Pak Tea House » Archive
Lahore tragedy – an eyewitness account
I am grateful to Khurram Siddiqi for his timely and rather chilling account of what Lahore underwent this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Lahore tragedy. Raza Rumi Today, two bombs struck Allama Iqbal Town’s ‘Moon Market’- a place that I remember from my childhood when our family used to visit Lahore- many members of which, at the time, lived close to. My cousin Usman was actually at a store in the market when the blast went off, and survived by some miracle. He came home shocked and changed from a full grown man- into a tepid young boy again; he said that he had just witnessed hell itself. I was taking a nap since I’ve been sick over the last few days- and woke to the … Read entire article »
Nisar Teri Gallion Pay Ai Watan
(Posted by YLH) A few weeks ago an ignorant little Mullah from the Jamaat-e-Islami claimed that Dr. Salam’s achievement in science was nothing compared to many other great scientists of Pakistan and that Salam got the Nobel Prize because he was a “Jewish agent”. I suppose one of these “great scientists” he was referring to was the idiot who read his paper on “how to harness the power of genies for electricity production” at Zia’s … Read entire article »
Afghanistan's Great Game And Superficial Analysis By US Foreign Policy Analysts
By Yasser Latif Hamdani The article below from Examiner epitomizes bad analysis that some in the US insist on carrying out which is damaging to the much flaunted “common objective”. God forbid if the author is right, it just means that the US is pursuing a perilous path by ignoring advice from Pakistan’s hardened policy hands. The author is absolutely wrong when she says the Pakistan Army “has never been excited” about US aid and intervention. The Pakistani military has always been very close to the Pentagon. What Obama needs is a sustainable strategy which brings on board every key player including Pakistan’s civilian federal government and the Pakistan Army. This means that the US will have to address Pakistan’s concerns vis a vis Indian involvement in Afghanistan. All of India’s so called interests in Afghanistan are Pakistan specific. Furthermore, the US needs … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, India, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, Terrorism, USA, violence, war, World, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
Five Flawed Assumptions Of Obama's Afghan Strategy
President Barack Obama knows the Afghan war is going badly, but he insists that the specter of an al-Qaeda comeback makes Afghanistan a “war of necessity”. So he has ordered some 30,000 new troops to the front, hoping to hold the line enough that Afghan forces can be built up to eventually take over the mission from the U.S. It may sound like a limited goal after the sweeping visions of democracy promised during the Bush years. But even that relatively modest strategy is based on some very questionable assumptions. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Terrorism, USA, war
The Demons that Haunt the Pakistanis
Cross post from New York Times, Published: December 5, 2009 All rights reserved with The New York Times Company By Sabrina Tavernise ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — These are emotional times in Pakistan, particularly since President Obama told its leaders last week to fight harder against Islamist extremists, and expanded a deeply unpopular covert air strike program in Pakistani territory. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Army, Democracy, Islamabad, Pakistan, Parliament, Partition, Religion, Terrorism
He hears and heeds the trees
By Ardeshir Cowasjee Dawn, 06 Dec, 2009 The planet we live on is insignificant in the universal scheme, and parts of it will always be ruled over largely by the ignorant and those who are significant only because of their capability to do immense damage. They heed neither the elements nor the environment. There is of course the rare bird. Queen Anne of England once asked an honest courtier what the cost would be were she to include London’s Green Park within the precincts of her palace. She was told: ‘A monarchy, Madam, a monarchy.’ We in Pakistan are now fortunate to have a chief justice of our country who can hear and heed trees and who understands the environment. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Citizens, Conservation, Environment, Justice, Lahore, Law, Pakistan
Prime Minister Gillani: Do not trivialise Benazir Bhutto's Murder
by Omar Khattab Prime Minister Gillani pulled an impossible, unthinkable surprise when yesterday in a joint press conference with Britain’s Gordon Brown in London he claimed that it was Baitullah Mehsud who was behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Anyone who has any respect for Benazir and the rule of law in Pakistan must be shocked by Gillani’s statement. The question is: who is Gillani is working for? Who is he trying to please? … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Justice, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, violence, war, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
