Twitter, Twitter where have you gone.!!
Twitter, the famous micro-blogging website, has been blocked in Pakistan since today morning i.e. that of 20th May 2012. A similar action was taken against the social networking web site Facebook two years ago, when it was banned by the Lahore High Court. According to News Agency AFP, Pakistan blocked Twitter on Sunday, saying the website had refused to remove posts promoting a Facebook competition involving caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. “The website has been banned by the … Read entire article »
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Pity the Nation….
By: Riaz Ali Toori Our history is replete with judicial transgressions and military interventions, the implications of which can be very unnerving. A quick glimpse at Pakistan’s history would reveal that when the dictator, General Ayub Khan deposed Iskandar Mirza, the change was welcomed but what did we ultimately reap? Governmental corruption and nepotism, in addition to an environment of repression stifling free speech and political freedom, increased unrest and above all, rigged elections. Then we witnessed … Read entire article »
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Remembering Manto
Saadat Hasan Manto, perhaps is the greatest story teller in the history of urdu language. We have collected some thoughts about him by people who knew him best Kamal Ahmed Rizvi The Progressive Writers Movement never completely owned and recognised Manto in his life. Hasan Askari also mentioned that in his essays on Manto. Apparently, there were some lists issued in literary magazines which stated who belonged to the progressives and who didn’t. “Manto did not need … Read entire article »
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Ugly Mullahs of Pakistan
(We received the following contribution from an angry reader of PTH and we are publishing it without malice or much editing. The views expressed by the writer are completely his own and do not reflect the policy of PTH. By: Farooq Ahmad Khan Mullahs of Pakistan are the worst of creatures. They are responsible for religious hatred, intolerance and spreading of extremism in our society. These mullahs freely issue kufar fatwas on their opponent sects and threaten those with a different belief. They say that religion should be part of politics in Pakistan nut in reality, mixing religion and politics has played a negative role against the prosperity and development of the country. Until 1968, the mullah’s role in state affairs was scarce. Government and mullahs were more or less restricted to their … Read entire article »
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National Sovereignty, What Sovereignty?
By Raza Habib Raja One of the most hyped up slogans on the media and the rightwing nationalist circles is of “National Sovereignty”. This slogan is so powerful that Pakistani leadership particularly that of PPP is always on the defensive. According to this “National Sovereignty” school of thought, Pakistan has sold its soul to the foreign powers due to personal greed of the ruler class and has compromised the autonomy by facilitating the drone attacks. People like Imran Khan have made a full career out of opposition to these attacks. Not surprisingly these attacks, despite killing militants are continuously being cited as a “proof” of the great treachery. But then in the past, everything ranging from Nazam-i-Adl in Swat to Military action against Militants in tribal areas has been bracketed under the … Read entire article »
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What Should Have Been Done
Raza Habib Raja At the onset, I would like to make this thing clear that I have contrasting views on two recent executive judiciary standoffs: Memo scandal and NRO verdict. The clarification is essential because generally both the standoffs are analysed by the conservative as well as liberal media analysts through the same paradigm. The conservative viewpoint generally castigates PPP as the epitome of corruption and incompetence. It is by and large completely supportive of the judiciary and regards the current hawkish approach of the judiciary as “essential” in order to check the “corrupt” politicians. On the other hand large section of the liberal press (assuming such a section actually exists!) construes the entire situation as establishment’s deep conspiracy to derail democratic process and vilify PPP. According to this point of view, armed … Read entire article »
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Difference between Islam and Political Islam
(This is a rare post about religion on PTH, because we do not encourage religious discussions on our page. The aim of this post is to understand differences between Islam and “Political Islam”, a notion having its origins in the last one and a half century,) Following are excerpts from Tarek Fatah’s book, “Chasing the Mirage: The Tragic lllusion of an Islamic State” The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of PTH. What Islamists seek and what Muslims desire are two separate objectives, sometimes overlapping, but clearly distinct. While the former seek an “Islamic State,” the latter merely desires a “state of Islam.” One state requires a theocracy, the other a state of spirituality. The phrase “state of Islam” defines the condition of a Muslim in how … Read entire article »
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Emma Duncan on MQM (Excerpts)
