Monthly Archive:: March 2010
Masses erupt against power cuts in Rawlakot – Marxists lead them: The following is a report written by comrade Yasir Irshad of The Struggle a Marxist group oriented towards the working class. The Struggle, the Pakistani section of the International Marxist Tendency, demands that the Peoples’ Party as the party of
Thank you, democracy! NWFP to be renamed as ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’: The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms (PCCR) has agreed to rename North West Frontier Province (NWFP) with ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ on Wednesday. The PCCR met with its chairman Senator Raza Rabbani of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in chair to end
Understanding Nawaz Sharif – by Amir Mateen: Amir Mateen has recently written a series of extremely interesting and thought provoking articles on Nawaz Sharif and his politics. Amir has in the past written some of the most balanced articles on Pakistani politics, for example, his piece
CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry’s suicide attack on FIA – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: Here is an excellent article by Ahsan Abbas Shah on this topic:
Views on the constitutional review — by Peter Jacob: The review process has to foresee and incorporate a framework for social, legal and economic reforms. The part that seems to be missing as yet is, in fact, of immense importance for common Pakistanis. It concerns human rights Ever
My Lord, Why NRO only? – Kamran Shafi: We are told that Ziaul Haq, yes the very same Ziaul Haq at whose door the responsibility of unleashing the demons responsible for most of our present travails can and should be placed, is to be excised from the
Religious extremism: Bomb with the fuse lit – by Zafar Hilaly: Once upon a time to get on in Pakistan religion did not matter. On the other hand, a criminal record did not help. Today, by the looks of it, one can have a criminal record and still actually occupy
Nawaz Sharif – No more advice: Nawaz Sharif’s recent U-turn on constitutional reforms has surprised every one. But more astonishing is not his U-turn but his series of advices. Advice :Firstly he asked PM to intervene and talk to Chief Justice to end this crisis. Fact: PM is not
Why did Iftikhar Chaudhry hit Ahmed Riaz Sheikh? – by Farhad Jarral: Cheap (wrongly known as Chief) Justice of Pakistan has started targeting ideological supporters of PPP. Ahmad Riaz Sheikh, former Deputy Director FIA, was arrested today on orders of Cheap Justice. His crime? Because Mr Sheikh is a loyalist of
Controversial Chief Justice of Pakistan assumes executive authority; challenges the attorney-client privilege – by Aamir Mughal and Sarah Khan: Adapted from: Aamir Mughal’s blog Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, controversial Chief Justice of Pakistan, today created a new chapter in Pakistan’s history by assuming the executive authority of the federal government and also objecting to the attorney-client privilege. Pakistan’s
Did Jinnah know about the Kashmir War? — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: Those who want us to believe that an obscure colonel forced Pakistan into a war without the knowledge of the top political leadership, especially someone of the stature of Jinnah, are insulting common sense In his comment, ‘Jinnah’s role
The case for Pakhtunkhwa – by Rahimullah Yusufzai: The debate on renaming the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is serious business because it concerns the identity of its people and their place in the federation of Pakistan. However, the direction it has taken is sometimes comical, and at
Shahbaz Sharif – Reality Check: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s statement to spare the Punjab from attacks since both Taliban and N -league has same agenda was condemnable . My question to Mr Sharif is if both N-league and Taliban has same agenda ;wheter the agenda
Nawaz Sharif ne apna zameer baich diya – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: نواز شریف نے اپنا ضمیر بیچ دِیا سید احسن عباس رضوی
Need a boost, PML-N? They’ll never admit it – by Shafiq Awan: The telltale between British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif over the latter’s U-turn on constitutional reforms made Nawaz blush. Reportedly, Nawaz Sharif demanded assurance from the foreign guarantor that his political survival would not be
Appeal for a victim of the blasphemy law: This letter in Daily Times is an appeal for the release of Professor Zahid Hussain Mirza who has been in detention since June 1999 after he was accused of blasphemy for writing an academic book on Islam: Human rights
This is what “Men at Their Best” do the best!: Arrested woman alleges being raped by Rangers * Uzma was caught carrying liquor at a picket near the Pak-India border * Medical examiner refusing to disclose whether Uzma was raped or not * Rangers SP claims woman was in
A parochial stance – by Murtaza Razvi: Originally Published at DAWN MIAN Nawaz Sharif’s abrupt about-turn on the constitutional amendments that MNAs of his own party hammered out after intense negotiations with their counterparts from other major political parties will be seen as doing little service
