One and a half billion people just want peace
The News, January 01, 2010 The two nations have repeatedly gone to war in the past. Their governments continue sabre rattling and spewing bellicose rhetoric. But identical nationwide opinion surveys conducted by the Jang Group and the Times of India Group in India and Pakistan show that a majority of the billion and a half people of the sub-continent want to live as peaceful and friendly neighbours and share the same humane goals like any other civilised polity; economic prosperity for all, education for the youth, health for the needy, absence of violence and elimination of existential threats. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Citizens, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, poverty, south asia, Terrorism
Copenhagen Summit: Glacial Data Crucial to Combating Climate Change
By Darryl D’Monte* COPENHAGEN, Dec 18 (IPS/TerraViva) – People living in the Himalayan region are increasingly confronted by rising temperatures and glaciers melting at an unprecedented rate, threatening their very survival. This much the world already knows. Yet, experts say, there is still no accurate and reliable data on the Himalayan glaciers and many aspects of its ecosystem, which should facilitate determining mitigation measures addressing current and future impacts of climate change on the Himalayas. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Climate Change, Environment, Pakistan, south asia
Taking Over Pakistan
Pakistan as a security state By Irfan Husain | Dawn 12 Dec, 2009 Jawaharlal Nehru (left) and Ayub Khan in Karachi. PHOTO: THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY Over the years, many readers have asked me why Pakistan should fear an attack from India. They suggest that as we are under no threat from our eastern neighbour, our army could move more of its troops to the Afghan border where heavy fighting is going on, and where our embattled units … Read entire article »
Filed under: Army, Colonialism, Democracy, India, Islamism, Pakistan, Partition, south asia, state
The Politics of Symbolism
The Indian national song, Vande (or Bande) Mataram, has officially been accorded, at least since the time of independece, the same status in terms of reverence as the official national anthem ”Jana Gana Mana”. The song has a history of controversy surrounding it, surfacing from time to time, stretching back to much before Partition. What makes history relevant if not the present? … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, Identity, India, minorities, Partition, Religion, south asia
Let Us Return To The Kindergarten
A Poem by F S Aijazuddin, written in the summer of 2003. Let us return to the kindergarten of 1947. Let us learn another alphabet, un-form words, deconstruct sentences, erase paragraphs that have lidless form but contain no meaning, … Read entire article »
Filed under: India, Pakistan, south asia
Sense and Sensibilities on Pakistan
T N MADAN comments in the Economic & Political Weekly on Farzana Sheikh’s Making Sense of Pakistan Ideological, identity and policy confusions have marked Pakistan from the moment of its birth till the present. Much of the country’s domestic problems and its international relations can be explained through this confusion. While Jinnah was successful in wresting a state, he never invested efforts into building the nation. Therefore, there is no consensus over what Pakistan represents. Farzana Shaikh’s Making Sense of Pakistan is a brave attempt to understand these confusions and can be a resource for those who want to rescue this Partition twin from its present conditions. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Jinnah, Pakistan, Partition, south asia
The Obama Plan to Radically Remake Pakistan
IN AN UNUSUAL MOVE, the Pakistani military on Wednesday publicly criticized the Kerry-Lugar Bill — a five-year, multibillion-dollar U.S. aid package recently approved by Congress and now awaiting President Barack Obama’s signature. The military’s motivation is simple: The aid package is designed to limit the Pakistani military’s role in governance. It stipulates that the aid is contingent upon the U.S. secretary of state’s certification that, among other things … Read entire article »
Filed under: Army, Pakistan, Parliament, south asia, USA
From Russia with Love: Main Ney Russia Mee kya Dekha
Bradistan Calling When Pakistan came into existence in 1947, Russia was known as the Godless Empire of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under brutal dictator Joseph Stalin. This inherent difference in ideologies resulted in tensions from the very start, but the refusal of the first prime minister of Pakistan to accept the cordial invitation of the Soviet leadership to visit USSR started the full scale Cold War. The rest, as they say, is history. Pakistan decided to accept the invitation of United States of America (the head of ‘Free’ Capitalist and Godly world).Pakistan joined anti-communist military pacts and gave its logistic support for Korean War in 1950s.Despite the unwavering loyalty of Pakistani military and landlord elite, USA refused to provide military assistance and spare parts during 1965 Kashmir war with India. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Army, baluchistan, Citizens, culture, Economy, Education, Europe, FATA, History, human rights, Identity, Imperialism, India, Islam, journalism, Labour, Left, magazines, Media, minorities, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Peshawar, Politics, Punjabi, quetta, Religion, Sindh, south asia, Taliban, Terrorism, Urdu, USA, youth, Zardari
Pakistaniat : The Crisis of Identity
Bradistan Calling What can I give to Pakistan as a present on its 62nd Birthday, What else than an article on its chequered history and identity. Bertrand Russell famously said,” There are three great civilisations in East i.e. India, China and Islam”. Pakistan is blessed to be located at the crossroads of all these great civilisations. In my humble opinion this is the biggest strength of Pakistani identity. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, ancient civilisations, Architecture, baluchistan, Citizens, Cricket, culture, dynasties, Environment, Europe, FATA, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Iran, Islam, Jinnah, Karachi, Kashmir, Languages, Left, Literature, Media, minorities, Music, North-West Frontier Province, Northern Areas, Pakistan, Partition, Peshawar, Politics, Punjabi, quetta, Religion, Rights, Sindh, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, Travel, Urdu, USA, youth
Power with responsibility
By Haris Gazdar writing for the DAWN today THE Supreme Court’s ruling on July 31 striking down some of the actions taken by former President Musharraf as unconstitutional has been hailed as historic. This is hyperbole. What is more important is how the judges and their supporters plan to use the power they are acquiring with respect to the key challenges facing the state and society. The constitutional petitions before the Supreme Court related to the legality of judicial appointments during the 16-month period when Mr Iftikhar Chaudhry had been removed from his position as chief justice. The court ruled these judicial appointments to be illegal. The jobs of 110 judges of the higher courts were put on the line. In effect, a few judges of the Supreme Court gave themselves veto power … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan, Politics, south asia
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
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
Dawn News:global Pakistani channel?
Viva Hameed Haroon; Yes We Can! Bradistan Calling What have a Euro-Zone bureaucracy and the countries as diverse as Japan, India, UK, Russia, Iran, Germany, France, USA, Qatar and China, got in common? Are they part of an energy cartel or a group of twenty biggest economies? Highly unlikely: given the diversity of the list. The question becomes more perplexing given the title of this article, who is this gentleman Mr. Haroon? Well Hameed Haroon is the son of a famous Muslim politician of British India Sir. Abdullah Haroon. Hameed Haroon is not running for any political office as the title may mistakenly be interpreted. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Economy, Education, Europe, human rights, Identity, Images, India, Iran, Islam, Jinnah, journalism, Karachi, Kashmir, magazines, Media, minorities, Pakistan, Politics, Society, south asia, USA
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