General Zia-ul-Haq Archive
Remembering Ahmed Faraz: A Voice of Dissent – by Arjumand Ara: Kisi aur des ki or ko, suna hai Faraz chala gaya. sabhi dukh samet ke she’hr ke, sabhi qarz utaar ke she’hr ka. (They say that Faraz has left for some other land, Taking with him all the sorrows
Carving out new federating units for stronger federation: What is Federalism John Kincaid, Professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and director of the College’s Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government gave a useful definition of federalism: Federalism is essentially a system of voluntary
Pakistan and the Search for Identity (Part 2) – by Rusty Walker: PART TWO Neither blindness nor ignorance corrupts people and governments. They soon realize where the path they have taken is leading them. But, there is an impulse within them, favored by their natures and reinforced by their habits
What does calling another Muslim a non-Muslim make you? – by Zeeba Hashmi: One word that comes to your mind with intrigue. Qadiyani, doesn’t come easy for its existential uncertainty in Pakistan. Yet, despite what the constitution says about them in derogatory terms, they are determined to stay in this country that
Playing the bogus card of ‘sovereignty’ —by M Husain Sadar: The Saudis as well as their Gulf Arab cousins are arming the Taliban. This influx of foreign money and religious ideology is causing irreparable damage to the national identity and integrity as well as the centuries old cultural heritage
Malik Ishaq of LeJ-ASWJ: a most dangerous man – by Khaled Ahmed: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on July 15 released on bail Malik Ishaq, leader and founder of Al Qaeda-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, on grounds of “lack of evidence.” The man had been facing a number of cases at the antiterrorism court
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
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
Going ‘Dutt’ against America -by Khaled Ahmed: Today, most leaders say they would have stood up defiantly (dutt jata) in the face of the American request to join its war on terror. Former president Pervez Musharraf is being abominated for kowtowing to the Americans; and General
Spinning half-truths on Balochistan -by Ayesha Siddiqa: Balochistan is quite fashionable these days, especially amongst the establishment wallahs, some of whom have been visiting the place, writing about it or even getting research grants to figure out ways to make the Baloch patriotic. There are two
If you want to live like Bhutto, learn to die like him -by Saria Benazir: “Bhutto” is no longer the name of an individual or of a family, but it is the name of a birthright and is the crest of a crusade, which always elevated its influence against despotism and prejudice, against paucity
A community under siege in tribal Pakistan: As US prepares troop withdrawal, Taliban’s strong hold on border regions reveals Pakistan’s vulnerability. By Mujib Mashal Parachinar, in Pakistan’s tribal north west, remains under siege. The only road connecting this district bordering Afghanistan to the rest of Pakistan
Politics of self-discredit -by Khaled Ahmed: President Zardari called Nawaz maulana, with multiple innuendos: that he was the illicit political offspring of General Zia, that he was a covert abettor of jihadi elements in Punjab, and that he was aligning with Jamaat Islami in the
Time to change: ‘Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fi Sabilillah’–by Shiraz Paracha: India centric mindset of the Pakistan military is one of the root causes of Pakistan’s problems. From generals to soldiers most men in the armed forces are paranoid about India and some have racist tendencies, too. This mindset has
Jamaati goons misbehaved with woman professor in Punjab University – by Aamir Hussaini: پنجاب یونیورسٹی میں خواتین سے بد سلوکی کب تک؟ فلاسفی ڈیپارٹمنٹ پنجاب یونیورسٹی کی لکچرار سہرین بخاری کے ساتھ اسلامی جمعیت طلبہ کے غنڈوں نے اس وقت بد سلوکی کی جب وہ نوٹس بورڈ پرایک احتجاج کا نوٹس چسپاں
Zia’s lagacy: Radicalization of Pak Army: The Pakistan army has extended an investigation into officers with links to the Hizb-ul-Tahrir, a spokesman said on Wednesday, in what analysts said was a long overdue move to root out sympathizers of the banned Islamist group. The military,
My Benazir lives -by Saria Benazir: BENAZIR – I screech out to top of the volume, as much as my larynx could afford. Engraving the name “Benazir” – it fills my eyes with tears & breaks my heart into trillions. I ramble here and there,
Over a coffee: Alcohol is thicker than blood —Dr Haider Shah: The courts should remain defenders of fundamental rights and personal liberties. When the Facebook ban was issued, the court appeared to be playing to the gallery of populist radicals A long time ago, when I was a college student
The Pakistani Taliban’s media jihad: The piece examines the TTP’s media productions and the movement’s shift toward having its media distributed to jihadi-takfiri Internet forums via the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), a long-established jihadi-takfiri media and translation network. The writer argues that this
Extremism thrives under dictatorship -by Saria Benazir: A number of interrogations about the causes of extreme radicalism & terrorism in Pakistan occupy every psyche – from a lay man to the ruler of the state, no one considers his life secure in this country. Indeed, that
Pakistan’s General Problem – By Mohammed Hanif: Editor’s Note: We highly recommend this superb and comprehensive article by award-winning author, Mohammed Hanif. In this in-depth article, Hanif has traced the roots of religious extremism and underlined the institutional support for this tragic phenomena. How Pakistan’s Generals
The prerequisite after bread, clothing and shelter -by Saria Benazir.: It is difficult to argue with the inference that the purpose behind the creation and development of human life is essentially the march of human society towards high pedestals of civilization, through a continuing process. Human history thus far
Imran Khan: Taliban bachao ‘Tehrik’ -by Arshad Mahmood: Originally published in ‘Daily Aajkal’.
