Monthly Archive:: January 2011

De-weaponise Pakistan! But How? – by D. Asghar: MQM’s senior leader, Dr. Farooq Sattar, in the wake of recent Karachi killings, made an appeal to the masses. He wants to evaluate current laws on the books and introduce some new ones, to essentially de-weaponise Pakistan. The statement
Opportunistic criticism of the democratic government in critical situations – by Riaz Ali Toori: A cliched but effective story of a painter~ Painter who painted a beautiful picture after putting a lot of effort and hanged it in public place with a caption saying “please mark out the mistakes”. The next day he
Fake Civil Society (FCS) – by Shahid Khan: Related article: Taseer’s murder and the call for a ‘broad-based alliance’ between PPP and the ‘civil society’ – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla 1. Civil Society, Real or Fake? The current phenomenon of ‘civil society’ did exist in Pakistan during
Rose petals for a killer -by Shehrbano Taseer: My father’s assassination could teach us something. My father, Salmaan Taseer, governor of the Pakistani province of Punjab, was murdered on Jan. 4, shot dead in broad daylight by the policeman tasked to protect him. Acting out of a
Blasphemy allegations: Another Christian family on the run: LAHORE: Two Christian women were beaten and publically humiliated by an angry mob over apparently frivolous blasphemy allegations and they and their family are now in hiding for fear of being killed, The Express Tribune has learnt. “None of
Roundtable on reviewing the decade long-terrorism struggle 2001-2010: Pakistan’s Afghan policy is flawed and has proved to be counterproductive for the interests of the country, renowned author Ahmed Rashid said on Thursday. He was speaking at a roundtable discussion, organised by Individual Land, a non-profit Islamabad-based think-tank,
Taseer’s murder and the call for a ‘broad-based alliance’ between PPP and the ‘civil society’ – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: Related posts: Deconstructing Pakistani liberals: A response to Shashi Tharoor and Raza Rumi The Civil Society Bulletin – by Abbas Baloch Some myths and realities about the self-labelled civil society – by Shahid Khan “Supreme Court shall not remain
The “epicentre” of terrorism – by Ayesha Siddiqa: So we don’t like what US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said about us: that Pakistan has become an “epicentre” of terrorism. Many have disliked the statement and consider terrorism as a temporary phenomenon linked with American presence
In the Army – by Haseeb Asif: I had always been interested in politics so it came as no surprise to my family when, at the age of 18, I announced my decision to join the armed forces. After some basic medical checkups I was an
Khadim-e-Aala’s Punjab Police – by Ali Raja: On 13th January, 2011,  Chief Minister of Punjab tagged Khadim e Alla Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif very innocently complained that the increased budget of Punjab Police did not work and that the law and order situation of the province
General Musharraf’s corrupt cronies – by Rauf Klasra:
Salute to Tunisia: It all started a month ago when a disenfranchised university graduate Mohammed Bouazizi, 26, doused himself in petrol and set himself alight after police confiscated his produce, alleging he did not have the necessary permit. This public suicide grew
Promoting “Spell Check” to gain worldwide acceptance: After our inability to promote moderation and liberal thinking in our country, we are forced to deviate from the topic and offer our sincere apologies to people who have been bugged by us for the last few years. Instead,
The drone of the ummah and the infidel blasphemers – by Hakim Hazik: Cross-posted from Justice Denied Note: This post was written two days before Salmaan Taseer’s martyrdom. From Khyber to Karachi and from Wahga to Naukundi, the lovers of the faith and of the blasphemy law came out in force. Armed
295-c, A Black Law – by Abbas Ather: Related article: ‘Everyone Declare Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law as Black Law’ Campaign
Monitor the Juma prayer khutbas for hate speech: An excellent initiative: The LUBP has received the following statement via our friends on Facebook: “There is HOPE!!!! Altaf Hussain has instructed all MQM workers to monitor Juma prayers khutbas all over Karachi. If any cleric is guilty of inciting hatred and
What is the common message in Salman Taseer’s murder and Justice Javed Iqbal’s parents’ murder?: چند روز پہلے تک حکومتی اتحاد میں کوئی دراڑ نہیں تھی۔ مگر اچانک مولانا فضل الرحمن نے حکومت سے علیحدگی کا اعلان کر کے سیاسی ہلچل بھی پیدا کر دی۔ ہرچند حکومت اس میں سے عارضی طور پر بچ
humara hero pagal hai – by Khalid Wasti: ہمارا ہیرو پاگل ہے ============ ممتاز قادری کی ویڈیوز دیکھنے سے معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ وہ صحیح الدماغ شخص نہیں ہے – اب اس انبوہ  ِ کثیر کے بارے میں کیا کہا جائے جو ایک فاتر العقل کو اپنا
A “righteous” confusion – by Imran Khan: What differentiates the smiling face of Mumtaz Qadri from that of an apprehended criminal is a lack of guilt. Mr. Qadri is beaming with pride because according to his religious beliefs he has not done anything wrong.  But this
