Bare necessities
By Aroosa Masroor Dawn, 04 Dec, 2009 DADU: Mehak Essa is content that she can now concentrate on her studies. Until two months ago, she spent most of her time calculating the minutes that would be wasted in walking all the way to her relative’s house each time she wanted to use a toilet. But now that her school has a separate toilet for girls, she says her mind is ‘at peace.’ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Children, Education, Environment, Pakistan, poverty, Sindh, Women
Diya – a Hero's Daughter
Text & Photos by Fauzia Minallah Diya with her father Pervez Masih’s photograph Diya is only three, she is lost and has many questions about her father Pervez Masih. Pervez was a janitor at the International Islamic University. On the fateful day when IIU was attacked by suicide bombers, he was the hero who stopped the terrorist from entering the cafeteria for female students. Pervez lost his life, while saving the lives of more than 300 students. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Children, Citizens, human rights, minorities, Pakistan, poverty, Taliban, Terrorism
Silencing a Citizen
By Ardeshir Cowasjee, Dawn 15 Nov, 2009 Death of a social activist THE desecration of Gutter Baghicha, a designated parkland for the people of Karachi, has been written about umpteen times over the past couple of years, but no effective action was taken by those concerned. On Nov 7, 2009, Nisar Baloch, the spearhead of the Gutter Baghicha Bachao Tehreek and a member of Shehri, two NGOs which have been trying for the last two decades to save this lung of the city,was shot through the head by unidentified assailants as he was leaving his house. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Citizens, Conservation, Karachi, Pakistan, poverty
Caught Between Yaghistan and Talibanistan
Defeating the Taliban in Pakistan By Mehreen Farooq and Waleed Ziad – from The Hill It’s the strategy, stupid. Once again, we’re hoping that Pakistan’s latest offensive in the tribal belt will solve the Taliban problem. Our military-centric strategy, which has cost us eight years and $10 billion tax dollars, is incomplete. What’s missing is the complementary soft-power component necessary to secure the pivotal conflict zone in the war on terror. … Read entire article »
Filed under: FATA, Law, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, poverty, Rural, Taliban, USA
Neo 'Iron curtain' and the loud marching steps.
The Neo ‘Iron Curtain’ and the loud marching steps of televangelistas. Bradistan Calling The latest cultural trend is the sensational rise of televangelist channels in U.K, using tactics which can only be described as ‘emotional and religious blackmail’ and premium rate phone charges to raise funds from devotees, most of these are Nigerian Pentecostal ‘Witchdoctor’ (faith healer potions and exorcisms) TV channels operating from London. Generally the term ‘televangelist’ refers to American evangelical splinter churches propagating to solicit donations for converting poor Africans. This concoction of ideologies is being beamed back to Africa and Asia through satellite. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Citizens, culture, Democracy, dynasties, Elections, Europe, FATA, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, Images, India, Islam, Islamabad, Islamism, journalism, Kashmir, Labour, Languages, Media, men, minorities, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Palestine-israel, Partition, Politics, poverty, Religion, Rights, Society, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, Travel, Urdu, USA, violence, war, Women, youth
Bollywood,Reality TV and Indian secularism
Bradistan Calling Indian TV has seen numerous Bollywood reality shows, competition where common boys (and occasionally girls) have won places on movies by top directors. The Show that I want to talk about is Bollywood, blind-date and arranged (and staged) marriage all rolled into one big media circus. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Arts and Crafts, Cinema, Citizens, culture, Dance, drama, Heritage, History, human rights, Humor, Identity, Images, India, Islamism, Kashmir, magazines, Media, men, minorities, Music, Pakistan, Partition, Politics, poverty, Punjabi, Religion, Rights, Rural, sex, south asia, Terrorism, Theatre, Women, youth
Poem: Around Us (Betrayal of Conscience)
“Around Us” depicts those events that are currently taking place in Pakistan and how it has weakened our moral fabric, the intangible conscience and all that makes us what we are not”. Engraved in our memory, the old questions Of freedom and justice, as we watch in silence Engraved in our memory, the unfolding events The stories of horror in darkness, The blunders of our masters, out in the open In silence- our hands and minds Engraved in our minds, the old … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, Democracy, Education, Environment, History, human rights, Islam, Jinnah, Justice, land, Pakistan, Parliament, poetry, Politics, poverty
Marx Shrugged: Alienation and Opiates
