Monthly Archive:: December 2011
Blasphemy: Australian Shia sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia: The 45 year old man was arrested in Medina while making the annual pilgrimage, and sentenced to lashes and a year in prison because he has insulted “the companions of the Prophet.” The result is a diplomatic incident between
Is the U.S. on the wrong side of history in Bahrain?: By Josh Rogin President Barack Obama’s administration has sided with Bahrain’s ruling regime over its domestic protest movement more clearly than in any other country affected by the Arab Spring. But that position is unwise and unsustainable, according to
Inqalab: Laal’s new song on the bonded labour in Pakistan: Thirteen years after our Supreme Court declared bonded labour to be unconstitutional, and a decade after the National Assembly passed the Bonded Labour Liberation Act, there are still 1 million bonded workers in the brick kilns of Pakistan. Overall,
Book review: Humanising the monster —by Dr Mohammad Taqi: My life with the Taliban By Abdul Salam Zaeef Translated from Pashto and edited by Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Hurst/Columbia University Press; Pp 331 In his foreword to Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef’s book, Professor Barnett Rubin
Diaries from Punjab – by Abdul Majeed Abid: Diary of a typical PTI suporter Woke up early in the morning at 8.30 am. Had pancakes and coffee for breakfast. Drove to the university. Used internet to solve surprise quiz in class. After all, it’s fair to do
Zardari khappay! – by Suleman Akhtar: Such media frenzy over the departure of President Asif Ali Zardari to Dubai owing to medical reasons. Such are the hate speeches and death wishes for the person who, against all odds, has been serving as president of
I am a Pakistani – by Shiraz Paracha: I am member of a society that has turned into a weird society during the last 35 years. Now, I level accusations without checking facts and understanding context of actions, decisions and events. Spreading and believing in rumours is my habit. Often my judgements
Deconstructing the SC order on the memo – by Asad Jamal: The Supreme Court’s decision on the alleged memorandum has become controversial — and not just because the court’s nominee for the probe into the matter has refused to head the proposed commission. One criticism of the order is that
Pakistan army re-exports Shia genocide to Afghanistan – by Rusty Walker: It is Ashura Day, remembering last year, today my heart is suspended, I am breathless, and with the Shiites today, as I pray that they and their children are safe from heartless terrorists. There will be Shia processions today
Kabul attack: Did ISI exact revenge on Afghanistan in the aftermath of Mohmand?: A number of well coordinated attacks clearly targeting Shia Muslims in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar have killed at least 58 Shias in Afghanistan. A Pakistani anti-Shia group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has accepted the responsibility of the attacks. (Source) A spokesman for
In TN village without Muslims, Hindus observe Muharram: We are pleased to post this news report, published in The Times of India, which provides a unique insight into how the Hindus observe Muharram as a mark of respect with a message of religious harmony in the remote
Imran Khan’s Political Innings – by Atif Salahuddin: Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have spent many years in Pakistan’s political wilderness. Despite his platform for change and condemnation of the incessantly corrupt Pakistani political culture, PTI has had very little to show for itself in
Communist Party’s comeback in Russia – by Shiraz Paracha: Twenty years after the peaceful split of the Soviet Union, the Communist Party of Russia has made significant gains in the Russian parliamentary elections and has doubled the share of its votes. In the Sunday’s elections, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United
Wrong decision to boycott the Bonn conference: The Bonn Conference on Afghanistan opens today, it comes 10 years after an International Conference on Afghanistan, Bonn (2001), which was resulted in the adoption of the Document of the Bonn Conference , weeks after the Taliban fell from
Step aside President Zardari and PPP, Ansar Abbasi plays the “Sindh Card”: Pakistan’s apex investigative journalist and wannabe political advisor / strategist/ analyst / national builder / true muslim, Ansar Abbasi has written a special investigative report good enough to take the bragging rights of using the “Sindh Card” for the
For Shia Muslims worldwide, Karbala is not over, Ashura has not finished yet – by Maisam Ali: Karbala is infinite, eternal and ever-encompassing. This is not only the Euphrates (A river flows through Syria and Iraq) that has beheld atrociousness incarnated by Karbala, but the Nile, the Oxus, the Helmand and the Indus are also among
Whom are you fooling Nawaz Sharif? – by Shah Hussain Lahori: The cat is out of the bag. Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif and his associates attacked the Supreme Court in 1997 and this time they attacked judicial conventions for the second time. The great Quaid of Punjab’s largest party, Sharif,
Imran Khan sweeps student gathering at Kamran Shahid Show – by Riaz Malik Hajjaji: About the author Dear Paak PTI Pakistani Puttar Patriots (PPPPP) of Imran Khan, Watch this youtube clip where student after student pledges allegiance to Hazrat Imran Khan! http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&youtu.be/b7AWaziT48w Now I understand the wisdom of promoting veteran Islamo Marxist comrades like Mian Azhar