Pashtun nationalism — by Dr Manzur Ejaz: Most of the time, secular Pashtun nationalists have highlighted their economic deprivation. But if the Pashtuns’ share in the army, the bureaucracy and the economy in Pakistan is higher than the proportion of their population, such an argument becomes
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
Can you hear the Himalayan Mountains? – by Amjad Rashid: Today is 27th March 2010 or it may by 28th of March when this article will be read by you. I see that some people are enjoying the spring season and its festivals. Some are planning their Summers and
GAME OVER: Zaid Hamid Lost, Zia ul Haq Won. By Anas Abbas: By Anas Abbas Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid, a darling of Pakistani elite, a motivator for Pakistan army officers, an absurdity for Pakistani liberals and an idol for Pakistani conspiracy theorists, has been in the headlines of Pakistani media for
Nawaz Sharif, a true heir of General Ziaul Haq – by Junaid Qaiser: Mian Nawaz Sharif has, throughout his political career, by and large shown little respect for constitution, parliament and democratic norms and traditions. Because of these ‘virtues’ (lack of respect towards constitution, parliament and democracy), the nation always regarded him
Americans for Democracy and Justice in Pakistan: Hello, As a supporter of democracy in Pakistan, I’m writing to let you know about a new organization that has formed in the United States, Americans for Democracy and Justice in Pakistan. Our goal is simple: Support the Pakistani people’s
Sharifs plea against tax evasion notices admitted: Originally Published at THENEWS Saturday, March 27, 2010 By The News Correspondent LAHORE A TWO-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday admitted for regular hearing the petitions of the Sharif family, challenging notices of the Federal Board of
Injustice in the case of Kalim Khan (Senior Civil Judge, Multan) – by Farhad Jarral: The ‘promotion row’ has triggered a second resignation from the subordinate courts in Punjab; this time in Multan, as a senior civil judge Muhammad Kalim Khan resigned here on Wednesday. This resignation also sparked a serious judicial crisis in
Mian Nawaz Sharif and Chanakya politics – by Faizi Mughal: It is a natural rule that facts can never be concealed. At one stage or the other, truth is unveiled how deep you bury that. The same rule is working for PML-N also and despite several masks of piety
Some reflections on the by-polls: By Ali Arqam Durrani The recent by-election in Punjab and Pakhtoonkha are showing people’s moods, tendencies and their precedence. Elections were conducted on the same day in both the places D I Khan (PF-65) and Gujarat (PP-111). Here we
Pak-US dialogue: a Pakhtun perspective — by Farhat Taj: Basically, the jirga is saying that it does not trust the military establishment, which is leading the dialogue with the US. The military establishment will follow the policy of strategic depth in Afghanistan, which is the key cause of
One jab in Punjab — by Salman Tarik Kureshi: It is clear that there is such a thing as the Punjabi Taliban. One can no longer refer to the Taliban as a uniquely Pakhtun phenomenon. Punjabi militants are running training facilities and have established cells across the province
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
Descent into anarchy – or love for dictatorship? – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: A group of ’self-proclaimed’ intellectuals has waged a crusade against present government sine it took power in Islamabad after showing an exit to dictator. The group has announced several dates in past when government was supposed to be overthrown
Justice Iftikhar protects scoundrels and ignores honest judges: Civil judges in Punjab rally against lawyer Dawn Report Saturday, 27 Mar, 2010 LAHORE, March 26: Judicial officers took to the streets on Friday in protest against slapping of a civil judge by a lawyer in Faisalabad earlier this
Who is in control? What are you up to Mr Gilani?: PM Gilani honours PPP tormentor Dawn Reporter Saturday, 27 Mar, 2010 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani conferred the Nazria-i-Pakistan (posthumous) award on the late Lt-Gen Mujibur Rahman, one of Zia-era tormentors of the PPP. Gen Mujib was
Intelligence Dumps Zaid Hamid?: Cross-posted from Khawer Khan’s blog. Zaid Hamid’s meteoric rise and recent fall has been analyzed by a number of commentators. One aspect of his story that has been missing is Zaid Hamid’s connections to the Pakistani intelligence community. In
Where is justice for Constable Khalil, my lord? – by Abdul Nishapuri: I am writing this post in support of an unsung hero, Constable Khalil, a 26-year-old police constable who was abducted by the Punjab Rangers personnel on Wednesday (24 March 2010), while he was on duty at Lahore’s Liberty Market.
Nawaz Sharif Backtracked – by Sajid Ali: The Constitution Reform Committee worked for about 9 months at 18th amendment for repealing 17th amendment. The Committee consisted of senior parliamentarian of all parties, treasury as well as opposition. All nation put their eyes at the 24th of