Don’t Let Aasia Die – by Haris Ubaid: Governor Punjab Salman Taseer has been assassinated for speaking in support of a christian woman Aasia Bibi, a 45 year old Christian wife and mother who was sentenced to death by hanging in Pakistan for being a Christian on
The Liberal is Dead, Long Live The Liberal – by The Baloch Hal: The tragic murder of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer by his own security guard in Islamabad is the most high-profile assassination in the country since the killing of the Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto in December 2007. Both Benzir
Death becomes his – by Nadeem F. Paracha: Punjab Governor, Salman Taseer, was assassinated yesterday (January 4) by one of his security guards. The guard, who soon gave himself up to the police, proudly claimed that he killed the late Governor because Taseer had described the controversial
Why do they pick on us Pakistanis? – by Pervez Hoodbhoy: My green passport requires standing in a separate immigration line once my plane lands at Boston’s Logan airport. The ‘special attention’ from Homeland Security, although polite, adds an extra two to three hours. I belong to the fortunate few who
Shame on extremist Barelvis: More than 500 religious scholars belonging to the Barelvi school of thought paid rich tributes to the assassin of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer on Tuesday and urged ‘Muslims across the country’ to boycott the funeral ceremony. While the Deoband and
Death of a hero: the aftermath -by Waseem Altaf: Salman Taseer, the lone ranger was a pure soul, unlike most of our politicians who are scared of speaking the truth. He stood for the right cause and sacrificed his life for whom nobody dares to come forward–the downtrodden
Mumtaz Qadris are everywhere – by Altaf Ahmad: I am ashamed of being a Pakistani today. I still remember the day a foreign firm that I worked with online for 2 years offered me to join their office at Warsaw. They were willing to increase my pay
A brainwashed fanatic kills Governor Punjab Salman Taseer: An extremist and religious fanatic (reportedly of the Barelvi sect) killed Governor Punjab Salman Taseer in a brazen attack in Islamabad today. Governor Punjab had received death threats from the following because of his bold stance on the blasphemy
Extremist Deobandis kill two Shia teachers in D.I.Khan: It seems that the recent release of Qari Saifullah Akhtar of the Sipah-e-Sahaba / Taliban by the ISI / Punjab Government has brought some results. The recent wave of the anti-Shia violence in the country (in view of recent
Political manoeuvring and democracy – by Riaz Ali Toori: Pakistan’s political history is replete with palace intrigues, conspiracies and atrocious campaigns. The democratic history of this country is also not so estimable. Several factors stalled the growth of democracy in Pakistan. The major factor remains the autocracy that
How legitimate MQM’s shikayaat are?: In my post of yesterday titled “PPP’s Hukoomat Jaa Rahee hay – A wish more than analysis”, I had talked about a couple of “shikayaat” that MQM has related to their share in the federal government as well as
Quaid-e-Azam and minorities – by Nasir Saeed: On the 25th December 2010 Pakistan celebrated the 134th birthday of the father of the nation, Quid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Dignitaries such as Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah of Sindh
MQM: Losing the plot? – by Nadeem F. Paracha: The list of reasons that MQM gave for quitting the coalition reads like a summarised series of slogans and concerns that one gets to hear over and over again on talk shows: NFP. – File Photo So, the MQM
A Thousand Year Writer’s Block.. – by Omar Ali: William Burroughs famously remarked that Islam had hit a one thousand year writer’s block. Is this assessment justified? First things first: obviously we are not talking about all writing or all creative work. Thousands of talented writers have churned
PPP’s Hukoomat Jaa Rahee hay – A wish more than analysis: I was looking forward to the program called the “Great Debate” on Geo News last evening. The debate was to be moderated by Iftikhar Ahmed and Hamid Mir. Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s President Saeed Shafiq was the
J’accuse – by Hani Shukrullah: This article was written by an Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrullah in the aftermath of the bombing of a Coptic Church in Alexandria which killed 21 Coptic Christians, but it’s equally applicable to the sorry treatment of Pakistan’s religious minorities
The dilemma of identity – by Suleman Akhtar: The solution lies within our rich civilization itself. Solution lies in revival of that beautiful culture of peace and harmony marked with the distinctive diversities. Solution lies in Indian version of Islam that has served people irrespective of their
Daughters of the nation —by Mashal Sahir: In Pakistan, the most horrendous abuse of women is rape. According to statistics, 928 women were raped in Pakistan in 2009. However, most cases are never reported due to the humiliation attached to the victim and also because our
Book review: Hazrat Ali and Nahjal Balagha — by Khaled Ahmed: Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali By Reza Shah-Kazemi; IB Tauris 2006 Pp 254; Special price Rs995 Available at bookstores in Pakistan This is a book from The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, and is dedicated