Pak Tea House » Archive
Mumbai's message: let the talks go on
Published in The News Tuesday, February 09, 2010 Jyoti Malhotra It doesn’t really matter whether or not the impending talks with Pakistan at the foreign secretaries’ level will be part of a “composite dialogue” or simply a dinner conversation in Hyderabad House – that is, if the conversation is held in Delhi. Or whether the Americans gently persuaded the Indian and Pakistani establishments to climb down from their soaring, antagonistic rhetoric of the past year or so, and break bread with each other. Few will care whether the impending dialogue will yield a dramatic breakthrough or give way to a modestly-sized initiative with modest ambitions. Even diehard diplomatists with fine-tooth combs are keenly aware that when people start talking and travelling to each other’s countries, they considerably shrivel up the size of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Two Indian bloggers in Isloo
by Mayank Austen Soofi When London-based writer Peter Mayle rented a cottage in the south of France, he came out with a passionate memoir full of wine, cheese, truffles and the mistral. In October, 2007, two Delhi-based writers rented a house in the north of Pakistan. They have come out with a passionate blogsite that is… not full of Kashmir, Taliban, Zardari or anything else that you read on Pakistan in most websites and blogs. Set up in February, 2010, by an Indian couple in Islamabad, The Life and Times of Two Indians in Pakistan is a diary of how two intelligent and sensitive people – in possession of some gentle humor – are making sense of a country, which many of their countrymen think is the root cause of all evil. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
The alarming crisis in Pakistan – Is democracy under threat?
Bilal Qureshi’s rather strong position on the current judicial crisis. The views expressed below are those of the author’s and the PTH does not necessarily subscribe to them Every objective analyst who follows Pakistan has come to the same conclusion – the judiciary is posing a serious threat not only to the country, but also to the entire democratic system that is already under tremendous stress. In fact, it is pretty much established that some behind the scene players in Pakistan are interested in seeing ‘favorable’ people take over the government and these forces are perhaps using the judiciary as a tool to achieve their nauseating objective. As pointed out by Wajid Ali Syed, It is indeed a sad commentary on Pakistan that when an army chief is asked to leave, he … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Pakistan’s Supreme Court versus the democratic government
– by Abdul Nishapuri In a (not so) surprise move, top judicial bureaucrats sitting in Pakistan’s Supreme Court and Lahore High Court have declared war against a fragile democracy in Pakistan. The (right-wing) establishment has taken its dagger out for a final attack on the democratic government of the (left-wing) Pakistan People’s Party. In a decision announced in the after hours on Saturday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended the appointment of two judges by … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Politics
Coming Full Circle
By Cyril Almeida From www.dawn.com, Published February 12, 2010 http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/13+cyril-almeida-coming-full-circle-220-za-02 Our boys in uniform have a spring in their step again. Domestically, they have taken on two enemies and appear to be winning: the civilian government has been reduced to parroting the army’s line on security issues, while the TTP is a significantly degraded force. Regionally, they can barely suppress their grins. In a few short weeks, the Americans have gone from threatening a ‘Pakistan first’ option in the war against Al Qaeda and associated movements to desperately seeking someone in Islamabad, or more accurately Pindi, who can put them in touch with the Taliban’s so-called ‘reconcilable’ elements. It’s not quite a wave of triumphalism that is sweeping over the army but there definitely is a widely shared sense of validation. And that should worry … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, FATA, India, Islamabad, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, People's Pakistan, Taliban, USA, war, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
Khakis, not again…
analysis published by The News Raza Rumi We continue to bemoan the failure of democratic norms to take root in our governance culture. True, that the repeated extra-constitutional interventions and direct or indirect military rule have rendered democratic governance as a distant and seemingly unattainable goal. In addition, the emergence of non-state actors, sometimes more powerful than the state itself has also led to formidable and multiple centres of power. In such a milieu, achieving the sustainability of democratic process is a Herculean task. Whilst the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Coming To Terms With Aafia Siddiqui
By Yasser Latif Hamdani Denial, ladies and gentlemen, is not a river in Egypt- it is a river that flows in the heart of every Muslim who is trying to come to terms with modern reality and the brutal assault on his or her identity. Instead of course corrections and calculations to persevere, the Muslim sentiment led by its “intelligentsia” which is seldom intelligent has chosen to make martyrs out of people like Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. … Read entire article »
The Pakistan Military Proves its Mettle
Source: Institute of South Asian Studies, an autonomous research institute at the National University of Singapore By Ishtiaq Ahmed[1] It is argued in this brief that the recent London conference on the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan was a major success for the Pakistani military in convincing the international community that its cooperation is vital to resolving the crisis in Afghanistan. It was achieved in light of the fact that the Pakistani military effectively combated Taliban terrorism on its own soil. The Pakistani military has also come out against the Taliban domination of Afghanistan in case of an early United States (US) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troop pullout, because it would threaten Pakistani security and national interests. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Democracy, India, Pakistan, Taliban
Wolf is still at the door