Emma Duncan is the Deputy Editor of The Economist. She is the magazine’s chief reporter, writer and editor on climate change. She has also held several other posts on the paper, including Britain Editor and Asia Editor. In 1988-89, she wrote “Breaking the Curfew” (Michael Joseph), a book on politics, culture and society in the troubled state of Pakistan. Following are a few excerpts from her wonderful book on Pakistan regarding her view and experience about MQM “Karachi’s other new phenomenon is, in a way, more optimistic. The Mohajir Qaumi Movement believes that if it takes over government, everything will be all right. It sprang out of a students’ group in Karachi University after the Jamaat-i-Islami student wing, previously the preserve of Mohajirs, was taken over by Punjabis. The party started in earnest … Read entire article »
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The Jew is not my Enemy by Tarek Fatah (Excerpts-IV)
Anti-Semitism (hatred for Jewish people) is not a new or unique phenomenon for us Pakistanis. We love to hate the Jews and to blame all our ills on the ugly, hideous, nefarious designs of the Zionist Jews. After all, Jews control the world and it is only because of them that we Muslims are so far behind the rest of the world. It’s all a big conspiracy. Journalist and Political advocate Tarek Fatah described and analyzed … Read entire article »
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Untangling myth from fiction: Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s Reign of Power
by Habib Siddiqui “It is difficult to untangle this historical mess without scrutinizing the accusations against Aurangzeb rationally. Fortunately, in recent years quite a few Hindu historians have come out in the open disputing those allegations.” In a polarized world that we live in (which is, sadly, getting ever more polarized now by every minute and hour), we have often assumed that what is good for “our” people had to be bad for the “other” people. A glaring example is the personality of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled India for 50 years. Of all the Muslim rulers who ruled vast territories of India from 712 to 1857 C.E., probably no one generates as much controversy as Aurangzeb. He has been hailed as anyone from a “Saintly or Pauper Emperor” to one who … Read entire article »
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The Jew is not My Enemy by Tarek Fatah (Exceprts-III)
Anti-Semitism (hatred for Jewish people) is not a new or unique phenomenon for us Pakistanis. We love to hate the Jews and to blame all our ills on the ugly, hideous, nefarious designs of the Zionist Jews. After all, Jews control the world and it is only because of them that we Muslims are so far behind the rest of the world. It’s all a big conspiracy. Journalist and Political advocate Tarek Fatah described and analyzed … Read entire article »
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I am a Pakistani Indian……
Raza Habib Raja There is something about India as an idea which transcends the modern day political configurations. It is the idea of India as a huge mass of land which stretches from Baluchistan to present day Bangladesh. This idea of India is independent of any political configuration. In fact during the past thousands of years, this mass of land has very seldom been a unified political entity. And yet there is something which loosely unites the inhabitants despite their substantial religious and at times even ethno linguistic differences (after all let us not forget that more than 200 languages are spoken in India). There is something, perhaps difficult to articulate, which enables this huge stretch of land to be called India irrespective of various political shapes it has assumed over … Read entire article »
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Shivaji’s letter to Aurangzeb
I was forwarded this letter from Shiva Ji to Aurangzeb excerpted from chhatrapati Shivaji by Setu Madhavrao Pagadi . I am not certain of the historical veracity per se but this letter makes very interesting reading and should serve as a timeless reminder to our rulers as well. – YLH “To the Emperor Alamgir. This firm well-wisher Shivaji, deeply grateful for divine favour and your kindness as clear as daylight, begs to inform your Majesty as follows: “I returned … Read entire article »
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The Jew is Not My Enemy-by Tarek Fatah (Excerpts-II)
Anti-Semitism (hatred for Jewish people) is not a new or unique phenomenon for us Pakistanis. We love to hate the Jews and to blame all our ills on the ugly, hideous, nefarious designs of the Zionist Jews. After all, Jews control the world and it is only because of them that we Muslims are so far behind the rest of the world. It’s all a big conspiracy. Journalist and Political advocate Tarek Fatah described and analyzed … Read entire article »
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How Trolls are confounding the Shia Rights Discourse
by Abdul Majeed An article recently published in a notorious blog went on to criticize The Friday Times, Raza Rumi, Saleem Javed, Khaled Ahmad and Ali Chishti,because they dared to use the word “sectarian killings” instead of “Shia genocide” which is the term favored by the author of that post. The article also posited that there is a systemic genocide committed against Shias and that the #DeepState is somehow promoting it. The author did not specify exactly what benefit the #DeepState gets if they are actually complicit, when all it does is to actually compromise and damage its own writ and control. The article wanted us to believe that “Sectarian Violence/Genocide” is being “mis-represented” as a Proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The article mentioned the plight of the Hazara … Read entire article »
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