Monthly Archive:: August 2010
Floods and the Existential Threat – by Adnan Sayed: The existential threat comes from disowning the democratic structure, giving up on it and looking yet again for another instant messiah in face of tremendous adversity and hopelessness. We were wrong in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s when
Chief Justice vs. Straw Man: According to its website, the Supreme Court is “the Court of ultimate appeal and therefore final arbiter of law and the Constitution. It exercises original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. Its judgments/decisions are binding on all other courts in the country”.
Sochi summit: President Zardari seeks international support for Pakistan.: President Asif Ali Zardari returned here on Wednesday after a few hours visit to the Russian city of Sochi during which he participated in the quadrilateral summit of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russian Federation on regional peace, security and
Pakistan Floods: What Ashu Lal says! -by Jehangir Hafsi: Author’s Note: This is what Ashu Lal, a poet from Siraiki area of Pakistan, comments about the recent devastation caused by the floods in his area. I liked Ashu Lal’s talk so much that after watching his emotional interview
CRCP press release on formation of flood relief commission: This was forwarded to us by our reader Aley Islamabad: Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) expresses serious concerns on the announced formation of an independent commission to oversee relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-hit areas. The formation
The Role of the Media – by Sindhyar Talpur: In United Kingdom, right leaning newspaper, daily Telegraph ran the news about diversion of aid from Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA). They quoted an anonymous internal source, and the events mentioned were from 2-3 years ago. The local
Jinnah’s Pakistan- by Dr Mubarak Ali: It has become a ritual to celebrate Independence Day every year without considering whether we have achieved it or not. The question is how far independence has accomplished its objective by creating historical consciousness among people: whether it has
Socho! President Zardari Must Attend the Sochi Summit-by Sana Ali: Diplomats and development experts have long anticipated the upcoming Sochi Summit. The recent politicization of President Zardari’s foreign trips threatens to derail this vital meeting of the Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Russia where comprehensive projects are on
Threat over Ground Zero mosque-By Brian Lilley: She spoke out against the Ground Zero mosque, now a Canadian Muslim woman says she is being threatened. Raheel Raza, a founding member of the Muslim Canadian Congress, calls the idea of a mosque within 300 metres of Ground
Saving a drowing country needs an ideological shift – by Nasima Zehra Awan: Cross-posted from the Pak Tea House “You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques……..Religion is not the business of the State”. Thus spoke Jinnah, whilst addressing the Constituent Assembly on August
Syeda Shehla Raza’s facebook status-shame to yellow journalism: Syeda Shehla Raza deputy speaker Sindh assembly posted her current facebook status as saying: “My visit to RAZZK ABAD camp I saw a unike incidence the repoter of GEO arranged a man who according to his directions gave a statement that
Remembering the Violence during Zia (L) Regime – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: پاکستانی تاریخ کے گزشتہ عشرے عظیم سیاسی اتھل تھپل کے غماز ہیں۔ ان اَدوار میں بائیں بازو کی قؤتوں کا جو اُبھار دیکھنے میں آیا۔ وہ ملکی سیاست میں سنگِ میل کی حیثیت رکھتا تھا۔ ذوالفقار علی بھٹونے موقع
Horrible devastation, Please donate now!: Instead of writing a detailed article, please accept this as a humble plea. Please open your hearts, as things are really bad in Pakistan. Now the estimated figure is that 4 crore (40 million) people have been affected and displaced
A friend in need is a friend indeed: Congratulating people of Pakistan on the occasion of its 63rd independence day, US President Barack Obama has expressed his country’s long term commitment in strengthening ties with the country. President Barack Obama has pledged sustained U.S. support for Pakistan’s
Homophobic and secularphobic judges in Pakistan’s apex court: Related post: Pakistani Tweeples slam pro-JI homophobe Samad Khurram ’لامحدود اختیار سے سیکولر ازم کا خدشہ‘ پاکستان کی سپریم کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس افتخار محمد چوہدری نے کہا ہے کہ پارلیمنٹ کو لامحدور اختیارات دینے سے ملک سیکولرازم کی
Countering inflation by monitoring input prices – by Ali Wahab: Source: Express Tribune, August 16, 2010 Countering inflation by monitoring input prices By Ali Wahab KARACHI: There is no place like home to spend Ramazan and Eid. While visiting Karachi in 2007 and driving through Mohammad Ali Society, my
سیلابی سیاست – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: کُچھ ہی عرصہ پرانی بات ہے، چار بھائی پانی کی تقسیم کے معاہدے پر عدم اطمینان کرتے ہوئے ایک دوسرے کی ٹانگ کھینچھنے اور نیچا دِکھانے میں مصروف تھے، گرما گرم بیانات، اِلزامات کی بارش، صوبائی تعصب پر مبنی
The Dominoes of Balochistan- by Peter Chamberlin: The day must come when sanity prevails in Balochistan, no matter which side proves to be acting in a rational manner. Pakistan is in a very bad way. By most standards of measurement, it is a failed state, or
Hats off to the political leadership- By Raja Riaz: LAHORE: Kudos! The main leaders of the PPP and the PML-N have shown maturity by shunning their differences and joining hands to help the flood victims in all federating units of the country. Hats off to Prime Minister Yousaf
