Newspaper Articles Archive
Punjab turns a blind eye as militant scourge thrives – by Ayesha Nasir: Activists from Jamaat-u-Dawa, a charity widely viewed as a front for the banned Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, rally during an anti-India protest in Lahore last month. Arif Ali / AFP Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), potentially one of the most dangerous militant groups
PML-N teaming up with Sipah-e-Sahaba for Local Government polls in Punjab: ‘PML-N teaming up with banned outfit for LG polls’ * Deputy Opp leader describes PML-N’s links with Sipah-e-Sahaba as ‘shocking’ * Ex-Rahimyar Khan nazim alleges govt will only conduct LG elections when assemblies’ tenure ends * Pervaiz Rasheed says
Mai Jori – by Harris Khalique: In recent by-elections in PB-25 constituency of Jafferabad (Balochistan), PPP’s Nasir Khan Jamali won by a large margin. This area is a Jamali stronghold and tribal affiliations are the determining factor in electoral victory in Balochistan. However, the most
Rehabilitation of the Taliban: Differentiate between the branch and the root — by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: Roots Branches Young children were kidnapped by the Taliban and then made to serve as suicide bombers. These young men, and in the latter part of the battle young women, became cannon fodder for the Taliban’s heinous designs. They
In Pakistan, generals do not retire – by Syed Talat Hussain: Age of extensions The COAS has done precisely what the chief justice did in the case of his trusted comrades, which is not much different from the reasons we hear from the president and the prime minister for retaining
The creation of ignorance and hate speech by Pakistani media – by Kamila Hayat: The creation of ignorance There can be no doubt that the past seven years, since private media channels went on air in late 2002, have created a kind of revolution in the country. Never before in the history of
Pakistan women: Rights without rights – by Dr Farzana Bari: Rights without rights The UN theme this year for Women’s International Day was “Equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all.” One wonders how to commemorate the day around the theme when rights and opportunities are simply disappearing from the
ISI’s Colonel Imam: Ideologue or pragmatist? – by Wasif Khan: Amir Sultan Tarar also known as Colonel Imam. — File photo In a recent interview with the New York Times, the once renowned Colonel Imam made some very insightful remarks and dire predictions. For those unfamiliar with the name,
Punjabi Taliban belonging to Sipah-e-Sahaba responsible for the Lahore’s Model Town suicide attack – by Amir Mir: Police and rescue workers stand near a crater, which was made from a suicide bomb targeting the Special Investigation Agency in Lahore. A suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in Lahore killed at least 12 people
Conspiracy against Jamaat-e-Islami – by Mohammed Hanif: جماعت اسلامی کے خلاف سازش محمد حنیف | 2010-03-07 اس صدی میں ہونے والی باقی ساری سازشیں ایک طرف لیکن سب سے بڑی سازش پاکستان کی نظریاتی سرحدوں کی محافظ، اس قوم کی بیٹیوں کی عصمت کی رکھوالی اور
A secular state is a moral state — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: The modern secular-democratic state must ensure that all individuals as well as majorities and minorities enjoy freedom of religion and conscience and the political right to choose their government In the last few weeks the Daily Times has carried
To be dashing, keep bashing! – by Mian Saifur Rehman: PML-N leaders in various cities of Punjab have taken out rallies and resorted to public display of arms and firing to express their (shameless) support for the police chitrol (bashing). Here is an article on this topic by Mian
Accountability does the trick – by Kamran Shafi: At least two readers, obviously the Commando’s supporters, have sent me abusive emails after reading my last article ‘The happening place’ (March 2) in Dawn. They have, among other compliments, called me a liar for suggesting that Bilal Musharraf,
Justice Iftikhar’s “love” and “respect” for law – by Saeed Minhas: A quest for personal glory or strength of an institution? By Saeed Minhas ISLAMABAD: Preceded by kangaroo, jiyala and Dogar courts, the Chaudhry court is certainly the product of a months-long lawyers’ movement that shook not only the power
Brain-dead Nawaz Shairf Rangeela wants Justice Iftikhar to interfere in Parliament’s affairs: Nawaz wants CJ’s input in Rabbani panel’s proposals Tuesday, March 09, 2010 By Tariq Butt ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has urged Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to seek opinion and input of
Thanks to Saudi-financed Islamofascism: Iranians face terror threat in Pakistan KARACHI: The arrest of Jundullah chief Abdolmalek Rigi by the Iranian government has raised the risk of attacks on Iranian nationals and installations including the embassy and consulates in Pakistan, as the militant
How Saudi Arabia has corrupted Yemen to spread Wahabism: Religious schools under scrutiny in Yemen Wednesday, 03 Mar, 2010 TARIM: Malaysian student Mohamed Fatri Ben Kazrah flew half way round the world to fulfill his dream of studying Islam and Arabic at a Yemeni religious school. Ben Kazrah
Suicide attack on SIU Centre, Lahore. Wake up, Punjab, against the PML-N, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Taliban alliance – by Nadeem Paracha: Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N’s political alliance with a terrorist organisation Sipahe-e-Sahaba (an affiliate of Taliban and Al Qaeda) seems to be paying off. Only recently, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered release of two most dangerous terrorists belonging to Sipah-e-Sahaba; the
Adolescent girls’ plight in Pakistan — by Mehr Qureshi: There is no specific provision on incest in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and police, prosecutors and judges often have dismissive and condemning attitudes towards the victims Today is International Women’s Day. This day is a global celebration of
TV talk shows: good, bad or just inane — by Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain: Being a strong supporter of freedom of the media I believe that every television channel and all the hosts have the right to say whatever they wish as long as it is within accepted societal norms of decency Every
