Pak Tea House » Archive
Let Pakistan Make Its Own Progress
From The New York Times: By Nadia Naviwala CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — What do we do about Pakistan? Because I am a Pakistani-American who recently spent several months there, people here are constantly trying to get me to answer that question. One of the most important things I can offer them is a reality check. … Read entire article »
Filed under: liberal Pakistan
Roving Report – Ayub Khan Era
This is the most interesting documentary on Pakistan’s First Military Ruler and his government. I saw some of it a few months ago but after watching the second part, I feel this ought to be shared with people on PTH for comment and discussion. -YLH [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iPtL0jgC0o] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLgMJqFyQGs] … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Total National Backlash Against Shahbaz Sharif
By YLH The recent national backlash against his statement on Taliban should be an eye-opener for Shahbaz Sharif, who really ought to be above such rightwing pandering. Not long ago, I saw him speak in person on his vision of Punjab and I wonder how this statement gels with his vision for Punjab. Does he want Punjab to be labelled a pro-taliban, pro-terrorist hub? What is more is that by asking the Taliban to spare Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif has inadvertently stabbed all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Understanding Islamic Revival In Its Proper Context
By Yasser Latif Hamdani My secular comrades and friends will probably disagree with me or maybe not, and it is nothing less than sacrilege for a self proclaimed secularist like myself to say so, but the core values of any civilization are drawn from the dominant religio-cultural system. There are contributory factors from other minority strains but ultimately the way society is organized is around the religio-cultural system the majority of its adherents follow. So for … Read entire article »
DANYAL MUEENUDDIN WINS
Raza Rumi PTH is proud to announce that Dainyal Mueenuddin has won the Commonwealth Prize along with Rana Dasgupta. PTH had met Daniyal and interviewed him as well.The link can be found here I am posting a press release sent to us by Muneeza Shamsie: REGIONAL COMMONWEALTH PRIZES Karachi, 11 March. The Pakistani author, Danyal Mueenuddin won the regional (Europe and South Asia) Commonwealth Writers Prize 2010 for the Best First Book for his story collection Other Rooms Other Wonders set mostly in Southern Punjab where he farms. The judges considered the book “remarkable for its clear, exact prose and its wide scope … the short sharp pithy observations and details” according to Muneeza Shamsie the Regional Chairperson of the CWP … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Karachi Literary Festival
by Raza Rumi Oxford University Press and the British Council are holding a literary festival – first of its kind. The programme can be viewed here – Full programme of the Karachi Literary Festival I am off to Karachi to attend this moot. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Literature, Pakistan, Writers
Pakistan, the Lost Generation
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/pakistan901/video_index.html It’s morning in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s biggest province, and the country’s next generation is headed to school. But what children are finding when they get there is of increasing concern for those who want peace in Pakistan’s future. For 12-year-old Fatma, school is an abandoned brickyard. “I study at the Government Primary School in Lahore,” she explains. “I study English language, and I like it. There are no chairs. We have to sit on the ground. It’s a problem in the winter. When it rains, there is nowhere to sit.” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Economy, Education, Lahore, Pakistan, poverty, Punjab, Religion, Rural, Taliban, USA, youth
Now India and Pakistan Can Get Down to Business
High-level talks in February, billed by some as a failure, actually set the stage for progress. WSJ Op-ed by Najam Sethi, 07 March 2010 On initial appearances, the first high-level bilateral talks between India and Pakistan since November 2008 weren’t a success. When the two foreign secretaries convened in New Delhi on Feb. 25, at times it was as if they were at different meetings. The Indians tried to focus on terrorism sponsored from within Pakistan, while the Pakistanis wanted a broader dialogue. In the end, there was no noteworthy result. But appearances in this case are deceiving. This meeting is likely to prove more successful than many expect. That’s because interests on both sides are at last correctly aligned to give talks a shot at success. For India, it has been a … Read entire article »
So What Is PML-N Going To Do About This?
By YLH This is a quick blog about an urgent issue which for some reason has gone unreported in the media and especially the blogosphere. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Never A Lamentation
A Tribute To Alys Faiz By Aisha Fayyazi Sarwari The topography of women’s empowerment in Pakistan is a treacherous terrain, harsh on the eyes. It is often marked by subjugation, lack of education and basic literacy, utter neglect of health; for instance, Pakistan has among the highest occurrence of preventive complications leading to steep maternal mortality rates in the world, and downright flogging in honor-based regions. Traveling this road, names like Fatima Jinnah, Shaista Ikramullah, Jahanara Shahnawaz, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Pak Tea House, Pakistan
Wake up Punjab
Cross Post from Daily Dawn By Nadeem F. Paracha Another bomb attack in Lahore. What to expect from the PMLN government in the Punjab? Lip service condemning terrorism, of course. But, as usual, keeping in mind the Punjab government’s past record, the condemnation will be general and vague. Even as the PPP-led coalition government in Islamabad will not hesitate to take names – they’ll point to the Taliban or the many sectarian organisations working as Al Qaeda’s foot soldiers – it is expected that the Punjab government under the PMLN will not. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Lahore, Pakistan, Punjab, Sindh, Taliban, Terrorism, violence
Zardari signs 2 laws aimed at protecting working class
“The government’s job is not only to maintain a good balance sheet but also work for the welfare of the people,” Zardari Staff Reporter Daily Times March 06, 2010 President says govt has handed over 10% shares of state-owned entities to employees for free KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday signed two laws passed by parliament to repeal the Removal from Services (Special Powers) Ordinance, 2000 and amend the Services Tribunal Act. The president signed the bills at a ceremony held at the Sindh chief minister’s house. According to an official statement, Zardari said the government would preserve the rights of the working class while ensuring a conducive environment for business, setting the stage for another phase of prosperity and development in Pakistan. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, Economy, Egalitarian Pakistan, Labour, Law, Left, Marxism, Pakistan, Rights, Zardari
"Hakeem" Zaid Hamid
By Yasser Latif Hamdani Zaid Hamid is a name thrown about quite a bit these days. Who is he and what does he want? Well I am sorry to disappoint his fans and supporters but Zaid Hamid is a small time nutcase and an Afghan war veteran who has probably been picked up some foolish schemer in the ISI to strengthen right-wing pro-Islamic ultra-nationalist sentiments described by them as “Deeni Ghairat”. Somewhere towards the end of the Musharraf … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Wake Up Call For Civil Society
By Brigadier (ret) Simon Samson Sharaf Pakistan’s political establishment is back to its old ways of self preservation, aggrandisement and nepotism. What makes the present malaise different from the 80s and 90s is that all major political parties are in power with stakes in the system. The architects of the elections in 2008 had drawn a crude power sharing formula that supports back scratching and keeps them in denial. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
Technology Betrayal Continued
By Halima Khan The tools of the information age which were once welcomed as a great step forward for mankind are now progressively more so being turned into weapons in the “war on terror.” For instance, the G8 countries in recent times approved to integrate biometric passports based on microchips or databases that predetermine physical characteristics such as facial dimensions, fingerprints, iris patterns and voice patterns. More than a few governments are operational in attaining, developing, and linking databases of personal information. Subsequently they will build up on data mining software to verify “signatures” of terrorist movement. It is argued that these intricate information systems engage artificial constructions of the “terrorist” which are too complex for any single human being to comprehend, yet too reducing to serve as a dependable basis … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
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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