Monthly Archive:: August 2010
PPP and PML-N leaders flay Altaf’s statement: Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders have strongly condemned the statement of Altaf Hussain regarding the imposition of martial law. Federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that Altaf Hussain’s statement is against the constitution
Editorials: On Altaf Husain’s appeal for a “martial law-like” intervention: Dailytimes: Marching towards tyranny, again? Altaf Hussain, chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has appealed for a “martial law-like” intervention by “patriotic generals” against “corrupt feudals and landlord politicians”. Coming from someone whose party is known for its
Altaf Gets It Backwards: Whatever possessed Altaf Hussain to make statements supporting a martial law, his comments are short-sighted and ill-conceived. In fact, Altaf gets the whole thing backwards. If we’re going to make progress in eliminative corruption, the only way to do
Commission and Opposition – by Sarfraz Anwar: Mr Sarfraz Anwar Writes for Daily Khabrain and always portay true picture …
Denialistan: DAWN’s romance with jihadis exposed – by Nasima Zehra Awan: Nasima Zehra Awan laments the media romances with sectarian Islamists while the country drowns The August 21st editorial by DAWN is a good example of what is wrong with the media in Pakistan. “Hardliners and Flood Relief” is precisely
LUBP condemns political killings: Brother of the ANP MNA shot dead: Asif Khan, a city Govt. Karachi officer and Brother of ANP MNA from Sawabi Pervez is brutally killed in a target killing attempt by the unknown assassins last evening. After the shocking incident violance erupted at various places resulting
Accepting foreign help — by Ishtiaq Ahmed: In an interview given to Lyse Doucet of the BBC and shown on August 16, 2010, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi pleaded passionately for help from the international community for the unprecedented monsoon floods that are wreaking havoc in
Talibanisation of the heart — by Dr. Abbas Zaidi: Dr. Abbas Zaidi has shared this intellectual piece with us for LUBP. A slightly edited version is published in Dailytimes today, we have posted it earlier from the newspaper, Now we are replacing it with the complete, unedited and
An Activist President – by Farahnaz Ispahani: The world has never seen a calamity of this scale. One which has left thousands dead, many injured and millions homeless. It is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world presently, which has affected 20 million people. The floods
Think of the Mothers – by Sana Ali: All images of flood victims are heartbreaking. But it is the faces of the mothers that keep me awake at night. I see the women of my mother country and I instinctively think of my own mom. My mother
Between Kalabagh and a hard place – by Shehrbano Taseer: The politicization of the August 2010 floods in Pakistan leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. More disturbing than seeing the witch-hunt carried out by hysterical journalists has been watching some politicians capitalize on the crisis to score cheap
Method in Madness – by Sindhyar Talpur: In an ideal world, a catastrophe that hits a country right down the middle is a sobering and binding event. The state quickly springs into action, with a two tier response-safeguard followed by rehabilitation. In case of a flood,
Voyeur-at-large by AA Sheikh: A nearly true depiction of the Non-State Actors at play, arousing public sentiment at all times against a single target! Voyeur-at-large by AA Sheikh Source: Express Tribune, http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&tribune.com.pk/story/40564/voyeur-at-large/ As a veteran TV commentator with stints at both Expressive
“French like Revolution” Are you sure, Sir? – by Suleman Akhtar: Revolution in thoughts or revelation from stars, I’m not sure what prompted QET Altaf Hussain to articulate a French like revolution idea, intertwining it with Military coup in the same breath. I switched television channel as if his name
Pakistan flood aid tops $800 mn, IMF chief assures president Zardari of support: Aid received for Pakistan’s flood victims is almost double the amount requested by the UN, the country’s foreign minister said Sunday, as relief workers struggled to save dozens of villages and towns from flooding. He said the generous assistance
Lynching of two brothers in Sialkot – Where was the conscience of onlookers? By Ahmed Iqbalabadi: I was terrified when I saw disturbing pictures of an unruly mob beating two boys with sticks, killing them, hanging their bodies with poles and then parading their bodies in the back of a tractor trolley around the industrialized,
Daughters of Al Huda: A Farhat Hasmi enteprise – by Khaled Ahmed: We are wrong to look for terrorist tracts in the madrassa. The suicide bomber is not made through syllabi but through isolation from society. When we wish to produce a normal citizen we begin by socialising the child. Anyone
Free limits – By Nadeem F. Paracha: What on earth is ‘freedom of speech?’ This question has been raised on various TV channels, in the newspapers and on internet forums in Pakistan after some channels were sent spinning off the air, allegedly by ‘hooligans’ on the
Looking beyond the calamity – by Imtiaz Alam: Indeed the natural and no less man-made calamity of the floods is still continuing across Pakistan. The scale of devastation is so horrendously huge and still so incalculable that no government or agency of any capacity could cope with