The Loan Writeoff Scam; Myth and Reality
by Ahmad Nadeem Gehla The government banks and private financial institutions waived loans worth Rs60 billion during the 8 year from 1999 to 2007. Those who got their loans written off include politicians, bureaucrats, former military officials and various business groups. The finical institutions which got their loans written off include National Bank, Pak-Kuwait Investment, IDBP, Pak-Oman Investment, Agricultural Development Bank, SME Bank, Bank of Khyber, Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank, Pak-Libya Holding, Saudi-Pak Investment and IDBP. All these institutions are incorporated under ‘Banking Companies Ordinance’ and supervised by State Bank of Pakistan. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Economy, Islamabad, Justice, Pakistan, Parliament
Bare necessities
By Aroosa Masroor Dawn, 04 Dec, 2009 DADU: Mehak Essa is content that she can now concentrate on her studies. Until two months ago, she spent most of her time calculating the minutes that would be wasted in walking all the way to her relative’s house each time she wanted to use a toilet. But now that her school has a separate toilet for girls, she says her mind is ‘at peace.’ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Children, Education, Environment, Pakistan, poverty, Sindh, Women
Another View On Obama's Speech
By Dov S. Zakheim FP 03 Dec, 2009 Kabul has changed in many ways since I was last here in early 2004. Traffic is impossible at rush hour; there are many more signs in English; more shops are open. And the city has become a military citadel — the military bases have grown, security precautions have been ramped up significantly. Parts of the city look like an expanded bunker. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Taliban, USA
Obama's Afghan Policy and Pakistan
By Bilal Qureshi So far, in 2009 alone, 9000 Pakistanis have died in Pakistan because of terrorism – that is bombings, suicide attacks and other acts of extreme violence against Pakistan, and Pakistani society by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Yes, 9000 (nine thousand) Pakistanis have died because of terrorism in 2009 alone. This terrorism according to Pakistan is the direct result of failed American strategy in Afghanistan. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, Taliban, USA, war
What We Have Done to Democracy
Arundhati Roy’s New Book Field Notes on Democracy: Listening to Grasshoppers Looks at What We Have Done to Democracy Written by Al Huebner Cross-Post from Toward Freedom The essays in this new book by the brilliant Indian writer Arundhati Roy cover topics that range from the attack on the Indian Parliament to the Armenian genocide, and the terrorist attack on Mumbai to George Bush’s “triumphant” visit to India and Pakistan. But what runs through all of these essays is a critical look at democracy, as practiced in those countries that claim to be democracies. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Books, Democracy, Environment, human rights, India, Kashmir, Pakistan
Is it really India?
By Pervez Hoodbhoy Dawn, 28 Nov, 2009 FOREIGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says that Pakistan is “compiling hard evidence of India’s involvement” in terrorist attacks on Pakistan’s public and its armed forces. If he and the interior minister are correct then we must conclude that the Indians are psychotics possessed with a death wish, or are perhaps plain stupid. While India’s assistance for Baloch insurgents could conceivably make strategic sense, helping the jihadists simply does not. … Read entire article »
My compatriots' vote to ban minarets is fuelled by fear
The Swiss have voted not against towers, but Muslims. Across Europe, we must stand up to the flame-fanning populists By Tariq Ramadan guardian.co.uk, Sunday 29 November 2009 It wasn’t meant to go this way. For months we had been told that the efforts to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland were doomed. The last surveys suggested around 34% of the Swiss population would vote for this shocking initiative. Last Friday, in a meeting organised in Lausanne, more than 800 students, professors and citizens were in no doubt that the referendum would see the motion rejected, and instead were focused on how to turn this silly initiative into a more positive future. … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Democracy, Europe, Identity, Images, Islam, minorities, Religion, Rights
PTH biweekly Cartoon
Picture of the Week
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Sunrise at the Arabian Sea, Charna Island
24 Dec 2011
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