Radicals in ranks -by Abdullah Malik: Takes a look at incidents of support for terrorists from within the armed forces and police Despite Gen Zia’s Islamisation, the promotion of piety in the barracks, and the support for puritanical movements that were allowed to organise sermons,
Saleem Shahzad’s two very important interviews: Asia Times Pakistan Bureau Chief and TRNN contributor Syed Saleem Shahzad was found murdered in Islamabad on Tuesday. In a recent report for Asia Times and a TRNN interview, Shahzad reported on splits in the Pakistan military over support
Pakistan’s tragic flaw -by Khaled Ahmed: One book that many people in Pakistan must be reading is Anatol Lieven’s Pakistan a Hard Country (Allen Lane 1011). Lieven is a sympathetic observer of Pakistan, visits it repeatedly and painstakingly interviews all stakeholders of the state. He
Imran Khan’s concert-type dharna -by Zalaan: عمران خان کا کنسرٹ نما دھرنا اور مشترکہ اعلامیہ عمران خان کے کنسرٹ نما دھرنے کے آخر میں تمام مذہبی جماعتوں ،طالبان ، چلڈرن آف ضیاء اسوسیشن پاکستان فور مودودی اور میڈیا میں شامل جہادی صحافیوں نے متفقہ قراردار
Billing Dispute: Washington doubts Pakistan’s sincerity and rejects fake bills: The United States and Pakistan are engaged in a billing dispute, with Washington rejecting over 40% of the claims submitted by Islamabad as expenses to fight al-Qaeda and other terrorists along the Afghanistan border. According to internal Pentagon documents
Is the security establishment ready to abandon its undemocratic policies -by Arshad Mahmood: Originally published in the ‘Daily Aajkal’
Dr Johnson’s Pakistan —by Abbas Zaidi: General Zia — a murderer, tyrant, usurper and a monument of moral bankruptcy — was the greatest patriot during his 11 years of misrule During my time as a student of English Literature at Government College, Lahore, my most
Pakistan’s jihadi section of media mourns Osama bin Laden: by Shoaib Adil Originally published in the ‘Daily AajKal’
Pakistan: Taliban vs Osama -by Inam R Sehri: Who are the Taliban and why they are there? Pakistan has suffered a lot during the last ten years on this account. Pondering upon the history of Taliban’s making, it may be note worthy that Mullah Omer had started
History of security establishments’ blunders -By Arshad Mahmood: This article was originally published in the ‘Daily AajKal’
Pakistan: Osama’s episode -by Inam R Sehri: Yesterday, on 7th May 2011, President Zardari, PM Gilani and COAS Ashfaq Kayani met for the second time at the Presidency since Osama’s operation in Abbotabad and comprehensively reviewed the situation in the perspective of Pakistan’s national security and
Dangerous Liaisons -by Sana Bucha: Jon Stewart is funny. He made me laugh when he asked Musharraf where Osama was. Musharraf’s response of “lead the way, I will follow” comment made me smile. The late Af-Pak Envoy, Richard Holbrooke, in answer to my question
Mr. Panetta: “They are both” – by Waseem Altaf: ISPR has gone into hibernation. Understandably, thekedar (contractor) Noor Mohammd, who built the house where Osama lived, was taken into custody. A corps commanders’ conference has also been summoned which would conduct an ex-post facto analysis of the US