Karachi: Fairgrounds, demos, devils and more
By Ali Arqam: Zulfiqar Mirza’s theatrics, Altaf Hussain’s histrionics, rabble-rouser Qureshi’s anti climax (of Nuclear Arsenal under threat episode), Munawwar Hasan’s ‘No one loves me’ rants, Fazlur Rehman’s alarm bells of Islam in danger, the new theatrical production is a rally by JuD for “Difa-e-Pakistan”. Welcome to Karachi fairgrounds. First swearing Mirza damned MQM for posing threat to Pakistan’s integrity, then Altaf Hussain waved the map of so called balkanization of Pakistan. Thereafter, Imran came with a life line for Pakistan (he will only share the details when he will come to power) then Munawwar Hasan called on the bearded and hijabis to save Pakistan. Most recently Fazlur Rehman brandished a red flag and now Hafiz Saeed of JuD, Ahmad Ludhianvi of ASWJ and others have jumped on the bandwagon to defend state of … Read entire article »
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Our inane leader
By Usmann Rana One of the rallying points in favor of the rise of Pakistani politician Imran Khan, apart from the utter disillusionment of the masses and corruption of both the major and leading parties, has been his charismatic personality. But Khan’s recent interview to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt, seemed to have lost that element and for once laid bare the stark contradictions between his own statements showing his inanity. For example, Khan believes, to quote him, ‘the age of martial law is over… Whatever happens I don’t see military takeover.’ Yes, Mr Khan it is. But the ‘military Raj’ has not ended, it has found new ways to penetrate back into the Pakistani society. To believe that military makes its presence felt only through martial laws and coups is naïve. Furthermore according … Read entire article »
International Commission of Jurists statement on Husain Haqqani
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS Commission internationale de juristes – Comisión Internacional de Juristas ” Protecting and promoting human rights through the Rule of Law” PRESS RELEASE For immediate release – 25 January 2012 Former Pakistan Ambassador to the US faces threats to his life – ICJ Geneva, Switzerland – The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today expressed its grave concern for the infringement of rights of Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States of America. Hussain Haqqani has been embroiled in a political and judicial conflict stemming from a leaked political memorandum that he was alleged to have authored, only a few days after al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US military forces. “Hussain Haqqani faced a vicious media trial following which the Supreme Court of Pakistan on a petition filed debarred him from travelling abroad, despite … Read entire article »
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Defending democracy
By Saad Hafiz: It seems at the first sign of cracks in a democratic setup in Pakistan, a battle cry goes out from media pundits, back-door politicians and professional pontificators alike to end or derail the democratic process. As the knives and bayonets are sharpened, headlines like “End the farce”, “Noose tightens” and “Government isolated” dominate in the media. Many affluent Pakistanis, enjoying the fruits of Western democracies, hypocritically chime in to denigrate democracy and espouse the … Read entire article »
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General Delusion Gul
By Taha Kehar Political acumen is a valuable asset which requires a sound understanding of current affairs and the rare ability to steer clear of false philosophy. But not everyone realises its benefits. In an interview with Khushnood Ali Khan in 2008, Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul revealed that political acumen can be clouded by delusions of Taliban grandeur and US atrocity. Some moot points presented in the interview include: a) The claim that Lashkar-e-Islam’s Amir Haji Mangal Bagh is ‘popular among the people’. While Gul does substantiate this belief, there is sufficient evidence to the contrary which he fails to account for. For instance, it cannot be assumed that the popularity of a leader corresponds with the fairness of his policies. After all, how can we forget that Mangal Bagh warned women in the Khyber Agency against … Read entire article »
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American Muslims write to Secretary Clinton asking her to intervene to save Ambassador Husain Haqqani
January 12, 2012 The Secretary of State The Honorable Hillary Rodham ClintonU.S. Department of State2201 C Street, NWWashington, DC 20520 Dear Madame Secretary: We American and Canadian Muslims have watched with increasing anxiety the situation of theformer Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S., Husain Haqqani. Motivated by our deep concern for thelife and safety of Ambassador Haqqani we write to you to ask you to speak on his behalf.Ambassador Haqqani is living under virtual house arrest in Pakistan. Pakistan’s security agencies confiscated his passport and the judiciary, under pressure from the military, has restricted him fromtravelling outside Pakistan. Ambassador Haqqani’s travails began after it was alleged that he had initiated a letter to theChairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, following the US military actioninside Pakistan in which Osama Bin Laden was killed. The letter reportedly asked for Americanintervention in … Read entire article »
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Text of SC order in NRO case
From the Newspaper: IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN (Appellate Jurisdiction) PRESENT: Mr. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa Mr. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan Mr. Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry Mr. Justice Gulzar Ahmed Mr. Justice Muhammad Ather Saeed Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 486 of 2010 in Criminal Appeal No. 22 of 2002 AND Adnan A. Khawaja … Appellant versus The State … Respondent Suo Moto Case No. 4 of 2010 and Civil Miscellaneous Application No. 1080 of 2010 AND Civil Miscellaneous Applications No. 1238 and 1239 of 2010 (Suo Moto action regarding appointment of convicted person namely Ahmed Riaz Sheikh (NRO Beneficiary), as Additional Director General, Federal Investigation Agency Civil Miscellaneous Application No. 1253 of 2010 in Suo Moto Case No. 4 of 2010 (Report submitted in Court by AttorneyGeneral regarding Facts … Read entire article »
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PTI: Hopes & Fears
By Hamza Farshori: The biggest charge against Imran is that he is an isi’ man. If you look at the trash he has recruited (barring Javed Hasmi offcourse)recently in PTI then you cant be blamed for being a cynic. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the establishment has signaled the usual suspects to join PTI, BUT knowing Imran and his struggle, I just cant seem to fully believe that he himself is in cahoots with isi. Folks are free to call it denial but for me jury is still out on this. I think Imran has lowered standards just to get the momentum and he might pull a fast one on these jokers who have probably joined him to hijack PTI, I will elaborate on this a bit later. Imran has been … Read entire article »
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Why Rathore Pakistani Will Not Vote For Imran Khan?
