Newspaper Articles Archive
We shall overrun: The young, urban, middle-class Pakistani’s manifesto – by Nadeem Paracha and Abbas Baloch: Related article: The Civil Society Bulletin – by Abbas Baloch As always, NFP at his best (Aliarqam) We shall overrun! Source: Dawn Blog 1. Asif Ali Zardari is the devil incarnate. 2. The Pakistan Army is the saviour. 3.
Was Shahbaz Sharif’s statement on Taliban lost in translation? – by Babar Sattar: Lost in translation? If Shahbaz Sharif’s statement at Jamia Naeemia was indeed taken out of context, can one construct a frame of reference in which such a statement would be justifiable? Maybe he did not mean to say that
Assaulting the Pakhtun culture: a rejoinder to Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed — by Farhat Taj: The Pakhtun culture is reflected in Ghaffar Khan’s non-violent movement, in the mysticism of Rahman Baba’s poetry and in the romanticism of Ghani Khan’s poetry. This is a society that produced hundreds of anti-Taliban lashkar leaders all over Pakhtunkhwa
The terror is next door, Mr CM — by Naeem Tahir: The chief minister Punjab needs to be reminded of the fate of JUI. People in the NWFP rejected that party because of its relations with the Taliban, and history can also repeat itself in Punjab Over 12 terror attacks
Nawaz Sharif: Pakistan’s teflon tiger – by Irfan Hussain: Nawaz Sharif has a remarkable ability to retain the image of a clean, mainstream leader despite such a tarnished record. Teflon tiger Pity the poor tiger: hunted to the brink of extinction, it now has to suffer the indignity
Zardari’s Courage – by Selig S. Harrison: In response to U.S. pressure, India and Pakistan recently conducted their first diplomatic dialogue since the Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba staged its terrorist attack on Mumbai in November 2008. The discussions were acrimonious, and the blame game began almost
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
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
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
Shahbaz Sharif’s bargain with the Taliban – by Ayesha Siddiqa: Shahbaz Sharif appears to have his footprints all over the PML-N’s future. –File Photo Shahbaz Sharif’s faux pas Shahbaz Sharif’s comments asking the Taliban not to attack Punjab have caused a furore in many parts of the country. In
Verbal diarrhoea of Shahbaz Sharif – by Fasi Zaka: Imagine a situation where you have to speak before a large crowd. Right there and then, even though you are not a cow, you discover you have foot-and-mouth disease. That is to say, you mistakenly put your foot in
Zaid Hamid and Ghuzwa-i-Hind — by Tayyab Shah: Zaid Hamid and his followers will not shy away from using religious texts of doubtful authenticity, with totally wrong and self-serving interpretations, to promote war. But the Pakistani youth is no more willing to be at the receiving end
Need for an operation clean-up against the IJT militia in Punjab University: Once again, the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Their list of offences is long and exhaustive, and their thug-like hold over the Punjab University (PU) has devastated this once premier institution.
Zardari: The first ever President to donate his whole body for the cause of organ transplantation: President Zardari signs human organs transplant bill President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday became the first President to donate all his body organs, after signing a landmark bill to regulate transplant of human organs in the country. The President
To PML-N: ‘If you shut your door to all errors, truth will also be shut out’ – by Shafiq Awan: The Punjab chief minister’s unique idea of offering an olive branch to the Taliban and in return demanding amnesty for Punjab from their terror spree was not at all a precipitous act but a well-thought out deliberation. The CM’s
Congratulations to the British boy’s family, however, local kidnapping cases go ignored in Pakistan: Pakistani woman Shamin Akhtar Butt, mother of kidnapped Mahnoor Fatima, 6, holds a placard and a picture of Mahnoor at a police office in Jhelum on March 16, 2010. – AFP JHELUM: When six-year-old Mahnoor Fatima disappeared, her mother’s
Blasphemy in a human world — by Sikander Amani: Whether you like it or not, the notion of blasphemy, or of ‘defamation of religion’, creates a hierarchy of beliefs which is simply incompatible with the plurality of the world, and the very right to hold a belief The
Fighting in the dark against terrorism in Punjab — by Meher Bokhari: Last year alone, innumerable incidents made a mockery of the Punjab government and its denial. The truth is, there is no dearth of facts. The tragedy is, there is no visible action being taken to address the evil, which
Encountering fundamentalism — by Nizamuddin Nizamani: Extremist Islam is encroaching deeper into the Thar Desert and almost all district and tehsil headquarters of Sindh and Balochistan, where large numbers of seminaries, with new buildings and equipped with every kind of infrastructure, have been erected during
Punjab khappay? – by Nadeem Paracha: According to many emails that I received after posting a blog in the wake of the terrible bomb attacks in Lahore last week, I was ‘spreading politics of ethnicity.’ I don’t know exactly what made these folks think this way,
From Osama to Taliban, where are the Sharifs headed? – by Saeed Minhas: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s careful treading through the power corridors received a severe blow as his public appeal to the Taliban for avoiding his fiefdom raised an unprecedented hue and cry in the National Assembly. If the CM’s