Mad in the middle- By Nadeem F. Paracha: The political and social aspects of Islam in Pakistan can be seen as existing in and emerging from three distinct clusters of thought. These clusters represent the three variations of political and social Islam that have evolved in
Why Muslims reject modernity- by Khaled Ahmed: Today, nothing negates modernity more than jihad. It undermines the nation-state, and destroys the state that organises it. The scattering of the Pakistani state is owed to it. It is often said that Muslims in the 21st century have
We’ve to make a “BENAZIR” Pakistan _ By Saria Benazir: There pass decades and experiences inscribe themselves on sections of sheet. Eyes seize back to millions, who in their kick laid down their lives for the cause of liberty _ for the sake of a detached home, where the
Is Zardari’s Gamble Paying Off Big?: Let’s be honest, President Zardari took a big gamble by going to meet with foreign leaders as the flood crisis unfolded. It was obviously bad public relations, and his advisors had to know that he would be skewered in
Obama says he supports Ground Zero mosque and ‘religious freedom’: U.S. President Barack Obama says he supports a plan to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center in New York, near the scene of the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks. It was the first time the president has expressed
Floods and Minorities in Pakistan: Fr. Emmanuel Asi, President of the Lahore Biblical Theological Institute and a member of the directive committee of the Theological Institute for Laity in Pakistan, as well as expert in interreligious dialogue, was recently interviewed by the press office
This 14th August can change the scenario- by Muhammad Amjad Rashid: 63 years have been completed today but still there is a process of nation building in Pakistan. Korea & China started their race of progress and prosperity in global world some years after us but they have passed us
Aid for 2005 Pakistan quake spent elsewhere: report: LONDON: More than 300 million pounds of aid to help rebuild parts of Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake was diverted to other projects, a British report said Saturday. The Daily Telegraph newspaper, citing unnamed senior Pakistani officials, said there
Basic Questions on “Lack of Trust” in government: Currently, the people of Pakistan are enduring the worst flooding in history. The destruction has been unprecedented. Millions have been displaced, nearly 0.7 million homes destroyed. Communication networks wiped out. Bridges washed away. Roads are no more. People who have
SAFMA hosts seminar on Pakistan-India relations: The South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) organised a seminar titled ‘Pakistan in a South Asian Context’ in connection with Independence Day at a local hotel on Friday. Experts from India and Pakistan spoke on the occasion and expressed
Violence in classrooms – By Qudrat Ullah: Corporal punishment is the gravest violation of fundamental rights of the children. All children need enabling environment to grow up. On the other hand, corporal punishments badly blemish their overall behavior and also hinder psychological growth. According to
Unprecedented Floods and Donor Fatigue -by Bahadar Ali Khan: Yesterday seven people were killed only by snake biting in the flood ravaged areas of Pakistan. The deadly Python are increasing the sufferings of the flood victims in the Southern Punjab and now Sind. While entire transportation infrastructure in
Once more —Zafar Hilaly: Source: Daily Times The reason why civilian governments and the army find themselves at odds on occasion is less their different perspectives on global or, for that matter, domestic developments and more because both are victims of their own
Silence is not an option – by Kamran Shafi: Enough is bloody enough! Enough of deafening silence as our people, women, men and children, are mercilessly killed and maimed and widowed and orphaned by cold-blooded murderers and their handlers and motivators. How many more Safwat Ghayyurs and Mushtaq
President sees devastation, handed out aid, and promised homes would be rebuilt: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari yesterday made his first visit to areas hit by devastating floods. He toured the Sukkur dam in southern Sindh Province, Pakistan Television reported, to see the damage firsthand, after being criticized by the opposition
Keeping him alive — by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad: Source : Dailytimes The greatest medal that all of us can award Safwat, which would be true to his legacy, is to earnestly carry on the fight against extremism and terrorism. If truly the whole country feels his loss,
India, Kashmir, and Pakistan turn 63 -by B. R. Gowani: “Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s first leader, in the doorway of his study in Karachi in September, 1947, just weeks after the new country was formed.” PHOTO/Bettmann/Corbis/The New York Times This August marks the beginning of the 64th year of
After the floods, more disasters might follow – by Riaz Ali Toori: A month ago, the two provinces of the country had a row about the “Water Issue” in Pakistan. There was lack of water for agriculture and in some areas there had been great shortage of drinking water. Neither Punjab
Pakistan’s Project of Renewal -by President Asif Ali Zardari: Pakistan, a nation beset by political tragedies for generations, now faces a new test of its national character: a natural calamity unprecedented in our history. Millions have been displaced and thousands have died in floods caused by unabated rain.
Taking stock of the Zardari government’s [slack] response to the floods: Al-Jazeera Report 11 August 2010 Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, returned home on Tuesday after controversial visits to France and the UK. Zardari is facing rising anger in Pakistan from victims of what some are describing as