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The novelist – chapter 3
“Old coot, bastard” exclaimed Jalal having inhaled some of the dust kicked up “Well what do you except man, after the way you spoke to him we could have at least gone back with him” muttered zarmina, knowing they would probably have to in the next hour or so as the afternoon sun was burning fierce in the sky without any clouds in sight. “Cmon zari don’t be so naive, all of these places are extremely expensive … Read entire article »
Faiz on Jinnah and Gandhi v. Faiz’s Indian Admirers
By Yasser Latif Hamdani Faiz Ahmed Faiz is by far the most famous internationalist thinker and poet produced by Pakistan. It continues to be one of the strangest things in history that a country that can produce such intellectual force standing for humanism and universalism can remain mired in the kind of extremism and violence that we have seen increasingly in the last few decades. It is therefore logical that many of Faiz’s Indian admirers, who number … Read entire article »
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Disasters, dengue and local government
By Raza Rumi: In the past few weeks, the intractable crisis of governance has once again exposed the dysfunctional nature of the Pakistani state, and its inability to grapple with basic issues of citizenship. After all, the guaranteeing of people’s rights and entitlements is the responsibility of the state, which it simply cannot abdicate. In Sindh, 5.3 million people have been affected by flash floods, out of which 250,000 are now homeless. The floods had been predicted earlier but the provincial and federal authorities were shamefully ill-prepared like last year. In Punjab, over 5,000 people are battling against the dengue epidemic and there are indications that it may spread to other parts of the country. The killings in Karachi have momentarily halted but as hundreds of citizens were butchered for no fault … Read entire article »
That easy intimacy
By Raza Rumi A Pakistani re-discovers Bangladesh. Image: Carey L Biron As a Pakistani, there is a part of you that reacts instantly to the word Bangladesh: guilt, remorse or, in some cases, nostalgia can suddenly take over. I am from the generation that was spared the horrors of Pakistan Army actions, of information blackouts on the massacre of Bengalis in the name of Pakistani nationalism. But what does it mean to be half a Pakistani, without East Bengal – … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
The Real Issue is not Whether You Think Ahmadis are Muslims or Not.
Raza Habib Raja Some of my close relatives are Ahmadis and hence I have had the unique opportunity of observing them closely. Pakistan is a country where Ahmadis are hated and also subject to state institutionalized discrimination. And yet despite the open hatred which is shown to them, I have never had the opportunity of hearing any Ahmadi member of my family expressing hatred towards Pakistan or Muslims of other faiths. None of the Ahmadis I know has talked about resorting to violence against so called “real” Muslims of Pakistan despite the fact that they have been subject to violence themselves. In Pakistan, Ahmadis were declared as Non-Muslim through second amendment. I have written against the second amendment and have also been in arguments with several of its supporters. The supporters of … Read entire article »
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When are we going to open our eyes?
