Monthly Archive:: March 2010
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
Pakistani media and the romance with “Secret Map” – by Anas Abbas: Source: AAcounterterror Lately, Pakistani media has been propagating the perception that a secret map by U.S. military official Lt. Col Ralph Peters was issued in 2006 to safeguard Israeli security interest and to balkanize Pakistan. This map has been quite frequently
Time to wakeup for PPP- by H.A. Khan: If you have some love with the history and the current affairs of Pakistan, then it is very easy to assess some important things going around. Certain things that are happening around these days are making some more clarity towards
Seven Blasts in Lahore: New agenda of Punjabi Taliban and PML-N – by H.A. Khan: A Pakistani woman mourns a death of her family member in a suicide bombing in Lahore Photo: AP Wake up my people, Wake up my people, They are the extremist elements; they want to put their flag in my country.
Mothers’ Day: Mother Beloved and Bradistan – by Dil Nawaz: This is a special post on Mothers’ Day. The obituary of Mrs Aziza B Qureshi, the mother of Fun Da Mental frontman Aki Nawaz. A celebration of Mothers’ Day and Mother Beloved’ s services to PPP, Bhutto family and
Wishful Journalism: Rehman Malik Fired!: Thanks: Pakistan Media Watch President Zardari is not the only government official in the sights of our Wishful Journalists. If one were to believe these pseudo-reporters, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has been preparing to leave his position for several
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
The Al Qaeda Connection – by Imtiaz Gul: Chilling truths Book Review by Afrah Jamal The Al Qaeda Connection – By Imtiaz Gul, Penguin Global; Pp 320 Today, the landscape has been transformed into a hunting ground as the showdown between the military and militants gets underway
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
Blast after blast after blast in Lahore, who is responsible?: Terror drama unfolds in Lahore Two suicide bombers targeting Army vehicles detonated explosives within seconds of each other on Friday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 100, police said. It was the fourth major attack in Pakistan this
Bank Loans Write-Off: A comparison of PPP, PML-N and General Musharraf: According to statistics by the State Bank of Pakistan, there are glaring differences in terms of fiscal irregularities between elected governments and military governments in Pakistan. Government of General Pervez Musharraf appears to be most corrupt followed by the
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
Did Governor Slaman Taseer forge a political alliance with Sipah-e-Sahaba?: We at LUBP are pleased to post the following “press release” by the DGPR (Director General Public Relations) of the PML-N’s Government in Punjab, which was published in The News: Leader of defunct outfit speaks at Taseer’s election rally
PML-N’s Sipah-e-Sahaba group and its cost to Punjab: The pattern of by-elections in Jhang and PML-N’s alliance with Sipah-e-Sahaba is a worrisome development. However, this is not the first time that PML-N has established alliances with terrorist organisations. Only a few days ago (in February 2010), PML-N
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
Veteran Pakistani journalist Nazir Naji faces threats by Taliban terrorists: This is an alarming development. In his op-ed in Daily Jang on 11 March 2010, veteran journalist Nazir Naji has provided details of various threats which he has been receiving from Taliban and their affiliate jihadi and sectarian organisations
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
President Zardari signs historic Women’s Rights Bill: Thanks: New Pakistan The Americans do not have a monopoly on freedom and protection for women. This is the message from yesterday’s historic event in Islamabad where President Zardari signed the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Billensuring equal
A Pakistan you never knew! Being gay in the Islamic Republic – by Shaheryar Ali and Nuwas Manto: First published at Sherryx’s Weblog “Invisibility” and “Silence” are the hallmark of fascist societies. A national stereotype is built and than implemented through ideological and coercive apparatuses of the state. Gender is an important battle ground in these “nation-building”
A tale of two Pakistani girls which remains hidden in other more important news: Here are two news items (which remain hidden in the more important headlines) from today’s newspapers. These news items once again reveal the typically hypocritical, class- and religion-centric and misogynistic nature of Pakistani society. The first story is about
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
The End of the Zardari Government is Near: Courtesy: Pakistan Media Watch This is the first post in a series on ‘Wishful Journalism’ – an unfortunate practice that seems to be taking place more than actual reporting in some parts of the media. There is a difference between
Let us impose democracy…again – by Nadeem Khan: Dear people of Pakistan, We hereby now announce to have national holidays for four consecutive days (starting from Wednesday, so that you may plan the vacations for 5 days including the adjoining Sunday). To make your vacations more enjoying
An introduction to Rana Sanaullah: Here are some video clips providing a crisp introduction to what Nawaz Sharif and his PML-N stand for, particularly in view of their much trumpeted rhetoric for the rule of law and fight against corruption. Our focus in these
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,
Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi of ASWJ leads a grand rally in Jhang with the help of PML-N’s Punjab government: We at LUBP proudly present to our readers the latest specimen of good governance of PML-N’s government in Punjab. Residents of Jhang (central Punjab) are currently experiencing an incredible surge in the presence and public activities of Sipah-e-Sahaba, a
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
Arresting Taliban to serve America’s interests – Guest post by Peter Chamberlin: First published at: Therearenosunglasses’s Weblog The multitude of theories on the reasons for the arrests are divided between cooperation and confrontation theories, either it is explained by mutual interests or by rivalries. In my opinion, it is both. Researchers
Medium Double Double – by Bahadar Ali Khan: Canada with its family immigration policies turns out to be a rather unique and interesting country in the world. Geographically it occupies the second largest land mass in the world after Russia. Due to severe winters and arctic weather
March of the landless peasants towards Lahore: As i write these lines, members of the band Laal and the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP) are currently in Khanewal mobilizing one of the largest movement of the landless peasants for a march towards Lahore and presenting their
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
Unsubstantiated and biased reporting of Geo TV – by Usama Bhutto: Two years ago in a remote village of Goth Gorang (Balochistan), three women were burnt alive for alleged fornication. An anti-terrorism court of Jafferabad today sentenced the accused four men to life imprisonment and heavy fine each. Geo TV
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