Pashtuns beware of Imran Khan – by Jan Assakzai: Originally posted at: PASHTUN CHRONICLE Pakistan’s pro-establishment media, journalists, pundits and spin doctors are relentlessly trying to usher in a possible new alternative to the current traditional political class of the country- led by PPP and PML (N). A
Media and rise in intellectual infertility -by Shafqat Aziz: Related Article: National media conference -by Arshad Mahmood مےڈےا اور بڑھتا ہوا فکری بانجھ پن عہد حاضر مےں مےڈےا اپنی تمام دوسری جہتوں کے ساتھ بعض بنےادی اصولوں پر عموماً کاربند دکھائی دےتا ہے۔ مےڈےا عام شہرےوں کو قومی
Pak Studies for Dummies – by Ali Aftab Saeed: Hoodwinking history by being clever-and-a-half Student of Matric? Intermediate? Bachelors? Fear no more and rejoice, for your Pakistan Studies-related troubles are finally over. The following is for the benefit of people like you, who have gone through severe mental
Who is the biggest aggressor, Taliban or US? -by Arshad Mahmood: The greater of the aggressors Nato choppers present in Afghanistan attacked Pak Army check posts and killed 24 of our soldiers. Presently our security establishment is furious and as a gesture of true patriotism our social, religious and political
List of non-Hazara Shia Muslims killed by ASWJ-LeJ terrorists in Balochistan – by Marya Mushtaq: Related posts: Government data: From 2008 to 2012, 420 non-Hazara Shias, 338 Hazara Shias killed in Balochistan Can we combat terrorism without identifying the terrorists? Fortunately, the Sunni Hazara brothers are safe in Quetta – by Mehdi Changezi Munawar
HRW urges Pakistan to protect Shia Muslims: (New York, 3 December 2011) – The Pakistani government should urgently act to protect Shia Muslims in Pakistan from sectarian attack during the Muslim holy month of Moharram, Human Rights Watch said today. In recent years, Sunni extremist groups
Stop ridiculing yourself Chief Sahab!: Dear Chief Justice of Nawaz Sharif, Jang/Geo Group and all those who hate to see democracy in Pakistan, I hope that you have some sense of seriousness in yourself. Some writers have begun terming you a “monumental failure” for
A Pakistani perspective: A series of unfortunate events – by Dr. Muhammad Taqi: Related posts: Husain Haqqani’s replacement with Sherry Rehman was jointly engineered by Uncle Sam and Pakistan Army – by Laibaah HRW and elite media must not misrepresent Sherry Rehman We are reassured to see that at least some writers
aik nishana hai Zardari: Judgocracy and Zardari phobia – by Nasir Nizami: An excellent Urdu poem ‘Aik nishana hai Zardari’ highlighting how an elected civilian President is a consistent target of attack by Pakistan’s right-wing leaning, pro-establishment judiciary:
Muharram, a holiday? Living as a Shia in today’s Pakistan: The ever increasing silent Saudi-ization (or Wahhabi-ization) of moderate Muslims in Pakistan, India and elsewhere has had an adverse effect on the culture of plurality, mutual respect and tolerance within the world of Islam. Thanks to the Saudi-Salafi funded
The killing fields and fault lines of Pakistan – by Murtaza Haider: The killing fields of Pakistan The bloodbath in Karachi continues. The death toll in the last week alone has reached over 100. A glance at the online tally of dead bodies in Karachi leaves not much room for hope in Pakistan’s
The identity crisis of the urban middle classes – by Murtaza Haider: From the banks of river Nile to the sand dunes of Kashgar Prefecture, Muslims were perceived as one people by the poet philosopher Muhammad Iqbal. All other manifestations of a person’s identity were deemed irrelevant. The unity in faith
The misguided priorities of Pakistani academics – by Murtaza Haider: A recent public opinion poll revealed that the top-most research priority areas identified by Pakistanis included Chemistry, Urdu literature, Islamic studies, Arabic, Botany and Zoology. Those who responded to the survey asked of Pakistani academics to devote their energies
Memogate, plagiarism and ghost writers – by Murtaza Haider: While we may never know who indeed authored the ever so memorable memo, which has cost former ambassador Husain Haqqani his day job, we do know that President Asif Zardari has been a prolific writer who has contributed several op-ed
National media conference – by Arshad Mahmood: National Media Conference: The two-day of media conference entitled “Pakistan Media: Present and Future” arranged by Individualland(IL) in collaboration with Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF), drew a large number of journalists from all parts of the country including a
Pakistan: Moving towards self destruction: No one knows what Pakistani establishment has in its mind & what it is planning & planning for whom’s benefits? But we say surely not for people of Pakistan. However, one thing’s for sure, that it’s leading us towards
I wish I was a Khosa, Qureshi or a Ramday: I rue why I was born in Iqbalabad. Why my parents chose to take their city’s name as the family name. couldn’t they have selected names like Khosa, Qureshi, Ramday or even a Kiyani, I wonder! Our Supreme Court
Supreme Court, a circus for the media circus – by Shiraz Paracha: The Judiciary in Pakistan was not free in the past and it is not independent now. The military has been using the Supreme Court of Pakistan as a rubber stamp but now there are serious questions about the integrity
Memo at the altar of justice – By Shoaib Mir: FLASHBACK, Lahore, 1977: The early days of the 1977-88 martial law regime, as Pakistan’s first democratically elected prime minister and chairman of the Islamic Summit Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is in the dock on a “murder” charge as the