Dr Ayesha Siddiqa Archive

Who is a Traitor? – by Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: The other day as I criticized the authorities stopping Mama Qadeer and Farzana Majeed Balouch from leaving the country on social media, a retired army officer was quick to snap back that the state had only stopped a traitor
غدار کون ہے؟ وزیر اعلی پنجاب شہباز شریف یا ماما قدیر بلوچ – از عائشہ صدیقہ: Source: http://dunya.com.pk/index.php/author/dr.-ayesha-sadique/2015-03-12/10504/88820328#.VQKk8qPLfcR
It is the state’s time to spill blood in response to religious terrorism – Ayesha Siddiqa:   Radicalism is like a live wire running through the state and society. It produces violence often when required as was obvious in Pakistan’s case. Apart from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which suffered repercussions of the war next door, the actual violence
The Myth of Civilian Failure – by Ayesha Siddiqa:   What does it mean to mourn the death of 132 children, and the 9 adults tasked with protecting them? One month on, the tragedy that should have paved the way for an honest conversation about the roots of
Pakistan-Iran relations – Ayesha Siddiqa:   Posts by some militant outfits on social media about Iran indicate the presence of an ideological lobby inside Pakistan, which opposes improvement of bilateral relations between the neighbours. It also gives an impression that the matter is nothing,
State-backed Deobandi and Wahhabi Salafi militants use multiple names to confuse ordinary public – Dr Ayesha Siddiqa: On Sunday, November 2, more then 50 people died in Lahore at the hands of a suicide bomber. The TTP and Jundallah hurriedly claimed responsibility for the heinous act. And we can all now go to sleep peacefully with
بلاول کی تقریر پر ایک نظر – ڈاکٹر عایشہ صدیقہ: Source: http://e.dunya.com.pk/colum.php?date=2014-10-23&edition=LHR&id=39119_69719572
صحافتی مہارت برائے فروخت: نواز شریف حکومت سے رشوت لینے والے صحافیوں کی فہرست منظر عام پر آگئی – عامر حسینی: ایک انٹیلی جنس ایجنسی کی رپورٹ کے مطابق نواز شریف حکومت نے اپنے لئے فضا بہتر بنانے کے لیے پاکستان کے مایہ ناز صحافیوں میں بیس کروڑ روپے کی رقم تقسیم کی اور یہ رقم جن صحافیوں میں تقسیم
لاہور سانحہ ماڈل ٹاؤن کی تفصیلی ویڈیو اور ڈاکٹر عائشہ صدیقه اور دیگر کمرشل لبرلز کی نواز شریف نوازی: پاکستان کےشہر لاہور میں ماڈل ٹاؤن کا سانحہ جہاں نواز شریف، شہباز شریف اور رانا ثنااللہ کے حکم پر ڈاکٹر طاہر القادری کیپاکستان عوامی تحریک کے چودہ سے زائد افراد کا قتل عام کیا گیا، آج بھی انصاف کا
General Raheel Sharif, Mukthar Thaqafi, and Dr Taqi: The current Operation Zarb-e-Azb by the Pakistan army against the Taliban is being viewed in black and white terms by a section of Pakistan’s “liberal” intelligentsia. For some in this category, the debate is based on promoting their own
ایل یو بی پی کے بارے میں جناب علی ارقم کا ناروا پراپیگنڈہ – از عامر حسینی: میں جب بهی دیوبندی تکفیریوں کےساتھ دیوبندی مکتبہ فکر کے انتہائی اہم ترین مدارس کے انتہائی جید اور فاضل علماء کے  تعلقات اور سرپرستی کے بارے میں لکهتا ہوں تو میرے بہت سے کرم فرما جن میں خود کئی
دہشت گردی کی شناخت کے بارے ڈاکٹرعائشہ صدیقہ کا مضمون اور فصیح الدین دیوبندی کی لن ترانیاں – طارق قادری:   نوٹ: طارق علی قادری منهاج القرآن یونیورسٹی کی فیکلٹی آف شریعہ کے طالب علم ہیں انہوں نے روزنامہ آج میں فصیح الدین نامی کسی دیوبندی کا مضمون پڑها تو اس کا جواب تحریر کیا جو یہاں شایع ہونے
In Pakistan, it’s our own radicalism that produces religious hatred and violence – by Ayesha Siddiqa:     A few days ago, Pakistani newspapers published results of a PEW opinion poll for 2013 and 2014 indicating a large percentage of Pakistanis being perturbed with violent extremism in the country. According to the report of this
Analyst Zahid Hussain is completely off base: Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa says ISIS Al Qaeda & Deobandi Taliban are fruits of the same tree: Zahid Hussain goes to great lengths to show ISIS is very different from Punjabi Taliban Takfiri Deobandi Sipah e Sahaba or the TTP.  Zahid Hussain is maligning Sunni Muslims by saying that the Takfiri Deobandi or Salafi (Wahhabi) doctrines
The inner tragedies of feudal life: A response to Bina Shah – by Ayesha Siddiqa:   A few days ago I chanced upon some writings of Bina Shah explaining the intricacies of feudalism. Her key point was that people must separate the wheat from the chaff  – the feudal system is not as bad