By aligning itself with Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba, PML-N poses existential threat to Pakistan: Existentialist threat The PML-N’s right wing ideology is an open secret. Thus it is not surprising if the party has now come clear on its stance vis-à-vis the militant outfits. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has finally exposed the
Cornered PML-N launches bid to limit damage, forced to explain its ties with Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba: During the national uproar, the PML-N continues to make failed efforts to control the situation, but without much success. Cornered PML-N launches bid to limit damage Source: Dawn Correspondent, 16 Mar, 2010 ISLAMABAD: The entire counter-terrorism effort being spearheaded
Who is behind Zaid Hamid’s crush India brigade? – by Kamran Shafi: The crazy Right and rump Pakistan I was to regale you with other stories to do with our security establishment’s tortured and seemingly futile hunt for the very elusive holy grail of strategic depth in Afghanistan (I ask you)
The 1947-48 Kashmir War — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Take up any book published in Pakistan on the division of the common assets of the Indian Royal Armed Forces and you will find Pakistan, justifiably, claiming that it was not given a fair share of the tanks, guns
A perspective on Benazir Income Support Programme — by Syed Mohammad Ali: The politics of poverty alleviation The programme seeks to provide direct assistance, specifically to women. Thus, besides empowering them economically, it encourages them to seek national identity cards as a precondition to obtain disbursals, which it considers crucial for
The civil-military struggle within — by Sher Ali Khan: Changing the pattern of the civil-military relationship is a difficult task to achieve. Thus far the Pakistanis have gained some political space through their recent stand against the last dictator. This has not necessarily translated into governmental autonomy in
Do we need secularism? — by Dr Khalil Ahmad: For Libertarians, religious freedom is an inseparable part of this natural personal freedom that the Constitution of 1973 so purposefully protects. Protecting religious freedom as a fundamental right is not only morally, spiritually, and intellectually of greater merit but
Begging Taliban for mercy: Shahbaz Sharif is loyal to Punjab at Pakistan’s expense?: Related articles: The Punjabi Taliban and the Ostrich of Punjab: Shahbaz Sharif The umbilical connection between PML-N and religious conservatism: Jaag Punjabi jaag – by Aamer Ahmed Khan Shahbaz Sharif’s bargain with the Taliban – by Ayesha Siddiqa According
Pakistani media is ignoring a disaster in waiting in Hunza: Story of a lake and the sinking paradise – by Irfan Siddiqi: The LUBP has previously posted an article on this topic by Dr Shahid Siddiqui highlighting the gravity and urgency of this issue. Gojal (in uppper Hunza) needs to be be declared a calamity-hit area, extending rightful facilities to its
Societal perspectives on terrorism — by Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi: At least one generation has been socialised into a favourable disposition towards Islamic conservatism and militancy. They have a natural sympathy towards the political discourse of the militants even if they do not support their violent methods The terrorist
Who’s the ‘middle class’ in Pakistan? – by Umair Javed: The obsession with the modern educated professional as a prototypical middle class Pakistani tends to shift focus away from those that are rarely educated in formal institutions, yet continue to control a larger share of political and economic capital
Glory, piety and politics – by Nadeem Paracha: With Pakistan’s two main political parties looking exhausted by being made to play a continuous game of cat and mouse with the establishment, the new generation of young Pakistanis began to look elsewhere. Many young Pakistanis, who in their
Keeping the army in check – by Irfan Hussain: Routine administrative issues like the grant of an extension in the service of the ISI chief becomes headline news. This preoccupation reflects the central role the army has come to occupy in Pakistan. As the major political player, it
Pakistan’s right wing joins UK’s right wing: Imran Khan campaigns for a Tory candidate in London: Cricket legend Imran Khan and prospective MP Zac Goldsmith grilled at Kingston Mosque. Photo Source: Kingston Guardian Imran campaigns for Jemima’s brother By Murtaza Ali Shah LONDON: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has thrown himself full-time into the election
Towards women’s empowerment – by Farahnaz Ispahani: The touchstone of the morality of a nation or a society is the way it treats its women. Women are a vital segment of any society. Without their unhindered participation in all spheres of national life, no nation can
Kamal Mehsud, the most famous singer of Waziristan: did the ISPR cheat him? — by Farhat Taj: Kamal Mehsud’s story is just one of the hundreds of stories of horror in Waziristan. The other stories are much more brutal and sinister in terms of the intelligence agencies’ collusion with the Taliban Kamal Mehsud was the most
Some legal aspects of PML-N’s alliance with Sipah-e-Sahaba – by Babar Sattar: Hobnobbing with terror Legal eye What are the irresistible compulsions of power politics that forced the PML-N to jump into bed with the proscribed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and its head Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi to win the provincial assembly seat in
Paradise pulp: How religion imbues the public sphere in Pakistan? – by Nadeem Paracha: Three vignettes revealing how religion really imbues the public sphere. Sticking out Ever since the 1980s, stickers asking people to pray have become a common sight, especially in buses, and on rickshaws. Of course, there is certainly nothing wrong