Finding my Pakistani identity
By Sonya Rehman When we’re young, nursing an invincible confidence – which stems from a frivolous heart – we only view our lives in accordance with ourselves, our family, our friends…our little support networks. We’re myopic in our outlooks. Restricted. We have our blinkers on. But not for long. Truth be told, I had my blinkers on for a while. Quite a while. But over the past year or two, I’ve begun to question my life, my … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture
Does the Millennial Generation have every right to be the Melancholy Generation?
By Rabab Khan Back when we were still in our teens, the favorite term to bandy around to explain why we could never get along with our parents was ‘generation gap’. And seemingly, this is exactly how things had worked for generations before that. Some of us had pre-partition parents, some had post partition parents. Those with post partition parents would have a different story to tell about their parent-child differences. Those with pre-partition parents… well, … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture
We Are The Cannibals!
By D. Asghar Like many I was disgusted and shocked, when cannibals among us were discovered. These were two villagers in Punjab, who indulged in this inhumane and abhorrent act. The public disdain towards this madness was very natural. The electronic and print media rightfully reported and condemned this deplorable and pathetic act. Of course mental illness can be the only rational explanation for such a demonic practice. What kind of sadistic pleasure, can one derive by killing and consuming their own? But somehow, our condemnation only stops right there. We rarely demonstrate similar objections, when it comes to our own behavior, similar to those demented individuals. For those of you, who may be confused a bit by my statement, ought to observe and examine our personal behavior on a daily basis. … Read entire article »
“Problems of a Multi-Cultural society and the way out”
By Riaz Ali Toori A particular community of people living in a country or region, and having shared customs, laws, and organizations is called a society. The social fabrics of a society make it inter-dependent. There could be peculiar differences among the people living in a society that lead to conflicts that sometime lead to great dilemma like war on terror. The gush of unrest we are witnessing today is just because of clash of thoughts and lack of tolerance among the individuals. The other human catastrophes including poverty, unemployment and inflation also play a vital role in fortifying the conflicts. The influx of divergence could be disastrous enough to lead this world towards complete collapse. We need orchestrated efforts to bring down the rising temperature to a freezing point in order … Read entire article »
Godless Bullets
Salman Taseer’s killing reflects the fight over Pakistan’s soul (OUTLOOK INDIA) AMIR MIR When Punjab governor Salman Taseer stepped out of the Table Talk restaurant after having lunch with hotelier Sheikh Waqas and walked to his car parked in Islamabad’s Kohsar Market on January 4, he must have been aware of the possibility of religious fanatics lurking around. Where in Pakistan haven’t the sinister, dark forces of militant Islam penetrated? But what Taseer couldn’t have foreseen perhaps is the precise visage of religious fanaticism—that it could come dressed in the uniform of the Elite Force of the Punjab police, one of those very men who were to protect him from the implacable Islamists forever sniffing around for enemies who don’t subscribe to their worldview. As Taseer reached his car, a cry of Allah-o-Akbar … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Islamism, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan, public policy, Religion
The Giant in the East – IV
By Adnan Syed This four part series examines the rise of India as an economic giant, the threats that India faces in this remarkable rise, and implications for Pakistan. Originally planned as a three part series, I decided to split the series into four parts due to sheer volume of information that I came across while writing this series. (AZW). The Two Fundamental Assumptions Regarding future India, Pakistan must start with two fundamental assumptions: A. India’s progress is for real and will likely continue. Indian economy is beginning to compound and will consequently elevate India as one of world’s top four powers to reckon with on the world’s political stage in coming decades (along with China, US, and Europe). B. India’s military rise is inevitable along with its economic rise. However, Indian’s military rise is being … Read entire article »
Filed under: China, culture, Democracy, Economy, India, Islamabad, Pak Tea House, Pakistan, Pakistan-India Peace Process, Politics, Uncategorized, USA
Laal Band's song for the flood vitcims
Laal Band has produced this song for the victims of the recent calamity. Taimur Rehman the lead guitarist has sent this for the readers of PTH. RR [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhUHHi3PNCc] … Read entire article »
Pakistan's Unfortunate Embrace of the 'Modern'
