Pak Tea House » Benazir Bhutto
Happy birthday, Bibi Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari!
By Saria Benazir. “Benazir Lives”… I’ve always have heard this and possess an unyielding credence in these words. Nevertheless, as I turn up to gaze at the heavens in moments of obscurity, she is there to placate me and to grant me hope and direction. The instant, I see myself ripped by obstructions, she is there to give me valor and vigor. The empathy twinges into trillions and splits my soul as I heed of her … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Opinion
“Blaming politicians alone for tarnishing democracy is actually less than half the story”- Benazir Bhutto’s interview to Herald (2000)
“Tomorrow they may decide to kill me because I know too much. But I want this on record so that one day, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, somebody goes back and says: What was happening in Quaid-e-Azam’s Pakistan?” Nearly twelve years ago monthly Herald published this interview of Benazir Bhutto (taken by Ali Dayan Hasan). This is perhaps the most revealing interview that BB gave to a local publication. In the context of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto
Begum Bhutto (1929 – 2011)
by Husham Ahmed Just a few hours ago Begum Nusrat Bhutto breathed her last in Dubai after suffering from a protracted illness and the world lost a woman who was a symbol of valor, courage and fortitude. Nadeem F. Paracha aptly put in his tweet: “Her’s was the longest and toughest struggle”. The world saw her in the form of a young frail woman who selflessly worked as a member of Women’s National Guard to fight day … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Uncategorized, Women
Begum Nusrat Bhutto is dead
Our sincere condolences on the demise of Nusrat Bhutto, wife of late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, mother of Benazir Bhutto, Murtaza, Sanam and Shahnawaz Bhutto. Except for Sanam, all members of this family are dead after decades of struggles, infamy, torture and fighting a hostile establishment. Our sympathies to the younger generation – Bilawal, his sisters, Fatima Bhutto and all others who have been traumatised by simply too many deaths. RIP, Begum Saheba. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, video
Remembering Bibi
I am reposting my old piece: sadly, much has not changed - Raza Rumi It was only yesterday that we were mourning for the loss of an icon of our times. The much loved, and passionately hated Benazir Bhutto whose tragic murder in broad daylight was the greatest metaphor of what Pakistan has turned into: a jungle of history, ethnicity and extremism. Little wonder that Bhutto’s worst enemies cried and lamented the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Anniversery, Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto and Her Politics: A Critical Evaluation
By Raza Habib Raja I remember that once Nadeem Farooq Paracha wrote that in Pakistan Bhuttos are hated in their lives by the affluent middle class and media (which is mostly the expressive medium of the same class) and then sanctified once they have met a tragic end. In lives they are branded as corrupt and only after death, and that too tragic death, has it been possible for the mainstream media to actually reflect back on them with some appreciation. Of course for the supporters any criticism on her personality, particularly after her death, is equivalent to blasphemy. Cult of personality which has become somewhat of a rarity in the West is an integral part of the political culture here. Such personality cults form around Political leaders, particularly famous ones, in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Anniversery, Benazir Bhutto, Left, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Uncategorized
Benazir Bhutto: an iconic figure
By Tauqeer Abbas The 3rd death anniversary of a blazing fire of truth, a beauteous blossom of love, a soothing balm of peace, highly experienced lecturer, one of the best decision makers, esteemed, much-loved, daughter of the East Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will be observed with the renewed commitment and pledge to strengthen the democratic institution in line with the vision of one of the greatest leader of this subcontinent. The daughter of Pakistan is no more with us but is a guiding star for the generations to come. It was her unprecedented determination sacrifice for nation. Her commitment towards people was spotless that she did not let her own misfortunes position in her way. Mohtarma Shaheed will always be remembered in world politics due to her political acumen and leadership qualities. History … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Anniversery, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism
Fatima Bhutto: please focus on fiction
Nasima Zehra Awan Pakistan may have lost a talented fiction writer when Fatima Bhutto went into journalism. Clearly, she is adept at spinning a tale, fudging facts and re-defining reality in a manner that is the exclusive domain of talented story tellers. Throw in her photogenic looks and her propensity to endear herself with the security establishment and she is the poster child for them. This poor author does not share the same connections as Fatima Bhutto, so she will clearly not pass of (Fatima’s) alleged ISI links as established fact. Clearly, my humble perception was reinforced when I read her recent article, “Why my uncle Asif Ali Zardari’s rule in Pakistan cannot be trusted“. The most outlandish spin in her article was that it was President Zardari who had banned facebook … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, journalism, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Politics
We Shall Overrun: The Young, Urban, Middle Class Pakistani Manifesto