Sindh: Homeless, hapless and helpless – by Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur: A relative who resides in Karachi recently advised obtaining national identity cards from Karachi. His logic? “Passports may soon be needed for travel to Karachi.” I regarded this as an ominous warning though others brushed it off as a
Terrible Flooding in Pakistan and media is still playing politics: 13.8 million people in Pakistan are affected by the worst flood in a century. More than 1,600 are dead and many more unaccounted for. Entire villages and towns have been consumed by rising water levels, and hundreds of thousands
Relief work and politics – by Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi: Pakistan has been experiencing devastating floods for the last three weeks. In a week’s time the water will start falling into the Arabian Sea, which will be the beginning of the end of the floods. However, the devastation and
Pakistan’s Future: It’s choice–not chance – by Bilal Qureshi: For my mental health, I never watch Pakistani television, be it state run or the so-called ‘private’ channels. And if I am forced for whatever reason to put up with it for an hour or so, it is, and
Why the unfolding disaster in Pakistan should concern you -by Robert Reich: The human tragedy unfolding in Pakistan right now demands our full attention. Flooding there has already stranded 20 million people, more than 10 percent of the population. A fifth of the nation is underwater. More than 3.5 million children
Floods, Fanatics, and Fault Lines: Raza Rumi’s column in today’s Express Tribune should never need to be written. A tragedy of the proportions we are facing is a time to put aside petty differences and work to heal our wounds and move our nation forward. But
Tragedy does not discriminate and neither should relief agencies- by Shehrbano Taseer: It is in times of pitiful tragedy that I have witnessed great humanity. I grew up watching my saintlike mother dutifully rush to anyone’s side in their times of adversity. She accompanied her friend to Shaukat Khanum for her radiation
Pakistani Media: Of floods, facts and fiction!! – by Saad Mansoor: Related article: What Pakistan did right in response to the massive floods in 2010 – by C. Christine Fair The floods that wreaked havoc in the country were of Biblical proportions, however, they compare nothing to the propaganda unleashed
Why is CJP Afraid of Secularism? – by The Baloch Hal: The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Ifthakar Chaudhary, who was reinstated to his top position after rigorous anti-dictatorship efforts of champions of democracy and pluralism, has stunned everyone with his recent remarks against the Parliament and secularism. The
Importance of a robust peoples’ movement in Punjab against the Punjabi Ruling Elite – by Asim Jaan: I wrote this in response to the recent heinous killings of Punjabis travelling on a bus near Sibbi in particular and the general racial hatred being carried out in Pakistan. I strongly condemn the killing, not only this incident but all
We did not do it – by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: We are a people blessed with time but a country for which time is running short. Clarity is a rare commodity; clarity in terms of our actions, our thinking, judicious dispensation of aid and even our worldviews.I had written
Help the secular, or face the extremists – by Daud Khattak: Fear of targeted killing by the Taliban knocking at the door of Peshawar has forced the leadership of key secular parties to stay inside, thus providing an open field to the religious and pro-Taliban elements to win the hearts
U.S. would lead the international efforts to help Pakistan cope with biggest challenge: President Asif Ali Zardari and Senator John F. Kerry on Thursday had an aerial view of the flood-hit Jampur.President Zardari was accompanied by US Senator John Kerry who arrived in Pakistan Wednesday night to personally review the damage caused
We must have answers – By Kamran Shafi: An appeal has been made to My Lord the Chief Justice of Pakistan by 10 eminent citizens, in the following words. “An appeal by the citizens of Pakistan: Request to scrutinise the five-year tax returns, declaration of assets and
National Disaster Management Commission or a politically motivated parallel body? – by Aley: Background Pakistan is exposed to a multifaceted hazard situation, a perilous combination of geographical and socio-political factors. Physically it is exposed to vulnerabilities ranging from earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides etc. The physical milieu is entwined with an awful
Review Zakir Majeed Baloch’s abduction and illegal detention- by Ali Baloch: When on 8th of June, 2009 Mr. Zakir Majeed, Visce Chairman BSO(Azad) were accompanied along with his friends Mr. Waheed And Mr. Basit were on way proceeding from Parangabad market to his friend Mr. Abdul Waheed house situated at
“Pakistan has to shift its strategic focus”, Prof Walter Russel Mead: LAHORE, Aug 14: Pakistan should move away from the zero-sum security rivalry with India to be able to emerge as a successful, modern democratic society, says a distinguished American foreign policy expert. “It is vital for Pakistan to shift
Why the world is not reacting- by Muhammad Hanif: ہر ایک کے ہونٹوں پر ایک ہی سوال ہے۔ اس صدی کا سب سے بڑا قدرتی عذاب، دو کروڑ انسان شکار، ستر لاکھ بچے بھوک اور بیماری کا شکار تو دنیا کا دل کیوں نہیں پسیجا۔ عالمی برادری نے
The river beyond- by Dr Mohammad Taqi: It may sound like a cliché but the late Munir Niazi’s words ring truer today than ever before: “Ik aur darya ka samna tha Munir mujh ko, Mein aik darya kay paar utra to mein ne dekha.” The translation