By Zia Ahmad As much as exploitation is an external woe that afflicts a majority of humankind, alienation is something that simmers inwardly. More so a state of being, alienation is a sense of disconnect and estrangement of an individual from his external environment. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Economy, History, human rights, Labour, Left, poverty, Religion, Society
Marx Shrugged: The Exploitative Chapter
For an overwhelming majority of us exploitation is a notion that doesn’t require any explanation. Most of us are in a continuous process of either exploiting or being exploited for the duration of our lives. Some of us exploit natural resources and the environment by doing anything careless from cutting down forests to littering the local pavement with candy wrappers. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Colonialism, Economy, human rights, Imperialism, Labour, Left, poverty
Remembering Bashir Ahmed MSP
Bashir Ahmed Member Scottish Parliament. Bradistan Calling I first saw Bashir Ahmed on UK’s Pakistani channel (Pakistani channel was a result of the split between Pakistani TV Asia and Zee TV Europe). Second time I saw Bashir Ahmed was on BBC Parliament channel giving a speech to Scottish Parliament about Pakistan and its economy. A few days ago, I saw his Picture on a News website with a notice of his death and the news item that his seat in parliament has been filled by female deputy from his party SNP. Bashir Ahmad MSP, politician and businessman, born 12 February 1940; died 6 February 2009 of a sudden heart failure. In 2007 Bashir Ahmed became the first Asian (Pakistani) and first Muslim member of the Scottish Parliament when he was elected one of the four … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Economy, Education, Elections, Europe, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, Languages, Left, minorities, movements, Pakistan, Parliament, Politics, poverty, Punjabi, Rights, Society, south asia, Travel
Pak-Iran relations: elections and beyond?
Pak-Iran relations: elections and beyond? Bradistan Calling It is an interesting time on the young street of Iran. Youth are expecting a victory against the clergy. The Prague spring is in the air. The cities are green in the colour of change proposed by reformist candidate Mir Hussain Mousuvi. How far this HOPE and CHANGE can go, only time will tell? PIPFPD: Pakistan -Iran people’s forum for Progress and Democracy The Pakistani-Indian people to people friendship society with the same initials started its work nearly two decades ago, when the Pak-Indian subcontinent was under dark clouds of war hysteria and animosity. Thinking back, those times seem a century rather than a decade back. Pakistani and Indian actors, musicians, journalists, business people and human rights activists made this venture such a resounding success that the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Army, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Economy, Elections, Europe, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, journalism, Justice, Languages, Left, minorities, movements, Pakistan, Politics, poverty, Religion, Society, south asia, Sufism, Terrorism, Urdu, USA, violence, war, Women, World, youth
Will we need to close the door to Pakistan's dispossessed?
Our leaders are losing sleep over the Taliban’s advance and what that could spell for Britain Nick Cohen The Observer I would like to welcome Zahid Abdullah to Britain. He is a Pakistani student of English literature, rather than the snarling prose of the theocrats who threaten his country, and suffered the keenest blow a lover of books can take when he lost his sight. Undeterred, Abdullah divided his spare time between producing talking books for the blind and supporting the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, a pressure group that campaigns for the classic liberal causes of human rights, freedom of information and freedom from “barbaric acts of terrorism”. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, ancient civilisations, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Citizens, Colonialism, culture, Democracy, Economy, Education, Europe, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, Islamabad, Islamism, journalism, Kashmir, Labour, Media, minorities, movements, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, poverty, Religion, Rights, Society, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, Travel, violence, war, Women, youth
ICH BIN EIN TAMIL AND PASHTUN
We are all Tamil and Pashtun today: BRADISTAN CALLING Ich bin ein Tamil and Pustun. We are all Tamil and Pashtun today, back in 1960s American President J.F Kennedy chanted for the freedom of Berliners. We should show our humanitarian solidarity with the civilian victims of terrorism in Tamil and Pashtun areas. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, Benazir Bhutto, Citizens, Colonialism, culture, Democracy, dynasties, Economy, Europe, FATA, History, human rights, Identity, Imperialism, India, Islam, Islamabad, Jinnah, journalism, Kashmir, land, Languages, Left, minorities, movements, North-West Frontier Province, Northern Areas, Pakistan, Parliament, Partition, Peshawar, Politics, poverty, Punjabi, quetta, Religion, Rights, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, violence, war, Women, youth
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