General Zia-ul-Haq Archive
From Russia with Love: Main Ney Russia Mee kya Dekha – by Dil Nawaz: When Islamic Republic of Pakistan came into existence in 1947, Russia was known as the “Godless Empire” of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under the “brutal” dictator Joseph Stalin. This inherent difference in ideologies resulted in tensions from the
Raiwand’s Dream shattered as all political parties opposed mid term poll: It seems Mian Nawaz Sharif who don’t believe in democratic institutions and political process, along with his buddies (especially Chaudahry Nisar), wants to build a anarchist state or Talibanized society in which modern representative system, voter’s choice and individual freedoms will
Military Mullah Nexus – by Shahid Mahmood: Related articles on LUBP: General Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s letter to Mullah Baradar – by Hakim Hazik Taliban Apologist Court bars extradition of Mullah Baradar It is not a self-created tragedy that almost one million people gave up their lives
The battle against common sense: a rebuttal to Dr Manzur Ejaz – by Suleman Akhtar: This was written in response to “The feudal battle against the judiciary-Dr Manzur Ejaz” published in Daily Times on October 20, 2010. Blindfolding by the habitual antipathy and gratuitous adherence with the classical conceptual dogma whilst completely neglecting the persisting
The Statesman Editorial: Jinnah Was right: JINNAH’S famous address on 11 August 1947 to Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly was supposed to lay the secular foundations for a future Constitution of the country. Jinnah, after all, firmly supported equality of religions and the freedom to practise them
Taliban, Jamaat-i-Islami and post-Islamism – by Ali Arqam: The killing spree of the Taliban in Pakistan is not limited to combatants, notwithstanding the propaganda of their Pakistani apologists. It extends to non-combatant civilians, minority sects, tribal elders, journalists, educationists, members parliament, clergy and intellectuals. Even shrines and
Are times a-changin’ in Pakistan? – By Daud Khattak: Two and a half years of fragile democracy, war against terror, devastating floods, economic slow-downs, millions of displaced people, and now calls from the self-exiled leader of Urdu-speaking community in Karachi, Altaf Hussain, for a French-style “revolution.” Meanwhile, some
Viewpoint Interview with Wajahat Masood: Mullah-military nexus has subverted public opinion: Al-Qaeda, Taliban, jihadis, sectarian groups, and so-called parliamentary Islamic groups have a global agenda and as such are natural allies. Pakistan’s religious/missionary parties and the Taliban constitute “an archipelago of evil”, says Wajahat Massod. Presently working as Editor Coordination
The Taliban is NOT an expression of Pushtun Nationalism – By Qudsia Siddiqi: One of the biggest lies that have been spun by our establishment, which is the arbiter of our national narrative, is that the Taliban are an expression of “Pushtun Nationalism”. This lie has been repeated ad infinitum by reactionary
Pakistan Peoples Party on the crossroads – by An LUBP Visitor: یوں لگتا ہے کہ جو کام ضیاء الحق، غلام اسحاق خان، پرویز مشرف، حمید گل اور ان کے سولین بغل بچے اپنی تمام تر قہر سامانیوں کے باوجود نہ کر پاے، وہ جنرل کیانی صاحب کے دور با برکات
International Democracy Day – Points for Pakistanis to Ponder: In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly decided to observe September 15th annually as the “International Day of Democracy” and invited all member states and organizations to commemorate the day in an appropriate manner that contributes to raising public
International Day of Democracy: “Let us recognize that democratic governance is a yearning shared and voiced by people the world over. Democracy is a goal in its own right, and an indispensable means for achieving development for all humankind.” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message
Beauty and the Beast: The Pakistani version – By Shiraz Paracha: Twenty three years ago, we were sitting in a PIA Fokker aircraft at Peshawar airport waiting to fly to Dera Ismail Khan. Among the 40 passengers of the plane also was a very special couple. Almost every one of
Triple Blasts in Youm-e-Ali (a.s.) Procession: Karbala attacked in Lahore – by Ch. Ahmad Khan: As the death toll from today’s gruesome attacks on a Shiite procession commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali, probably the most venerated muslim saint after the Holy Prophet rises, few if any are addressing the core issues that have
MQM’s strange recipe to end feudalism -by Riaz Missen: The MQM, which often complains of Taliban’s growing presence in Karachi and is unhappy for being unable to convince its coalition partners to retain the local government system of the Musharraf era at least in Sindh, has surprised everybody
Editorials: On Altaf Husain’s appeal for a “martial law-like” intervention: Dailytimes: Marching towards tyranny, again? Altaf Hussain, chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), has appealed for a “martial law-like” intervention by “patriotic generals” against “corrupt feudals and landlord politicians”. Coming from someone whose party is known for its
Remembering the Violence during Zia (L) Regime – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: پاکستانی تاریخ کے گزشتہ عشرے عظیم سیاسی اتھل تھپل کے غماز ہیں۔ ان اَدوار میں بائیں بازو کی قؤتوں کا جو اُبھار دیکھنے میں آیا۔ وہ ملکی سیاست میں سنگِ میل کی حیثیت رکھتا تھا۔ ذوالفقار علی بھٹونے موقع