This is an interesting article sent to us by Usman Khan The other day I attended a dawat by a fairly well off middle class Pakistani family. You know your average bi-monthly get-togethers where the chaps sit largely in cold silence while the women pontificate on everything from the best way to control their servants to the latest drone attack in FATA. Anyway I digress. Whilst there, the amiable host tapped into my love for all things sweet and whipped me up into a frenzy about a new ice cream that was to be served for desert. Well who can fail to be excited by ice cream? Not me, that’s for sure. Imagine my dismay then when, instead of being served an ambrosial, delicately crafted desert, I was handed cup of … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture
Daily Times – Nationalism: inclusive versus exclusive — I
At PTH, we have argued for the partition as a nuanced set of events that were characterized by extreme mistrust between the two major political forces of that time. These major parties harboured deep distrust against each other. The Muslim League politics increasingly focused on the idea of Pakistan as a bargaining chip to win the rights for the sizeable Muslim majority within the United India. The British hurry to leave the United India, emergence of Muslim League as the sole spokesman for the Muslims, and Congress unwillingness to recognize the Muslim nation demands within the United India resulted in a bloody and messy partition. We still live with the scars of the partition that resulted in one of the largest uprooting and human migration of modern times. … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, History, Identity, Islam, Islamabad, Islamism, Jinnah, minorities, Pak Tea House, Pakistan, Religion, secular Pakistan
Can an Islamic State be Secular?
Amaar Ahmad has written another thought-provoking and bold post for PTH. His argument and approach needs to be taken seriously if we have to overcome our current predicament and survive as a country. Raza Rumi It can be argued that the minimum definition of a secular state is one that permits all its citizens to freely practice, profess and propagate their religion (or the lack thereof) and it does not enact laws which discriminates in worldly affairs between citizens on the basis of their faith. Can an Islamic state offer a constitution and an environment which meets this description of secularism? If you seek an affirmative answer using the orthodox version of Islam as represented by our conservative politico-religious groups then you are going to be disappointed. But if you analyze … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Islam, Pakistan, secular Pakistan, secularism
Owner of Hyderabad’s iconic bakery dies
… yet continues to help many live [Dawn Online] HYDERABAD, June 11: Man is mortal but legend stays. It can truly be said for late Kumar of Hyderabad’s Bombay Bakery, as its cuisine left an everlasting flavour on the taste buds of those lucky, who had the opportunity to relish these. Kumar Thandani enjoyed seventy and two winters and met his creator on Friday in a Karachi hospital. A bachelor throughout, he left behind a sister and two … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Heritage, Pakistan, poverty, Sindh, Society
From A Rooftop Restaurant In Lahore
A View ‘Across Another Century’ The GT Road Blog By Steve Inskeep NPR correspondents are on the Grand Trunk Road. The team has undertaken this project to hear from “young people along one of the world’s historic highways.” Today, we get to go along with the team to a restaurant in Lahore that offers much more than just food. From Coo Coo’s Cafe, you can look back across time. (John Poole/NPR) There’s no need to get into what we talked about. … Read entire article »
The GT Road Blog
NPR correspondents are taking the historic Grand Trunk Road from the Bay of Bengal in the east to the Hindu Kush mountains in the west, across the Indian subcontinent. They talk about life along the route. This is the first post from when they arrived in Pakistan, last month. We hope to reproduce, over the next few days, here on PTH, their thoughts and impressions on the journey through Pakistan. In Pakistan, The Grand Trunk Road Is ‘An … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Heritage, Identity, India, Pakistan, Travel
Rethinking Islam
This is an old article written in the relatively immediate aftermath of 9/11. As someone observed on a Pakistani TV talkshow a year or so ago, jurists and theorists like Abu Hanifa, al-Shafi’i etc. would be shocked to know that people in the 21st century were still taking their interpretations as law - indeed, ‘Divine’ law. They would have been surprised enough to see that their views had not been updated, renewed and replaced within a century or two. The speaker claimed, given such freezing of thought, the shocking ideology that we saw glimpses of in Sufi Muhammad’s public address last year ought not to surprise us. In fact, Sufi Muhmmad types are ‘neo-Kharajites’ - they can be likened to the original kharijites in some essential traits at least - who may or may not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, culture, History, Islam, Islamism, Law, Religion, secularism, state, Taliban
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