By Raza Rumi Recent reports quote General Kayani saying that Pakistan-US relations are “good” and were “improving”. These remarks follow hectic parleys between various levels of Pakistani and US officials in the recent weeks. The zealous hyper-nationalists of Pakistan found aplenty in the Urdu press, among the TV anchors and right wing politicians, were surely weakening the case for Pakistan as it struggles to manage internal insurgencies and handle a war on its northwestern front. I recall that Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani had pleaded for reason, not letting emotions override serious business like foreign policy. The security establishments’ engagement with the US counterparts, therefore, is nothing but a ‘realistic’ move to repair ties that need to be repaired. Without a cooperation framework how can Pakistan even think of succeeding … Read entire article »
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Orphan Legislation
Over the past 7 months I have desperately tried to get some enlightened politician or political party to adopt these two pieces of legislation but without any credible response. Therefore I am bringing this to the public at large. If anyone can put them to good use, please use them by all means -YLH BILL 1: PAKISTAN REDRESSAL OF MINORITIES’ GRIEVANCES ACT, 2011 An Act to provide for the establishment of tribunals to exercise jurisdiction in respect of matters relating to Minority grievances and to amend the Pakistan Penal Code to introduce new punishable offences. … Read entire article »
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Political Point Scoring amid Energy Crisis
By Riaz Ali Toori: There was a momentary period of satisfaction and fulfillment that followed some mind blowing statements by one of the mainstream political leader. It was just a few months back that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif vowed not to derail the democratic process, restored after a long struggle. He also pledged to foil all conspiracies aimed at disrupting democratic dispensation. It was a welcome move, a breath of fresh air that finally our political mainstream has learnt an important lesson from their past mistakes. It might not have been a great paradigm shift but for Pakistan, where politics is marked with intrigues, character assassination, leg-pulling, conspiracies and political point scoring, it was indeed a great paradigm shift. Unfortunately, all this was also a part of foul politics, mere … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Beyond the Boundary Line: A Pakistani pays tribute to Nawab Pataudi and Jagjit Singh
By Ghazala Akbar At the risk of enraging Pakistani Nationalists or cross- border internet trolls of the Hindutva variety, I would like to place on record my profound grief and sorrow at the passing away in quick succession of two Indian icons: Mansur Ali Khan, the former Indian cricket captain,9th Nawab of Pataudi and the majestic Jagjit Singh, the prince of Ghazals. Is there any common thread between these two seemingly disparate personalities, one a Sikh, the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts
Agents of Change???
By Raza Habib Raja I vividly remember when Veena Malik started to appear in a program named as “Big Boss”. The way Veena Malik acted in that show was “bold” in the sense that it defied the conventional sexual morality expected of women. At the same time it also did what it was supposed to do: attract controversy and get high ratings. However, this kind of “boldness” is frowned upon by the hypocritical right-wing religious lobby and also the honour brigade which tends to view female chastity as the symbol of national “prestige’. And since the show was in India, the brigade was bound to get perturbed and the Pakistani news channels also lapped on the controversy for commercial reasons. One news channel, desirous of commercial potential even arranged a live confrontation between … Read entire article »
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Pakistan declares victory over the United States
By Saad Hafiz: If claims in the local press are to be believed, the Americans are frightened after the united stand taken by the valiant and mighty Pakistani nation against U.S. threats. Of late and more than usual, the United States has been lambasted in the Pakistani press yielding the following gems. An enraptured local columnist wrote that the crisis with the U.S. has proven that the Pakistani military “are the standard bearers of Pakistani nationalism”. One might suggest that this variety of Pakistani nationalism manufactured at GHQ and NDU stands discredited with the Pakistani masses who, despite being periodically coerced, do not buy into it. A foreign defence strategist and fan of the Pakistan Army wrote “I’ve got news for Mullen and Panetta. If US forces attempt an incursion into Pakistan in … Read entire article »
Finding a Synagogue in Karachi
By Karachi Walla Unthinkable. Have you ever considered being friends with a Jew. Visiting a Synangogue from inside. That too, in Karachi. The construction of Magain Shalome Synagogue epitomized good old Karachi’s diversity and tolerance. Its destruction epitomized parochialism and intolernace prevalent now. The sense of loss is not only felt by once Karachite jews but by many others as evident by blog posts and flickr comments on the picture of the synagoue. The sense of loss becomes unbearable when you see the trash which has been put up in place of the synagogue. Jews lived mainly in the Ranchor Line and Ramswami areas in Karachi and there were around 2500 Jews at the time of the partition. They were part of the larger Ben-e- Israel group of the British India. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Arts and Crafts
All India Reporter’s Obituary for Jinnah
While going through the A.I.R. which is the staple for any lawyer in the subcontinent I chanced upon this extraordinary obituary which shows not only the esteem that Jinnah was held in by his Hindu and other colleagues in the legal profession, but the open mindedness that was the hallmark of that age and a level of maturity that sadly was not always reciprocated from our side. -YLH … Read entire article »
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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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