Mad in the middle- By Nadeem F. Paracha: The political and social aspects of Islam in Pakistan can be seen as existing in and emerging from three distinct clusters of thought. These clusters represent the three variations of political and social Islam that have evolved in
Why Muslims reject modernity- by Khaled Ahmed: Today, nothing negates modernity more than jihad. It undermines the nation-state, and destroys the state that organises it. The scattering of the Pakistani state is owed to it. It is often said that Muslims in the 21st century have
Friedman and Pakistan-bashing- by Yasser Latif Hamdani: Oscar Wilde once described patriotism as “the virtue of the vicious”. In the many articles published in this newspaper, I have tried to steer clear of the vicious kind of narrow chest-thumping patriotism, preferring Benjamin Franklin’s version instead —
Fatima Bhutto: please focus on fiction- by Nasima Zehra Awan: Pakistan may have lost a talented fiction writer when Fatima Bhutto went into journalism. Clearly, she is adept at spinning a tale, fudging facts and re-defining reality in a manner that is the exclusive domain of talented story tellers.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s last interview – by Khalid Hasan: Source Khalid Hasan’s website The last formal interview given to a journalist by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took place on 10th August, 1977, just over a month after his overthrow and 33 days before his arrest, imprisonment, trial and execution
Political homosexuality – by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa: Can I suggest that politics is also highly gendered. Just like things fall in the category of masculine and feminine, political ideology also has its types. Considering my own bias for the feminine, I would argue that there are
Disrespecting Constitution in Supreme Court- by Wusatullah Khan: منگل بیس جولائی کو اسلام آباد میں سپریم کورٹ کے فل بنچ کے سترہ ججوں کے سامنے وہ بھی ہوگیا جو ایک دن ہونا ہی تھا۔ اٹھارویں ترمیم کو چیلنج کرنے والے ایک صحافی درخواست گزار نے ایک ہاتھ
From General Zia’s martial law to attack on Data Darba – by Zahida Hina: Thanks: Express, 7 July
Dark black shadows still alive – by H.A. Khan: About 37 years ago, an era of hope was ending and an era of despair, worst human atrocities, ethnic division, religious fundamentalism was beginning when General Zia-ul-Haq threw the government of the martyr ZA Bhutto. It was the end
Apnay lahu ki aag mein jalnay ka waqt hay – by Ahsan Abbas Shah: Blame game always affects our unity as a nation. 5 July 1977 reminds us that how one dictator can divert our national priorities from secularism to terrorism. Here is an urdu article addressing the blame game:
Ziaists are terrorizing the democratic space – by Junaid Qaiser: Due to General Zia Ul Haq’s long dictatorship — it was undoubtedly, the darkest period in the history of Pakistan’s polity — Pakistan has become the land of turbulence and crisis. Today, we are facing insurmountable problems like terrorism,
Is the Pakistan Army a security risk for Pakistan? A historical perspective: Here is thought provoking excerpt from a recent article written by Nazir Naji (in daily Jang, 28 June 2010). In the main, it is not politicians such as Feroz Khan Noon, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,
Are you ashamed of being secular? – by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla: LUBP Exclusive on BB’s birthday Social media is playing a vital role as a medium of communication which promotes critical thinking, sharing of new ideas and tolerance for dissenting opinions. Critical thinking includes identification of prejudice, propaganda, deception, distortion
Sherani, a quack, nominated as head of experts – By Malik Rashid: There is a council of Islamic ideology in Pakistan that advises government and legislative bodies on laws that are repugnant to Islam. Maulana Sherani, a rural maulvi from Baluchistan, without any academic credentials, has been appointed the chairman of
You can’t murder a legacy – by Saria Benazir: The Bhutto family has occupied a well-known place in the world politics and surely, when one articulates about democracy in Pakistan, the Pakistan Peoples party is the only party, which from the beginning of its foundation; laid by Quaid-e-Awam
I am a Sunni, a Shia and an Ahmadi – by H.A. Khan: Two days before as I opened the LUBP Blog to read its daily articles I felt so sad that again a worst wave of religious violence is repeating in our society to divide the society into religious classes and
Pakistan vs Pakistan – by Shiraz Paracha: LUBP Exclusive Pakistan is a country of contradictions and conflicting identities. It is a country that is at war with itself. A vast majority of Pakistanis are confused and most of them have no clear sense of their place
Religious Minorities in Pakistan by Dr Iftikhar H.Malik: with thanks :minority rights group international Religious Minorities in Pakistan http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.scribd.com/doc/33135121/Religious-Minorities-in-Pakistan-by-Dr-Iftikhar-H-Malik
Democratic or Religious State – by Junaid Qaiser: جمہو ر ی یا مذ ہبی ر یا ست جنید قیصر سقو ط ڈ ھا کہ جو ہما رے دل پر گز را ہے ۔ اِ س کے جو اند رو نی اور بیر و نی محر