A hard-hitting report – by Asma Jahangir: Source: Dawn THE UN inquiry report on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination may not be an eye-opener but it does put the record straight and fixes responsibility for the tragedy. Responses to the report have been mixed. Some have been dismissive
Autopsy of an assassination – Irfan Hussain: Source Dawn IN the mid-1990s, when there was an upsurge in the bloody infighting between the MQM and its breakaway Haqiqi faction, the head of the Intelligence Bureau in Karachi told me that if the ISI were to just
Naming the Establishment – Nirupama Subramanian: Source The Hindu: The U.N. report on Benazir Bhutto’s killing wades directly into the controversial subject of civilian-military relations in Pakistan. Anyone who has been in Pakistan even briefly knows about the “establishment”. It comes up so often in
Transparency International for check on Army procurements: By Usman Manzoor ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has written a daring letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani asking him to direct the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to implement the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority
Whither civilian governance?: By Raza Rumi Cross Posted from Pakteahouse While the gurus of security and international affairs continue to unpack and make sense of the high-profile and much-hyped Pak-US ’strategic dialogue’, the people of Pakistan continue to ask questions about its
Pakistan: a nation under attack – by Robert Fisk: Thanks: The Independent American drones overhead, Taliban troops on the offensive, and the horrifying rise of child kidnapping – Pakistan is in pieces, writes Robert Fisk, in a devastating portrait of a country thwarted by violence and corruption Pakistan
Kasb e kamal kun, Key aziz e jahaan shwi: Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Army Unfortuntely, more dead people in the days to come. fortunately for some, also more cash….kasb e kamal kun, key aziz e jahaan shwi (Achieve excellence and you will be the beloved of the world)
This is what “Men at Their Best” do the best!: Arrested woman alleges being raped by Rangers * Uzma was caught carrying liquor at a picket near the Pak-India border * Medical examiner refusing to disclose whether Uzma was raped or not * Rangers SP claims woman was in
At the Presidency: Tearful on Pakistan Day – by Adil Najam: Cross-posted from All Things Pakistan On March 23 I was at the Presidency in Islamabad for the Pakistan Day Awards Ceremony. This is usually a festive occasion full of pomp and ceremony and amongst the most elaborate state occasions of the
Pak-Afghan relations — by Agha H Amin: I fail to understand how some of the country’s leading analysts can dub Afghanistan as being Pakistan’s backyard. Afghanistan is an independent state that boasts a great history. Seen in this context, how would Pakistanis feel if India tried
Jirga: Army must destroy Taliban: Political situations in Pakistan in general and Pukhtunkhawa province in particular were worst to extent that life here had become like hell for our people. Extremism and terrorism activities had increased manifold and militants had made the people of
The civil-military struggle within — by Sher Ali Khan: Changing the pattern of the civil-military relationship is a difficult task to achieve. Thus far the Pakistanis have gained some political space through their recent stand against the last dictator. This has not necessarily translated into governmental autonomy in
Keeping the army in check – by Irfan Hussain: Routine administrative issues like the grant of an extension in the service of the ISI chief becomes headline news. This preoccupation reflects the central role the army has come to occupy in Pakistan. As the major political player, it
Time to wakeup for PPP- by H.A. Khan: If you have some love with the history and the current affairs of Pakistan, then it is very easy to assess some important things going around. Certain things that are happening around these days are making some more clarity towards
Accountability does the trick – by Kamran Shafi: At least two readers, obviously the Commando’s supporters, have sent me abusive emails after reading my last article ‘The happening place’ (March 2) in Dawn. They have, among other compliments, called me a liar for suggesting that Bilal Musharraf,
Pakistan army: the struggle within – Praveen Swami: “India,” Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari famously said in an October 2008 interview, “has never been a threat to Pakistan.” In his first major interview, given just a month after taking office, he described jihadists in Jammu and Kashmir
Military judiciary nexus is a threat to parliament – by Junaid Qaiser: Good news for Pakistan’s undemocratic forces and bad news for Pakistan’s Parliament and its supremacy: Government accepts judiciary’s recommendations. We are continuously moving towards judicial dictatorship. Pakistan army has always played an integral role in Pakistan government and politics
Hijacking Democracy – by Anas Muhammad: Today we live in an increasingly dangerous world, which is filled with people who have their ulterior motives and willingness to harm others to benefit themselves. Our world is filled with criminals, gangsters, murderers, and terrorists. The people who