Pak Tea House » liberal Pakistan
Rebuttal to Dr. Taqi’s “Balochistan’s Ho Chi Minh Moment”
By Yasser Latif Hamdani It seems that there is a section within Pakistan’s intelligentsia that equates liberalism with unquestioning loyalty to Baloch separatism. In other words it does not matter if you believe in a separation of church and state, equal rights for women and minorities and other things that would be considered the touchstones of liberalism in most countries of the world – if you do not believe in the righteousness of the cause of Baloch nationalism you cannot be considered a liberal. A corollary of this argument is that a true liberal is by definition anti-Pakistan! A true liberal – according to this definition- is necessarily pro-ethno-nationalism and pro-India. Any deviation from this sanctioned liberalism means you are a product of Pakistan Studies. Consider for example the views of Dr. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, baluchistan, Citizens, Colonialism, Constitution, Islamabad, Law, Left, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Marxism, minorities
Extinguished hope
By Ahsan Kureshi A friend, who shares my ‘liberal’ perspective on almost all things, inquired why I was surprised on what had happened. ‘Shouldn’t we be used to all this?’ His question got me thinking. Are we actually so drowned in the wetsand of fanaticism that the call of an auction of the ‘Holy weapon of Qadri’ was not even a head-turner? Are we bent upon staying fearful and oblivious to all that we deem as absurd? Is a debate on the said topic too much to ask for? Too volatile of a question with a ‘playing-with-a-knife’ consequence? Indeed and sadly yes; atleast, that’s what it seems. What saddens me today the most is the biases of the pioneers of the ‘freedom-of-speech’ manifesto, the media. The morning newspaper (5th Jan) that greeted me today, … Read entire article »
Filed under: liberal Pakistan, Media, Opinion, Terrorism
Waddi Mohtarma Dhazan Dhazan
Everyone and their mom is abuzz with the latest that Veena Malik has been up to. In fact they are so infatuated with the recent memo scandal (and Nixons bugging fiasco that) that everything is christened with a ‘gate’. And Veena’s gate is most definitely open. The latest on the internets is this young man with his innuendo loaded commentary on the whole shebang. For good measure a few Aamir Liaqat memes have also been thrown into the mix. Our hilarious commentator here goes by the name of Osman Khalid Butt and his Youtube Channel, The Living Picture can be found here. Hopefully he will continued to entertain us with his wit and not become a one-hit-wonder. Please watch and ‘like’ this so that he knows we are listening and laughing. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Humor, liberal Pakistan
Aaloo-eating zionists – Pakistan’s youth reacts to daily doses of ghairat and lies
By Saadia Gardezi The latest music video to go viral in the Pakistani blogosphere, Aaloo Andey by Beyghairat Brigade, says most of what those on the centre and left are thinking. The Pakistani virtualverse has been twittering about the satire since it came out. However there has also been some verbal violence against the views expressed in the song, characteristic of the Pakistan we live in… what for one man thinks is xenophobic nationalism, for another is just … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conservation, Humor, liberal Pakistan, Music
Changing National Security State – Workers Party seminar calls for a new paradigm
Lahore, 20th April 2011 – Speakers at a special seminar on the ‘National Security State’ organized on Wednesday at the Kissan Hall on Mozang Road urged a broad consensus of all political and social forces on the need to reorient the priorities of the Pakistani state away from ‘national security’ to ‘human security’ and warned that religious radicalization, ethnic polarization and imperialist influence in Pakistan would all intensify if this transformation does not take place. The seminar was organized by the Worker’s Party Pakistan (WPP) and featured the participation of a large number of political workers, students, trade unionists and intellectuals. Speaking on the occasion scholar-activist Dr. Aasim Sajjad said that since the creation of the country, the permanent institutions of the state – the military and bureaucracy – have maintained … Read entire article »
Filed under: liberal Pakistan, state
Asma Jahangir – One of Pakistan’s Greatest Assets
By Nimra Zaheer Asma Jahangir is a leading Pakistani lawyer who defends mainly the women, children and religious minorities of Pakistan who are framed for crimes they did not commit. Her work primarily includes dealing with young wives with abusive husbands and children accused of blasphemy. I first heard of her from my aunt, who had spent some time working for her in Lahore in the Burnt Women Department. The stories and cases my aunt informed me of were heartbreakingly fascinating, mostly rape and domestic abuse cases, where Jahangir provided justice to those who deserved it. I find her intelligence and audacity astonishing in a country where there is no real system of law and order. Jahangir formed the first law firm established by women in the country and also set up … Read entire article »
Filed under: lawyers movement, liberal Pakistan
Letter and spirit of the Lahore Resolution
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (in Daily Times) Very rarely do politics, history and sport overlap but when they do they can produce the most heart-warming of coincidences. As millions of Bangladeshi fans cheered them on, the trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team completed a clinical victory over the West Indies on March 23, the 71st anniversary of the Lahore Resolution. The most charming coincidence was the fact that the stadium we won in was named after Sher-e-Bangla, A K Fazlul Haq, one of the founding fathers of our republic and the gentleman who moved the Lahore Resolution all those years ago. Every child in Pakistan is taught about the symbolic significance of the Lahore Resolution but hardly anyone in the country has ever bothered to read the words that are cited as nothing less … Read entire article »
Filed under: Lahore, liberal Pakistan
Funeral and last Message of Mr. Bhatti
PTH would like to share this note from a peace activist in Toba Tek Singh, who is a writer and also an educationist. ‘Rev. Fr. Parvez Emmanuel, first Cousin of Mr. Clement Shahbaz Bhatti read out the last message of Mr. Bhatti to nation. The main points of the message were: … Read entire article »
Filed under: liberal Pakistan
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
Who’s afraid of Sherry Rehman?