By Faiz Al-Najdi: I have a friend here in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia by the name of Muhammad Riaz Rathore who prefers to be called as his alias of Rathore Pakistani only. He is a simple but knowledgeable person – non-conformist and much opinionated on most issues. And, most importantly he doesn’t have any political affiliation or leaning of any kind. This makes our discussions and discourses on neutral ground – so to say. And, as such, the opinion expressed by Rathore Pakistani can be taken as those of the “silent majority” in Pakistan. We often indulge in discussions on current affairs – local, national and international – and I must admit here our discussions, at times get heated up, but honestly when it gets over I find myself much educated. These days Imran Khan … Read entire article »
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Zardari: Made of tougher mettle
By Saria Benazir The rumors of an impending coup further perforate into the already adverse political situation in the country, following the memo gate issue. This is another incredible issue, much like the incredible memo-an unsigned paper seemingly no importance to the White House has subjugated the whole country to a farce played out by our very laudable Supreme Court and the establishment. And now this new addition furthers the attack on Pakistani democracy. The likelihood of President Asif Ali Zardari’s resignation, as stated by the American Foreign Policy blog has created a hullabaloo throughout the country, and people seem to have unquestioningly placed their convictions in that blog. The army and ISI already own Pakistan, what about the Head of State? Does the US decide the resignations of Pakistani officials as … Read entire article »
Who is the real target of Mansoor Ijaz?
The recent interview of Mansoor Ijaz, the shady character of the memo scandal in Pakistan was interviewed by Fareed Zakaria yesterday. In this interview, Ijaz did not name Husain Haqqani but targetted Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency which is under global spotlight but which many Pakistanis also consider as central to their security architecture. We ask the question then - who is the real target of this Pakistani-American businessman with dubious credentials? We condemn his repeated efforts to attack Pakistan security institutions especially the Army as well as his overt desire to create a political storm in Pakistan. Thus far he has only brought political instability to the country. A memo that is an unsigned document, which was ignored by Admiral Mullen and US administration has become a ‘proof’ of conspiracy. Sad to see … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics
Feeble excuses
By Saria Benazir The month of december has begun with conspiracies that further taint the already disastrous situation society and politics is in. The future of Pakistan is indeed obscure amidst “patriotic” plots. I cannot repress the history that I have known since my childhood. No child in Pakistan is raised up without having the seeds of pro-Jihadist ideas sowed in his mind. If not family, textbooks provide enough propaganda. These ideas are later malformed into radicalism, we instead term it “Islamisation”, or the pathetic “patriotism”, the definitions of which still elude us. A person, who is not thus “Islamic” or “patriotic” is termed as a “liberal”, the most reviled word in the dictionary. Let us take the memo gate scandal as an example of this moral corruption. On December 1 the Chief Justice of Pakistan began a program … Read entire article »
Cricket and Politics
Prof Farakh A Khan (10.11.11) Cricket these days has become centre stage in Pakistan. At one side three of our star cricketer are behind bars in UK and on the other side our ex-super star cricketer Imran Khan is taking politics by storm in Pakistan. We need to analyse these two phenomenon hitting the press and media. Let take the rather depressing state first. The three were caught red handed fortunately in UK and not in Pakistan. Some people called this a conspiracy where India and UK (not including Israel since it does not play cricket) ganged up to reduce cricketing poweress of Pakistan in the next World Cup. Another version is of legal betting mafia striking at underground betting mafia and in the crossfire the three Pakistanis were shot down. We … Read entire article »
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From Bhutto to Imran: populism challenges the status quo
By Saad Hafiz: It is somewhat ironic that Pakistan’s latest populist leader Imran Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf are set to confront the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the party of Z.A. Bhutto (ZAB), the country’s original exponent of populism. The battle between PPP and its official opposition the Muslim League, pitted against the Tehreek-e-Insaf is shaping up to be a classic confrontation between the established political parties representing the status quo and a maverick leader and party promising change. As in the past, familiar emotive themes like rampant corruption, insincere leadership, economic dependency and the role of the United States are part of the popular debate. As ZAB was gearing up to challenge the Ayub regime in 1968, he addressed the Muzaffargarh Bar Association. Some major themes from his address are just as … Read entire article »
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Rally Round the flag!
By Ghazala Akbar Welcome to Formula1 Racing— Pakistani style! While our neighbours across the border sip some well – deserved bubbly in celebration of the real thing, Pakistanis at home and abroad witnessed some spectacular entertainment provided by our politicians. They deserve a pat on the back. Three major Rallies organised peacefully across two cities that had people on the edge of their seats. What a contest, what a thrilling climax — and all for free! Who needs Jenson Buttons, Michael Schumacher or Sebastian Vittel when we have the likes of Shahbaz Shareef, Altaf Hussain and Imran Khan! The three-day extravaganza kicked – off in style on Friday in the pot-holed roads of the walled city in old Lahore. This is the home – ground of the Sharif brothers and the source … 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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