By Nadeem F. Paracha http://blog.dawn.com/2010/03/20/we-shall-overrun/ 1. Asif Ali Zardari is the devil incarnate. 2. The Pakistan Army is the saviour. 3. The Taliban are resisting American imperialism. 4. We hate American foreign policy unless it suits us. We are against American imperialism if it means we have to ditch the Taliban as that would be against the aspirations of our founding father, Mohammed Bin Qasim. We will no longer shop at Marks and Spencer because they are somehow connected to Israel. However, that does not mean we will switch off our computers and cell phones whose chip technology has been made possible due to major contributions from Israeli scientists. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Army, baluchistan, Benazir Bhutto, Democracy, FATA, Humor, India, Iran, Islam, Islamabad, Pakistan, Punjab, Punjabi, Religion, Taliban, USA, Writers, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
Our Internal Demons
By Adnan Syed It has been 30 years since Pakistan took the fateful steps of sponsoring the Jihad on a state level. The fight against the Russian aggression in Afghanistan was probably justified. It was a blatant attack on a sovereign nation by a teetering super power. However when Pakistan went on to label the fight as a state sponsored Jihad, flock of die hard Islamists started congregating in Pakistan to fight the godless communists. This was precisely the turning point in Pakistani history when all the internal confusion of Pakistan’s relationship with Islam translated into a thoughtless action by the state that still haunts us to this day. We can blame General Zia-ul-Haq or Jamaat-e-Islami, or our dreaded indescribable “establishment” for pointing out the path of state sponsored armed Jihad. General … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Constitution, Democracy, FATA, Islamabad, Jinnah, Justice, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Pakistan, psychology, Religion, secular Pakistan, state, strategy, Taliban, Terrorism
Giving credit where it is due
Published in the Daily Times Giving Credit Where it’s Due (Daily Times 04/26) By Agha Haidar Raza Pakistan recently had two major delegations visiting the US. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi led the first contingent under the auspices of a new ‘Strategic Dialogue’ with the US. In the second trip, Prime Minister Gilani led his team to President Obama’s first Nuclear Summit. Attended by over 47 heads of state, the summit was the largest gathering of world leaders to descend upon the US soil since the 1940s. Recognised as one of the world’s safe-keepers of a nuclear stockpile, Pakistan gained a nod of approval from the world’s seven nuclear bomb carriers. I am unaware if many journalists or citizens in Pakistan read foreign newspapers, magazines or even blogs, but over the course of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Army, Benazir Bhutto, Constitution, Democracy, Economy, Egalitarian Pakistan, India, Islamabad, Judiciary, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, Pakistan, public policy, state, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
General in the Hood
(The views expressed here are not necessarily subscribed by the PTH – Editors) THE TIMES OF INDIA By Indrani Baghchi March 22, 2010 Those who know him say he is a brooder. But those who know him well will tell you that’s just one of the layers to the deeply complicated and thinking mind of Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The bluster that marked Musharraf has been dumped for quiet gravitas as the man from Rawalpindi goes about turning friends like the US and Britain into closer allies and outmanoeuvering not-so-friendly neighbours like India and Afghanistan at international fora. In a country brought to its knees by terror, corruption and an inept political system, the former ISI chief is putting up a masterly show as he calls the shots. Sitting with foreign minister S … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, Army, Benazir Bhutto, FATA, India, Islamabad, Pakistan, south asia, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, Yusuf Raza Gillani, Zardari
A Remembrance of Benazir Bhutto
By Mark Siegel For those of us who knew and loved Benazir Bhutto, not just as a great political leader but as an irreplaceable friend, the days between Christmas and New Years can never ring with joyous holiday spirit and celebration. December 27th is a dreaded day on the caledar of the people of Pakistan, democrats all around the world, and the family and friends of Benazir Bhutto. It is a day of remembrance, reflection, and inevitable thinking of what could have been had she lived to govern Paksistan once again. To so many she was an icon but to me she was a friend, a colleague, an intellectual sparring partner, an aunt to my children and a soul mate to my wife. On top of all the great things that she … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto
Going the Wrong Way about Doing the Right Thing
By B. Civilian The full bench of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan unanimously declared the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) null and void, ab initio. In view of the unpopularity of the Ordinance, the PPP government had virtually disowned it over the last few weeks. The Federation decided not to defend it in the court, again, regardless of one of its lawyers insinuating that there was a threat to ‘rule of law’ from “CIA and the GHQ” (statements which the lawyer later withdrew as his own rather than his client’s view). Pakistan is in the process of transitioning from being a military dictatorship to becoming a democracy. It’s a difficult transition for any country, let alone for one which has attempted such a transition at least twice before, without much success. But … Read entire article »
Filed under: Benazir Bhutto, Democracy, Justice, Law, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Parliament, Politics, state, Zardari
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
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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