Dr. Tahir Rauf New sexual harassment legislation, an amendment to the Criminal Law was passed in the National Assembly and later signed by the president Asif Ali Zardai this week. The bill provides protection to “working women at workplace” against harassment and intimidation. The offence is punishable with either three years imprisonment, Rs.500, 000 fine or both. Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances and the victim(s) may be a woman, or a man or a child. In a civil society, the victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct or associated with the victim or offender. However, many women rights groups and NGOs have expressed an overwhelming response to the legislation. Without a doubt, this passage of legislation advocates limiting … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Soviet Lessons from Afghanistan
By MIKHAIL GORBACHEV Published: February 4, 2010 Cross Post from The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/opinion/05iht-edgorbachev.html?pagewanted=1 Afghanistan is in turmoil, with tensions rising and people dying every day. Many of them — including women, children and the elderly — have nothing in common with terrorists or militants. The government is losing control of its territory: of the 34 provinces, the Taliban controls a dozen. The production and export of narcotics is growing. There is a real danger of destabilization extending to neighboring countries, including the republics of Central Asia as well as Pakistan. What began after Sept. 11, 2001, as a seemingly appropriate military response aimed at rooting out terrorism could end in a major strategic failure. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Imperialism, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, USA
Robert Gates' Visit to Pakistan
By Bilal Qureshi During his Pakistan visit, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote an article for an English daily in which he basically stressed the need to work together. On the other hand, while in India, Mr. Gates implied that had India not acted sensibly (I am paraphrasing) after the Mumbai attacked, there was a real chance of war breaking out between Pakistan and India. Now, from my reading, Mr. Gates is giving the impression that terrorists responsible for Mumbai were somehow linked to either Pakistan, or some branches of governments in Pakistan. And second, it is India who is acting maturely; otherwise, India would have been right to attack Pakistan to seek revenge. Obviously, everyone in Pakistan strongly disagrees with Mr. Gates. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Imperialism, India, Pakistan, USA
Drone attacks and US reputation —Farhat Taj
In terms of the drone attacks, the US must not make any distinction between al Qaeda and the Taliban. They both have internalised a global ideology that is anti-civilisation and anti-human There is news coming up in the media that al Qaeda in Waziristan may run away to Yemen in the face of growing drone attacks. The people of Waziristan have expressed deep concern at this news. They do not want al Qaeda to run away from Waziristan. They want al Qaeda along with the Taliban burnt to ashes on the soil of Waziristan through relentless drone attacks. The drone attacks, they believe, are the one and only ‘cure’ for these anti-civilisation creatures and the US must robustly administer them the ‘cure’ until their existence is annihilated from the world. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, FATA, Islam, Islamism, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, strategy, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, war
Dr Afia needs justice which is seen to be done: Barrister Amjad Malik
Barrister Amjad Malik, Chairman (APL) an Association of Pakistani origin Solicitors, Barristers, Judges and ex pat members has taken a serious note of recent conviction of Dr. Afia Siddiqui of 3 February 2010 by Jury of 12 men at USA and has declared that this may result in a stumbling block between US-Pak people to people contact and relations between states. Dr Afia was kidnapped and kept at Bagram Airfield without the aid of a lawyer, doctor and or consulate access for years and being a Muslim women that has the potential to charge the mood of the public. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, human rights, Justice, Law, minorities, Pakistan
PAKISTAN: Constant violence against women in 2009
An Article by the Asian Human Rights Commission Physical and sexual violence, honor killings, forced marriages and structural inequalities within the society are constant violations of women’s fundamental rights. The cases in this article were provided by Mister Mohammed Nafees from Karachi, based on news from Daily Dawn. By Julia Lemétayer 2009 has been another tragic year for women rights in Pakistan. Many cases have been reported, in which women were abducted, assaulted, raped, murdered, forced to marriage or traded to resolve disputes. According to Aurat Foundation, a non-governmental organization working for women empowerment in Pakistan, between January and June last year, a total of 4,514 incidents of violence against women were reported. Victims, if they dare reporting these facts, have to face police obstruction and societal pressure. If some of these facts … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, Justice, Pakistan, poverty, Religion, Rights, Rural, Society, state, violence, Women
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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Comment on the current judicial crisis
February 15th, 2010 | 16 Comments
by Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim We are again faced with a judicial crisis – not a bonafide crisis but a crisis created for ulterior reasons. Ostensibly the crisis is the elevation of chief justice for the Lahore High Court in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the elevation of the next senior most judge Justice Saquib Nasir, as acting Chief Justice of Lahroe High Court (a la Zia ul Haq style). Being of the view that more harm is done by ignoring seniority, which opens the door for exercise of discretion in principle, I am against seniority being ignored, particularly in judiciary. My first reaction, therefore, was that the appointment of Chief Justice Lahore High Court to the Supreme Court and elevation of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Justice, Law, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Politics