Monthly Archive:: July 2011
Pakistan at the Crossroads – Benazir Bhutto Interview with YaleGlobal: Benazir Bhutto came back to Pakistan in backdrop of an inconclusive dialogue with the former military dictator general musharraf. Before her return, she was highly critical of the terrorist activities of the Lal Masjid Clerics and amidst a hostile
Fai called his ‘ISI handlers’ 4,000 times: FBI: The Federal Bureau of Investigation has made public the phone numbers and emails addresses of the alleged Inter-Services INtelligence handlers of Ghulam Nabi Fai arrested in Washington for collaborating with the Pakistani spy agency by funnelling money to influence
KESC Labour union defies ethnic divide – by Ali Arqam: The devil’s advocate in Pakistan mainstream media TV channels and newspaper reporters are misinforming people on the strife between KESC workers and incompetent but very powerful administration. Notwithstanding their pledges and agreements with the Govt. after taking charge of
Why the military is the problem in Pakistan —by Fahd Ali: In some ways the military follows the same occupant/conqueror mindset that was followed before 1947 and the British concept of ‘us’ and ‘them’ is still followed — only now it has been replaced with the ‘civilian and non-civilian’ binary
Rampant Plagiarism: Here is something from my timeline: “@saeedshah Sana Bucha’s column also lifted the headline and the “sulk” theme from my Economist piece” Its just highlights disappointing and unfortunate standard of our media that a renowned anchor would plagiarise this blatantly in a national
Original sins: Priest arrested for raping girl: Pakistani Christian clergy is one of the most corrupt segment of the society. Our priests and bishops have been involved in all sorts of corruption and illegal activities, and have been practiced fraud, theft, cronyism and other corrupt behaviour
We condemn closure of Matiullah Jan’s Apna Gareban. Why no accountability of journalists?: Related posts: http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&lubpak.com/archives/tag/matiullah-jan TV Anchors and journalists of Pakistan’s media corporate industry always give lectures on “accountability” and ethics, moreover, miss no opportunity to malign civilian elected representatives of pakistani people. Talk shows and their howling and yelling anchors
Karachi’s Pushtun “problem” – By Imran Khan, Pakistan Today: With the World becoming increasingly connected, political correctness in ideas and behavior is becoming essential for minimizing frictions, and for that reason it also is becoming the hallmark of the educated. We Pakistanis often complain about the lack of
US charges two illegal lobbyers, ISI funelled $4 mn to influence Kashmir policy: The US has accused two men with being unregistered lobbyists of funneling millions of dollars on behalf of Pakistan’s intelligence service in payments to US officials, and other efforts to influence Washington’s policy. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on
Eric Foner on the Evolution of Liberalism -by Meera Ghani: Excellent interview with Eric Foner. For those who may not know him he is an American historian. On the faculty of the Department of History at Columbia University since 1982: There are some similarities to make the case for
EU Council conclusions on Pakistan: Summary: 18 July 2011, Brussels – Council of the European Union 3106th FOREIGN AFFAIRS Council meeting conclusions on Pakistan The Council adopted the following conclusions: 1. The EU reaffirms its commitment to building a strong long-term partnership with Pakistan,
No honeymoon period: Muslim girl in danger after marrying Christian: GUJRANWALA: A local teacher has approached police officials, after she began receiving death threats for marrying outside the faith. According to police officials, Khokhar Ki resident Majeeda Bibi married a colleague Bashir Masih last year without informing her family.
Hina Rabbani Khar to be Pakistan’s first lady Foreign Minister: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is a liberal party and it’s government has not only taken measures to provide protection to women but also elevated their positions by giving them important portfolios. These measures give women honour & protection
Recommending Aatish Taseer – by Alamdar Mengal: It was interesting to come across some Twitter reactions to Mr. Aatish Taseer’s boldly written article, “Why My Father Hated India” that was published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, which poses some tough questions about the historical and
PM Gilani, don’t appoint a man of doubtful integrity as head of the supreme audit institution – by Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: The 1973 Constitution seems silent on defining a criterion for appointing an auditor general. Article 168 of the 1973 constitution says that the president shell appoint an auditor general. Article 168(3) says an auditor-general cannot be removed. Perhaps, Raza
Return of the MQM – PPP haters in state of shock: MQM, the largest political party from Karachi is the most reliable foe of the current political set up. It gets upset on matters which can only be termed as wacky. They leave the coalition basing their decisions on
The persecution of Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan is unaccaptable!: The following two incidents should be a source of shame to all Pakistanis. The first instance involves our dear Sikh Pakistani brothers and sisters and this is how Express Tribune reported it: “The Sikh community in Lahore have been
Karachi Reportage and stereotypical Douchebaggery – by Ali Arqam: Last night in a recently launched TV show by Express News with a Janus-faced title “Sirf Sach” hosted by a relatively new face Ali Mumtaz, the participants from Karachi were asked about violence in Karachi. He chose the
Smokers’ Corner: Lounge revolutionaries -by Nadeem F. Paracha: There have so far been three major occasions in which Pakistani middle class has broken away from its traditionally conservative disposition to come out and announce ‘revolutionary’ political aspirations. The first time when this class began demonstrating political assertiveness
Looking for ‘Pakistan Spring’ makers? -by Nusrat Javeed: A group of frighteningly brilliant and youthful professionals seemed dominating the reception that Mark Davidson, the US Counselor for Public Affairs, held at his residence Friday evening. The event facilitated two communication experts from Open Source at Brown University
Pakistan: A Brighter Future?: Pakistanis tend to be dreamy romanticists. Our favorite dream relates to the sudden emergence of a knight in shining armor from heavens to rescue everyone through able governance. Unfortunately, this is a pipe-dream, for leaders emerge from within societies,
Malik Ishaq wielded clout in jail; helped Pak army: Related Articles: LeJ’s Malik received monthly stipend from Punjab govt Jab Pakistan per firqawariyat ka saaya tha -by Ali Suleman Malik Ishaq, the chief of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), who has been set free on bail after 14 years
Karachi, Fire Rages On – by Saif Ali Azad: Karachi, the unfortunate city is once again burning; the current wave of bloodshed, target killing and terror rattled the city once again. It is presenting like wore torn city, bullet riddled bodies, corpses, fire engulfed vehicles, buses and buildings.