Raza Rumi Express Tribune: It has been rather disturbing to witness the way Sherry Rehman has been the latest target of the purists within the ruling PPP. For years, Sherry has represented the intellectual vigour within her party. From drafting of manifestoes to holding the important portfolios, she has been an articulate defender of the PPP and its government. Her decision to resign in the wake of the judges’ saga and media handling of the 2009 Lahore-Gujranwala Long March was a matter of democratic choice. After her resignation, she did not defame her party leadership and continued to demonstrate her loyalty. She is now a victim of an unwise ban on PPP leaders and legislators preventing them from appearing on a particular television … Read entire article »
Filed under: Justice, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan
Was Jinnah secular?
By Yasser Latif Hamdani (In wake of the national debate on ideology and textbooks, Mr. Raza Rumi, the founder and editor of Pakteahouse, recently asked me to revisit the issue of Jinnah’s secularism through a comprehensive blog-post. This blog post is written for PTH exclusively and may be reproduced by giving PTH credit.) Many people (though not all) on all sides of the ideology divide in Pakistan take umbrage with the description of Mahomed Ali Jinnah – … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan, secular Pakistan
Liberal Pakistani Websites and Indian Right Wingers
By Raza Habib Raja Liberalism as a philosophy is more inward looking and therefore does not try to blame others for the follies of one’s own nation. Thus it takes a stark divergence from the conservative and ultranationalist philosophies who assume that identity cultivated on the basis of religion, ethnicity, or geographical location is always under threat from outside forces. Therefore liberalism’s natural thrust is towards self introspection and on fostering cooperation with the different ethnicities and nations. This orientation always bring it into conflict with the ultranationalists who often accuse liberals of being “unpatriotic”, soft and even traitor! Pak Tea House is one of the liberal website in Pakistan and let me assure you such websites are rare. We are committed to cultivating a spirit of self introspection and are doing our bit … Read entire article »
Filed under: India, journalism, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pak Tea House
Is this Jinnah's Pakistan?
Raza Rumi writing for Express Tribune: The massacre of Ahmadis in Lahore has once again exposed the inner fissures of our society. As if treating them like second class citizens was not enough, the attacks on their private space of worship has confirmed that militant Islamism is now an embedded reality. Those who have been denying the presence of Punjabi Taliban will have to construct another web of denial and disbelief. We saw signs of that after the fateful tragedy. Instead of constituting investigation teams and ensuring that all necessary leads are collated, senior officials of the Punjab government made a direct reference to RAW, the infamous Indian intelligence agency. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan, Religion, Taliban, Terrorism
Lahore's now the latest target of Taliban
Raza Rumi Once again the terrorists have hit Lahore. But this time they have chosen the favourite target of the fundamentalists – the Ahmedis who were declared as non-Muslims in 1974. Two places of worship have been attacked and innocent people have died. This is unacceptable and outrageous. It means that the state policy of exclusion has finally turned the country into a nightmare – a polity where freedom to worship, profess religious orientation and expression is not only curtailed by simply denied. The resolve of the Government and the Army must be now strengthened after these tragedies. We condemn the state excesses and also the this heinous act of terrorism. It is almost surreal to see what is happening in Lahore – there is no law and order, no law enforcement worth … Read entire article »
Filed under: Al Qaeda, Islamism, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, minorities, Pakistan, Politics, public policy, Punjab, Society, Taliban, Terrorism, violence, war
Facebook saga: Dilemma of Urban Middle Class
We are posting this piece in the ongoing debate on Facebook ban. PTH does not necessarily agree with the views expressed here. Raza Rumi On Wednesday 19th May 2010, the Lahore High Court, famous for acting as a “moral brigade” rather than judiciary, once again passed a strange order to ban Facebook across Pakistan on a petition of Muslim Lawyers Forum. The demand for blocking of the social media site came after it refused to remove certain pages displaying Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons. This order was passed against the request of the government and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority that controversial pages of Facebook were already being blocked and there was no reason to block entire social media website which has over 2 million Pakistani users. Few months back Lahore High Court took suo-moto notice of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam, Islamism, Liberal Democratic Pakistan, liberal Pakistan, Pakistan, Politics, Religion, Rights, violence
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