Hijacking from the Ground: The bizarre story of PK 805 – by Aminullah Chaudry: October 12, 1999: Pakistan Army takes control of Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International Airport —Photo courtesy of www.historyofpia.com/forum High drama in the sky Reviewed by Muhammad Ali Siddiqi Source: Dawn, 07 Mar, 2010 Of the two principal characters involved in the
Peshawar: The tale of an orphan city – by Ismail Khan: The scars of wars went deeper and left an impression not only on the social and cultural fibre but also devastated Peshawar’s infrastructure. — Photo by AP “Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the
Objectives Resolution and Secularism – by Wajahat Masood: Contributed by: Aamir Mughal First Constituent Assembly of Pakistan: M.A. Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Nurul Amin, Allama shabbir Ahmed Usmani, Maulana Akram and Dr I H Qureshi My friend Wajahat Masood has tried to dig the ‘Islamic roots’ of
The sinking paradise of Gojal in upper Hunza — by Dr Shahid Siddiqui: Borith Lake – Gojal Hunza Photo Source The government needs to act fast. Gojal should be declared a calamity-hit area, extending rightful facilities to its residents. The debris removal work should be expedited by extending the shifts to 24
PPP and the working class: President Zardari has signed the Services Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2010, repealed the Removal from Service (Special Power) Ordinance 2000 and Section 2A of the Services Tribunal Act 1973, a controversial clause that deprived redress to employees as they were
Sky is the limit for Pakistan’s women fighter pilots: In a country where extended family is important and most middle-class women rely on servants for household work and child-minding, Ambreen and Nadia may be saved some of the problems faced by women in the West. —AFP Photo ISLAMABAD:
Jamaat-e-Islami, Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Realpolitik – by Nadeem Paracha: The JI and PTI’s popularity remains limited to a handful to carefully selected talkshows. Realpolitik The recently concluded by-election in Rawalpindi’s NA-55 constituency, the interest and voter turnout it generated, was a healthy sign for the democratic process. It
Where is the Lawyer Community now? Why did Judge Saeed Khurshid resign?: Unsung hero of lawyers’ movement parts way with judiciary By Saeed Minhas ISLAMABAD: An unsung hero of the landmark lawyers’ movement – former Civil Judge Saeed Khurshid – is busy finishing his LLM degree while practicing law in the
Two sectarian terrorists freed by Punjab government – by Rauf Klasra: The controversial Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, who is notorious for his pro-Taliban tendencies, has facilitated the release of two convicted terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) at the request of Chief Minister of Punjab Mian
Pakistan army: the struggle within – Praveen Swami: “India,” Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari famously said in an October 2008 interview, “has never been a threat to Pakistan.” In his first major interview, given just a month after taking office, he described jihadists in Jammu and Kashmir
Pakistan sets ground rules for AfPak policy – by M K Bhadrakumar: Natural law brings AfPak crashing By M K Bhadrakumar Be it a baseball struck in a neighborhood sandlot game or in high-wire diplomacy, an elementary principle of physics holds good – what goes up must come down. In a
Haroon Rasheed, the provincial deputy head of Jamaat-e-Islami NWFP, harbouring Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists: For the past one week, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and their pro-Taliban agents (Pakistani Taliban Union of Journalists – PTUJ) in media (e.g. Hamid Mir, Ansar Abbasi etc) have been propagating a one sided story of the “brutal killing” of the
An innocent victim of the Taliban’s suicide attack: An innocent victim of the Taliban’s suicide attack on a Shia convoy in Hangu on its way to Parachinar. A man lifts a girl injured in the suicide attack from an ambulance to be treated at a hospital in
Interpreting tribal leaders of FATA — by Farhat Taj: Anger against the Pakistan Army and the Taliban is intense and getting more intense with every passing day and so is disappointment with the government of Pakistan I am compiling a list of the tribal leaders of FATA who
Benazir Bhutto murder case takes new turn as officials hunt for retired and serving army men: میں کس کے ہاتھ پہ اپنا لہو تلاش کروں Investigators are searching for four military personnel who had disappeared just before the assassination of the former prime minister. New twist in Benazir’s assassination probe ISLAMABAD: Investigations into murder of
Promoting senior army officers without consulting the government: State within a state? – by Ayesha Siddiqa: The fact that Gen Kayani has the powers to promote senior officers without consulting the government is far too important to be brushed aside as a minor procedural issue. –Photo by APP It is amusing to note that there
Shifting deadlines and cheerleaders of doom in Pakistani media – by Ayaz Amir: Star-gazing — for what it is worth Islamabad diary Ayaz Amir As I have had occasion to mention before, Islamabad since its birth has been a city dedicated to nothing so much as intrigue and conspiracy. It has always
Messy yet workable: The Raza Rabbani framework for judicial appointments – by Cyril Almeida: The Rabbani committee may actually have set up a rather workable framework for judicial appointments. –Photo by APP The Raza Rabbani court By Cyril Almeida Let’s walk through the process for appointing superior court judges devised by Raza Rabbani’s
My life with the Taliban – by Abdul Salam Zaeef: Humanising the monster Dr Mohammad Taqi My life with the Taliban By Abdul Salam Zaeef Translated from Pashto and edited by Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Hurst/Columbia University Press; Pp 331 In his foreword to Mullah Abdul
Manmohan Singh in Saudi Arabia: A lesson and a few reminders — by Syed Talat Hussain: The Saudis, in their national interest, can get into a tighter hug with Pakistan’ archenemy without fearing as much as a raised eyebrow in Islamabad, because Saudi Arabia is a giver and Pakistan is a taker Imagine Israeli Prime