Intellect of our judges and scientists: Riko Diq Project hearings – By Ahmed Iqbalabadi: I had not been following the Riko Diq Project hoo-haa simply for the fact that it was “scooped” by none other than novelist Shaheen Sehbai in The News. Titled “$260 billion gold mines going for a song, behind closed
Justice Sharif’s murder plot ‘a remarkable tale’: Report: Further reading: We look forward to the follow up story to the plot to kill Justice Sharif- by Chaudry Ahmad Khan and Ahmad Iqbalabadi Special Branch Report to kill Khwaja Sharif “false and baseless” The alleged Plot to kill
Salmaan Taseer: the content soul —Dr Mohammad Taqi: Source: Daily Times, January 13, 2011 To let these hordes be the judge, jury and the executioner would be the exact opposite of what Salmaan Taseer stood for. They have succeeded in killing Salmaan Taseer but must not be
Umar Bin Khattab (RA), the forerunner of visionary modern state – by Shaukat Masood Zafar: People say good leadership is like a prized perfume. Its very first scented waft announces its presence with astonishing freshness. Bad leadership like skunk just stinks. Democracy is not a separate ideology from Islam. In fact democracy is very
On Salmaan Taseer: A cry in the wilderness – by Kamran Shafi: Source: Dawn, 11 Jan 2010 I DON`T know where to begin, what to say. There are so many questions: the governor`s murderer could have been a fundamentalist, obscurantist, extremist, terrorist, whatever. But why did the other guards who were
Salman Taseer’s assassination: can Pakistan survive as a viable state?: After Salman Taseer murder Pakistani Society seems very much divided. A cold and calculated assassination, not only highlights political turmoil in country but it also raises very fundamental questions related to the viability of state. And it appears the
Bramdagh Bugti says Ali K. Chishti fabricated his “bogus interview” in Daily Times: Cross-posted from The Baloch Hal Quetta: A spokesman for Baloch nationalist leader and the head of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP)  Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti has termed two recent interviews published in a Lahore-based English daily as fake, fabricated and
Right or wrong? – by D. Asghar: We take positions based on our views and our perceptions of the world. Mostly our views are guided by our domestic and external education, religion and morals, personal experiences and above all our environment. We are a bitterly divided
“God instructed me to kill” – by Junaid Noor: The chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, has taken suo motu notice against the murder of governor Punjab, the late Salman Taseer. The suo motu notice has been taken because the police does not want to take
Life term awarded to an extremist Deobandi Mullah for blasphemy against the Prophet (pbuh): توھین رسالت : دیوبندی مولوی کو میلاد کا پوسٹر پھاڑنے پر عمر قید توھین رسالت کیس میں دیوبندی امام مسجد کو محفل میلاد کا پوسٹر پھاڑنے پر عمر قید سنی گئی ،۔وکیل کے مطابق مدعی کا تعلق بریلوی جبکہ
My father’s murder must not silence the voices of reason in Pakistan -by Shehrbano Taseer: There is a real danger that extremists could triumph if good people do not continue to speak out I can’t help but roll my eyes when I’m informed I must keep a guard with me at all times now.
The GHQ-made jihadi and sectarian robots vs ordinary Muslims – by Abbas Ather:
General Zia-ul-Haq’s (balack) laws are not Allah’s laws – by Tanveer Qaiser Shahid:
The LUBP commends Mr Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his bold and timely rejoinder to Islamofascists: The LUBP commends Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP chairperson, for his bold and timely rejoinder to the Islamofascists. At a time when the PPP government is being besieged on all fronts, it is important not to loose focus and
No, Prime Minister, it’s not a sensitive issue, it’s a case of murder:
New day, new issue – by Ahmed Iqbalabadi: Our dearest friend, Ansar Abbasi, is always on the lookout of ways to embarrass the political system and political leaders. He was the one who was the architect of last year’s circus of “Fake Degrees”. The pretext of the
In support of Nasrin Sotoudeh: We condemn Iranian judiciary and mullahs for their decision to sentence prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh to 11 years on flimsy charges (on the pretext of national security). It may be noted that not unlike GHQ’s influence on
Salman Taseer’s murder and the footsoldiers of media – by Qudsia Siddiqui: Related posts: Three musketeers and the “PPP abandoned Salmaan Taseer” narrative “The blaming the victim brigade” and Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder An open letter to President Zardari — by Shahid Saeed “Civil” Society must stop blaming the PPP: A rebuttal
In the name of God, you are dead – by Amir Mir: When Punjab Governor Salman Taseer stepped out of the Table Talk restaurant in Islamabad, after having lunch with his hotelier friend Sheikh Waqas on January 4, he was most likely aware of the possibility of religious extremists lurking around
Who is Kafir?‏, by Amjad Rashid:   I already knew that there are fierce beasts with human faces. I already knew that there are evils with the name of nobles. I already knew that there are sinful killers but showing them as martyrs & Ghazis.
The Pakistani state and the ruling elite’s crises -by Arshad Mahmood: