Tale of Musharraf’s Coup in 1999
Parvez Musharraf, ex-Dictator, landed in Karachi today, amid much fanfare(and while wearing a suicide jacket). He was ousted democratically on 18th August, 2008 and left the country. Pakistan has successfully completed transition from an elected government to a caretaker setup without direct intervention of the Military for the first time in its history. This does not mean we forget the history of military interventions and the disastrous consequences. To commemorate the arrival of Musharraf, we … Read entire article »
Filed under: Anniversery, Army, Civil Service, Constitution, Democracy, drama, History, ISI, Islamabad, Pakistan, Politics, Society, state, Uncategorized
Jennifer Ali- A great shining star of Pakistan passed away!
Syed Mahmood Kazmi How would one describe a young person full of energy, social activist, trainer, a person who is always ready to help people? Sometimes we don’t find words to describe such beautiful young souls and here we were with one, Jennifer Ali. Her affiliation with the humanity and serving others was very strong. She went to UAE few weeks ago due to her work. On the night of February 27, she was walking on … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Citizens, Civil Service, obituary
A case for evolutionary change
By Saad Hafiz: The recent “anti-establishment” rallies confirm that Pakistanis are more politically activated, politically conscious and politically interactive than ever. It is heartening to witness the quest for personal dignity and economic opportunity in a country painfully scarred by memories of decades-long domination by the “status-quo”. The pattern is also consistent with the political turmoil and stirrings against the established order so widespread today around the world. The youth in Pakistan are particularly restless and resentful and politically alert and engaged. The demographic revolution they embody is thus a political time-bomb, as well. The rapidly expanding demographic bulge in the 25-year-old-and-under age bracket is creating a huge mass of impatient young people. Their minds have been stirred by sounds and images that emanate from the region and beyond and which … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Remembering Jalib
By Jaffer Abid “It is a spirit in opposition, rather than in accommodation, that grips me because the romance, the interest, the challenge of intellectual life is to be founding dissent against the status quo at a time when the struggle on behalf of underrepresented and disadvantaged groups seems so unfairly weighted against them.” – Edward Said Representation of the Intellectual In 1991, the eminent scholar, critic and Palestinian intellectual Edward Said gave a series of lectures … Read entire article »
Filed under: Left, Literature, poetry, Politics
SGS Cotecna, our judicial gods& so called free media
By Amjad Cheema: It is well known fact false cases are framed against politicians solely on the vengeance basis to malign them so that political system may be discredited to pave the way for undemocratic forces. It mostly started during our first military rule under Ayub Khan and subsequently even non-militaryregimes could not remain immune from it. We all know that Sheikh Rashid was punished & jailed for three years & was still able to contest election as even his opponents know that it was a politically motivated case. The recent example is that of SGS Cotecna casewhich has been used to defame the political leadership of PPP for more than a decade. Recently Noah Bokharee posted an article on website in this context. It carried a very informative piece of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Multan bye elections – An Analysis
PAKISTAN POLITICAL REPORT: JUST 21st Special Election (NA-151) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With general elections expected early next year, Thursday’s “by‐election” for National Assembly seat vacated by former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was watched closely as a bellwhether for what a post-2013 Pakistan government will look like. Based on the results of Thursday’s vote, it may look a lot like a present government. Ten candidates appeared on the ballot, though the contest was really between two: Abdul Qadir Gilani, … Read entire article »
Global Voices Summit 2012 – A Life-Changing Experience
Imagine having some 160 people from 60 countries around the globe, comprising of bloggers, journalists, photographers, film-makers, policy advisors and top academics, many of them internationally renowned and recognized. That makes up for an awesome, awesome crowd. However, one would still be apprehensive when it comes to socializing with such a diverse crowd. After all, you never know when you may say ‘Hi’ to a social snob. But imagine my surprise when every single one of … Read entire article »
“Audacity of Hope” (An open letter to all Pakistanis)
Sultan Babar Mirza Reportedly, two foreign players have historically played the role of major kingmakers in Pakistan. Be it Ayub, Bhutto, Zia, Benazir, Nawaz Sharif or Musharraf – plenty of rumours say these ‘leaders’ largely owed their thrones to either the United States of America or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Thanks to Wikileaks, we now have some evidence of this as well (not as much as one would like, but enough). Before going further, let us … Read entire article »
Tribute to Fauzia Wahab
Junaid Zuberi In 1994 while pursuing my MBA degree from IBA Karachi, I was sent by our placement office to ‘Prudential Investment Bank Limited’ for summer internship. The bank belonged to Prudential Group, owned and managed by Rasheedullah Yacoob, a seasoned banker who had earlier headed a foreign bank in Pakistan. My friend Shariq was placed in Pakistan Industrial & Commercial Leasing Company (PICL), belonging to the same group. Our offices were located in the Group … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Let us imagine something better !
By Saad Hafiz: The British historian Arnold Toynbee wrote that all societies and civilizations have a cyclical course. According to Toynbee, the mark of a decaying and disintegrating society is the transformation of its ruling elite from a creative minority to a dominant minority. Creative minorities have drive and inspiration, do not need to justify themselves and simply act and achieve for the collective whole. A dominant minority is exclusively concerned with holding onto its power, wealth, and illusion of control. There is also growing consensus among political scientists and economists that nations thrive when they develop ‘inclusive’ political and economic institutions, and they fail when those institutions become ‘extractive’ and concentrate power and opportunity in the hands of only a few. It can be argued that Pakistan has reached the stage … Read entire article »
Can Video Games be Blamed for Acts Committed by Norway’s Shooter?
By Sidrah Zaheer People who maintain prejudice and convert that negative feeling into extreme hatred for other people exist everywhere. They are not exclusive to any caste, class, creed, culture, religion, philosophy or place. The shootings that occurred in Norway last year in July killed several Muslims. This time the culprit was someone harbouring extremism against the minority in his own country and the only way he thought to somehow equalize things in his mind, was … Read entire article »
Breaking the impasse in Indo-Pak relations
By Saad Hafiz: The heavy baggage of history in Indo-Pak relations includes Partition, Kashmir, armed conflict and ongoing arms race, Bangladesh, Siachen, Kargil and Mumbai. Mostly shrill jingoism and xenophobic nationalism on both sides has historically overshadowed sane discourse or encouraged conflict resolution. The institutionalized machinery of hatred on either side of the border comprises politicians, generals and the media who can easily overwhelms any small efforts towards peace and co-existence. It seems that the people in both countries have been conditioned to hate and despise the other. Despite the mutual animosity, the two neighbours unable to change geography are destined to live together and are forced to continue their turbulent negotiations, interactions and engagements. What needs to change is the unchanged cycle of the relationship, particularly since the 1950s which has … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
A hope for friendship, a prayer for peace
By Chintan Girish Modi: I read this morning’s news with great delight. Soon as I signed into my Twitter account, two fabulous news items grabbed my attention. ‘Cabinet nod to easier visas for Pakistanis in some categories,’ (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nri/visa-and-immigration/cabinet-nod-to-easier-visas-for-pakistanis-in-some-categories/articleshow/12884360.cms) said The Economic Times. ‘A year on, India-Pakistan trade relations leapfrog,’ (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/one-year-on-india-pakistan-trade-relations-leapfrog/472745/) announced The Business Standard. Wow! It was amazing to learn that friends from Pakistan will now find it easier to get multi-city, multiple-entry visas to India. Of course, it wasn’t an overnight development. There has been a build-up to this in the last few months. We have reached this place thanks to the efforts of numerous individuals and civil society groups (http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=Q0FQLzIwMTIvMDQvMjIjQXIwMTAwMQ%3D%3D) who have held on steadfastly their deep faith in the power of peace and their hope for friendship between India … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Break Up To Keep Together!
By Behzad Taimur: The 72nd anniversary of passage of the historic Lahore Resolution of 1940, which is widely credited with formalization of the idea of a “Pakistan”, as a separate state for Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, passed recently, and one must draw attention to its relevance today. Contrary to popular belief, the Lahore Resolution proposed formation of not one but several states for the Muslims, saying: “That the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in majority, as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign.” Today, when calls for more provinces are growing louder, it should be of pertinence to us to note that our founding fathers had proposed a number of states, and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
A murder most most foul: How Master Abdul Qudoos was tortured and killed
By Usman Ahmad: Prior to anything else being said, let it be clearly stated that the recent murder of Master Abdul Qudoos at the hands of the police is not an ‘Ahmadi’ issue, but a human rights one. So before the trolls infect the comments section and begin to abuse the beliefs of Ahmadis with their obtuse invectives or hatch conspiracy theories that Pak Tea House is secretly run by ‘Qadianis’ who in turn are sponsored by Mossad/RAW/the CIA/MI5, they would do well to remember that if acts such as these are allowed to gain currency then all our civil and civic rights will be at stake. Institutions like the state, the judiciary, the police are created in society in order to protect and serve the people. But when these actors become … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
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