juggernaut – by Fasi Zaka: Zaid Hamid once looked like an unstoppable juggernaut. It didn’t matter that much of what he said was inaccurate, or that he posed every problem in the context of himself being the only saviour. Self-serving arguments were lapped up
Religious minorities in Pakistan and a door slammed shut – Kamila Hayat: All of us who have attended school in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan were taught at one point or the other that the white strip that runs down the flag stood for non-Muslims who make up an estimated three
Shaukat Tarin talking about Mashal LNG Project: Another informative article on the issue by Munawar B. Ahmad: The Supreme Court’s suo moto hearing of the much sensationalised $1 billion scam alleged in the award of the LNG contract to GDF-Suez, may or may not determine if