دہشت گردی پر ابہام کا شکار میڈیا تکفیری دہشت گردیوں کے نشانے پر – ڈاکٹر عائشہ صدیقہ:   “Both journalists, Raza Rumi and Hamid Mir, who have been recently attacked were either somewhat careful in their discourse or quite vague in their ideology. For example, Hamid Mir seems to support liberals on certain issues but he
Why and who felt the need to unearth and launch Khawaja Asif’s speech from 2006? – by Ayesha Siddiqa: The writer is an independent social scientist and author of Military Inc. Ever wonder why and who felt the need to unearth and launch Khawaja Asif’s speech from 2006? The criticism of the military was not done in a
Salafi and Deobandi roots of violence in Gojra and Larkana – by Ayesha Siddiqa:   The writer is an independent social scientist and author of Military Inc. In an opinion piece written recently on the attack on a Hindu temple in Larkana, the writer was of the opinion that the issue must not
If the talks with Taliban succeed, we may see a metamorphosis of the Pakistan state: TNS’s interview with Ayesha Siddiqa: The News on Sunday (TNS): How does the government’s approach to counter terrorism through talks look like to you — a compromise, a time buying tactic or you expect something substantive to come out of it? Ayesha Siddiqa (AS):
Disneyland Pakistan: The new elite in Pakistan are radical in their thinking – by Ayesha Siddiqa: The magazine, Hello!, has just published a special edition for Pakistan highlighting a list of ‘Hot Hundred’ — profiles of 100 Pakistani icons ranging from brilliant writers, playwrights, novelists, polo players, fashion designers, actors, singers, models and many others. The
Will the Sindh Festival also reach those areas in Sindh where militants train? – by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa: The young leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party recently announced the Sindh festival which is to be held in February 2014 in Thatta and Mohenjo Daro. The various events are meant to invoke the culture of peace and tolerance inherent in
Pakistan and Egypt: Where Armies Rule – by Ayesha Siddiqa: ISLAMABAD — The July 3 coup that ousted Egypt’s first popularly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, reminds us that military putsches can happen anywhere. Egypt and Pakistan have political similarities. Both have powerful and predatory armies, are heavily militarized and
US think tanks, ISI and the Af-Pak policy — by Dr Mohammad Taqi: A recent report in the Times of India (TOI) titled “ISI has infiltrated US think tanks, Pak scholar says” has opened an interesting debate about the Pakistani intelligence agency ostensibly leveraging the United States think tanks’ clout to further
اسٹیبلشمنٹ کے ہم بستر صحافی اورعائشہ صدیقہ کی سچ بیانی: عائشہ صدیقہ کی سچ بیانی اور بوزنے عائشہ صدیقہ نے ایک ٹویٹ کیا جس کی بنیاد پر  “ٹائمز آف انڈیا “میں  ایک آرٹیکل شائع ہوا-اس آرٹیکل میں انہوں نے بتایا کہ کیسے پاکستان کی معروف خفیہ ایجنسی آئی ایس
You SoB, get out of your anonymity and be a man! – by Ejaz Haider: Context: Ejaz Haider, a blogger at Express Tribune and former director of Islamabad-based thinktank Jinnah Institute was criticizing Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa’s critical tweets about bloggers and media persons whose narrative is generally close to that of ISI. At that
LUBP condemns bullying of Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa by pro-establishment media persons and thinktanks: LUBP condemns systematic bullying of Pakistan’s prominent anti-establishment scholar Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa by pro-ISI journalists and thinktanks via social and mainstream media. On Twitter, facebook and other forums, various pro-establishment persons including Ejaz Haider, Mosharraf Zaidi, Adil Najam, Huma
A profile of Malik Riaz Hussain of Bahria Town – by Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: Note: We  are cross-posting from Kafila an interesting article by Dr. Siddiqa on Pakitsan’s real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain. We are glad that Dr. Siddiqa has not written about M. Mansha and the other Billionaire supporters of PML-N.