جب پاکستان پر فرقہ واریت کا سایہ تھا– علی سلمان: Originally Posted at: BBC URDU کالعدم سپاہ صحابہ کے رہنما ملک اسحاق کی رہائی نے پاکستان کے اس دور کی یاد تازہ کر دی ہے جب پاکستان شدت پسندی کے خلاف امریکہ کی شروع کردہ کسی جنگ کا حصہ
LeJ’s Malik received monthly stipend from Punjab govt: Related Articles: Malik Ishaq wielded clout in jail; helped Pak army Thank you, ISI-backed Supreme Court, for releasing Malik Ishaq By Asad Kharal Malik Ishaq enjoyed Punjab government’s financial assistance ever since the Sharif’s came to power in 2008,
Listening to Munawar Hasan’s views on rape was very traumatic – by Dr. Shazia Nawaz: You might be angry at Munawar Hassan of Jamat-e-Islami for saying that in order to avoid jail time, victims of rape should stay quiet. I feel sorry for him. He reminds me of Nana Jee. He looks like Nana
Anjum Aqeel’s Escape and PML-N’s media spin: PML-N’s MNA, Anjum Aqeel Khan yesterday made a dramatic escape from policy custody with due support of his PML-N workers. Though the action has been “condemned” by the PML-N leadership, but the spin given by Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rasheed,
Barking news! – by Nadeem F. Paracha: PEO TV BREAKING NEWS! (Dramatic Music) According to highly informed sources, the PPP-led government is planning to start an operation against the MQM. Yes, Tahir. Thank you, Tahira. We now have an unnamed source on the line with
Pakistan will be suspect until evil in its midst is rooted out: The Mumbai attacks will be linked to Islamabad regardless of who perpetrated them. By Con Coughlin A fresh wave of terrorist attacks are launched at the heart of the Indian city of Mumbai, and immediately the finger of suspicion
Zulifqar Mirza versus MQM case (I) -by Manzur Ejaz: First of all let me state a disqualifier: All Urdu Speaking Muhajirs are not associated with MQM or religious parties of this ethnic group. The very fact that PPP candidates give a hard time to non-PPP/religious/ethnic politicians show that
Interview: Shehrbano Taseer: Shehrbano Taseer became the official spokesperson of her family after her father Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was assassinated in January this year. But Shehrbano is more than just a vocal member of the family. She has also
Pakistan Today Editorial : Satanic verses: Pakistan Today Upside down, inside out. The laws of logic don’t apply to debates over Karachi. Many a cart is put before the horse, many a correlation is accepted as causation. The current spate of killings in Karachi
Mirza’s Statement and Karachi Violence: Zulfiqar Mirza made comments that infuriated many Urdu-Speaking people, when he said many Urdu Speakers had come hungry and naked to Pakistan. He was speaking after rumours that MQM wanted a separate province of Urdu Speakers. The trouble started
Thank you, Supreme Court and PML-N, for releasing Malik Ishaq: Note by Suleman Akhtar: Malik Ishaq, prominent figure of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) (also known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) or Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat) was today set free by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The head of Sipah-e-Sihaba Pakistan, Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi, received him
Remembering Habib Jalib Baloch —by Sanaullah Baloch: While in the Musharraf era, the focus of the establishment was to eliminate patriots from the Baloch tribal elite such as Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the current strategy has shifted to the destruction of the middle strata leadership to
Pakistan, a place where non-Muslims also live: By Anthony Permal A lot has been written about the plight of minorities in Pakistan – some by minorities themselves but mostly by the majority. In most such reports, analyses and blogs, the focus has been on the aggressive
The Case for Drones – By Raza Habib Raja: The latest news about war in Afghanistan, which is making headlines, is the suspension of US military aid to Pakistan. Among other things, the rationale given by the US administration is the refusal of Pakistan’s military to allow further
One day Balochistan will be a free country – Tarek Fatah’s message on the memorial of Prof. Saba Dashtyari: Tarek Fatah is a friend of Balochistan, author of “The Jew is not my enemy” and “Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State” and founder of Canadian Muslim Congress. He sent the following speech to