Possible outcomes in Pakistan elections 2013 – by Ayesha Siddiqa: Naya Pakistan, an old fable Source: Based on excerpts from Kafila There is the ideal scenario that the Imran Khan ‘tsunami’ sweeps the elections. Although, it is not likely to happen, we must shudder at the thought of what
The drive to promote Zaid Hamid – by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa: LUBP Editor’s note: Zaid Hamid took money directly from the ISI. Ejaz Haider took money via the Jinnah Institute. One of them is more clever. Tiff between Ejaz Haider and Zaid Hamid is a classical case of professional jealousy.
ISI wants to micromanage social media debate on #ShiaGenocide – by Ayesha Siddiqa: The writer is an independent social scientist and author of Military Inc. The idea was to gather in a coffee shop in Islamabad and discuss ways civil society could help stop the killing of Hazaras, Shias and minorities in
For Zardari, five years of lost opportunities – by Ayesha Siddiqa: Future tense Asif Ali Zardari is a past master at brokering deals but will find it tough to save the PPP from electoral oblivion BUT DON’T you think we are getting over-excited about the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) government
The PML-N government was not always soft on ASWJ-LeJ militant groups -by Ayesha Siddiqa: LUBP Editor’s note: In the following article published in Express Tribune, Dr Siddiqa notes that the PML-N government was not always soft on ASWJ-SSP-LeJ and other Deobandi-Wahhabi militant groups. It had contested the ASWJ/SSP/LeJ network during the 1990s, but
LeJ is part of the larger Deobandi network in Pakistan: Interview with Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: “LeJ’s ideology is to strengthen a Sunni state” — Defense and security analyst Dr Ayesha Siddiqa By Farah Zia The News on Sunday: In a recent study that you have conducted “The New Frontiers: Militancy & Radicalism in Punjab”
The hazard of being a Shia Hazara in Balochistan – by Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: ANOTHER 80 Hazara-Shias were killed in Quetta in a suicide attack on 17 February. This is not the first or the last attack against the Hazara-Shia community in Balochistan or Shias in general. It was just a few weeks
Dr Taqi debunks Iran-Saudi proxy war theory that Najam Sethi and others use to obfuscate #ShiaGenocide: There is no indication that the dark night of Takfiri terrorism is about to lift its heinous shadow from Quetta’s Shia Hazara. Are 40 days enough of a respite for the Hazara to be digging mass graves for their
Militancy and Radicalism in Punjab – by Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: Related post: Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Deobandi leader of banned terrorist group Siph-e-Sahaba This paper looks at militancy and radicalization in Punjab – North, Central and South – the three sub-regions of the largest province of Pakistan. The key
Who’s afraid of the Karachi Literature Festival? -by Ayesha Siddiqa: Here we are seemingly in an age of intellectual freedom, burgeoning media industry and literature festivals. There are numerous festivals held all over South Asia celebrating books new and old, bringing people together for exchange of ideas. But these
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: Persona non grata at Karachi Literature Festival #KLF: Related posts: Comparing Karachi Literature Festival 2012 with Difa-e-Pakistan Conference #FakeLiberal Festival: A Gathering of Life Style Liberals in Karachi – by Anila Shamsie “I’ve been in a rickshaw”: Some critical reflections on the Karachi Literature Festival 2011 Editor’s
#KLF Fake Liberal Festival: A Gathering of Life Style Liberals in Karachi – by Anila Shamsie: Related posts: Comparing Karachi Literature Festival 2012 with Difa-e-Pakistan Conference Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa: Persona non grata at Karachi Literature Festival #KLF “I’ve been in a rickshaw”: Some critical reflections on the Karachi Literature Festival 2011 Welcome to another conglomeration
Marvi Sirmed, a traitor to liberal causes in Pakistan – by Rusty Walker: A year ago, I read a thought provoking interview of leading Pakistani political commentator and civilian-military analyst Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa in which she explains the increasing influence of Pakistani establishment on right-wing and (fake) liberal voices in the media.