Our apologist athlete and his students
By Saadia Gardezi: Last week in class, two of my students were to present the impact of the War on Terror on the Pakistan economy. My young freshman students missed the point of the presentation, to focus on the economy, and economic policy in light of a war. Rather they delved into Pakistani politics and said that the War on Terror was Americas war, nothing to do with Pakistan and we should have stayed out of it (as if we had a choice of wanted to do that) and the only politician calling this spade a spade was Imran Khan. They ended their presentation with this video clip, where repeatedly Khan says that the military was wrong to go into Wazistan… the military by attacking its own people had ‘created’ the Taliban said … Read entire article »
Imran Khan, the Youth and its Yearning for “New” and Untried Faces
By Raza Habib Raja In recent times there has been a surge in the popularity of Imran Khan in the urban and internet savvy youth of the country. In fact if elections were to take place on Facebook, the debonair Khan would be the hands-down winner by a large margin. Whether this Facebook “politics” and “activism” characterized by sharing Khan’s speeches and pressing “Like” button, actually translates into anything material for still struggling PTI remains yet to be seen. Nevertheless it does make an interesting case for further analysis: Why the youth of this country (rather urban youth) are pinning their hopes on Mr. Khan. Moreover the latest Pew Research poll also places Imran as the most popular leader with 68% approval rate. In fact a further breakup reveals that a … Read entire article »
Pakistan’s Pious Democrats– The Emerging Ideology of the Youth
By AA Khalid : Political Breakdown: Breakdown – that is the only word to describe the process currently taking place in Pakistan where the civilian leaders have little or no authority and the Army is at its weakest in living memory. Remember that Pakistan has a youth bulge and very few remember or lived during the ‘’Fall of Dhaka’’. For this generation this moment is something similar – there is unprecedented questioning of the Army’s authority and … Read entire article »
The prospects of a youth led revolution in Pakistan
This is a recent interview of Raza Rumi on Express TV. In this interview, he points out that while there are crucial differences between the Arab world and Pakistan but at the same time, one aspect is common: The discontent of the youth. Raza points out that we need to address the issues which the disillusioned youth face today … Read entire article »
Five reasons why I am anti-Valentine
By Ali Suleman Three years back, I wrote an article titled “Pro-Valentine”. Since then, at the start of February every year, I avidly have been sending it to different magazines in hope of seeing it in print. But much to my disappointment, the only Valentine articles I am witnessing have been by the authors who are… well… anti-Valentine. So this time, I decided to change the strategy in order to get my article published. Therefore, instead of stating why I am pro-Valentine, I’ll argue this time why I am anti-Valentine! I am anti-Valentine, because: 1. Valentine’s Day promotes us to have relationships out of marriage. It encourages young people to betray their spouses to-be. And this is something totally forbidden in Islam! Now take the example of my friend Fooka. He and his … Read entire article »
A letter to the youth of Pakistan
Usama Khilji, a young activist from Islamabad addresses his contemporaries in Pakistan Dear Young Pakistani! I understand how these times are testing of your patriotism, but let me tell you how these times are actually a golden opportunity for you to prove your worth, your love for the country, and desire for a better future. You must have been hearing a lot about how Pakistani society has degenerated into moral chaos, how we as a nation are worthless ‘cockroaches’, and how we as a nation are deserving of calamities such as the catastrophic flood. These are all baseless generalizations that you as the youth should take up as challenges, and rather than accepting such fatalism, prove them wrong instead. For those of you who were disheartened by the beating to death of two brothers … Read entire article »
Peshawar Youth Plan Their Future Amid Violence
National Public Radio’s The GT Road Blog In an area of Pakistan that has become synonymous with Islamist militants, a mural on a wall speaks of the other side of ethnic Pashtun culture: “Welcome to the Northwest Frontier Province, the home of hospitality.” The mural is out of date — the province was just renamed Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa. And while the snarl of traffic at the entrance of Peshawar gives the impression of life humming normally, this thousand-year-old city is under siege. It is the capital of the restive province and gateway to Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt. Suicide bombers have attacked the city nearly 40 times in the past 14 months. The famous market of the Old City is a favorite target — and is considered too dangerous to visit. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islamism, Pakistan, Peshawar, psychology, Religion, Terrorism, violence, youth
The Ostrich Syndrome: A Teacher’s Perspective
By Nabiha Meher Shaikh As someone constantly exposed to the so-called “youth” of this country, I do believe I have some insight and some valid criticism of the recent ban on facebook, which, ostensibly, has to do with blasphemous content. Firstly, what is the “youth” of this country? And why are they lumped into a monolithic entity? Why is it assumed that they are all one and the same when their realities are different in many ways. To assume that our “youth” is living air-conditioned lives, constantly logged on to the internet, chatting away etc. is purely delusional. The truth is, the vast majority of the “youth” are very poor and cannot access websites. The “youth” is actually the majority of our population. And we are constantly trying to box them into … Read entire article »
The Journey of a Pakistani Muslim
I was born into a Sunni Muslim family in a northern city in the UK. The city is home to a large Muslim minority from Pakistan. I come from an educated and broad minded family with middle of the road type of values. Religion was never really a huge issue but I did the usual cultural thing of learning how to read the Quran in Arabic till I was 10 years old. At around the age of 14, I became interested in Islam and joined the Young Muslims UK. This was my first real exposure to practical Islam. We would attend camps and have weekly meetings usually to discuss the Quran and the Hadith of Muhammad. For all intents and purposes everything was going well and my family was happy that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Egalitarian Pakistan, Europe, human rights, India, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamism, Pakistan, Philosophy, Religion, Rights, violence, war, Women, youth
The Fight for Pakistan's Future: Violently Reflected on Campus
The New York Times, Published April 20, 2010 By SABRINA TAVERNISE; Waqar Gillani contributed reporting. April 21 (New York Times) — LAHORE, Pakistan – The professor was working in his office here on the campus of Pakistan’s largest university this month when members of an Islamic student group battered open the door, beat him with metal rods and bashed him over the head with a giant flower pot. Iftikhar Baloch, an environmental science professor, had expelled members of the group for violent behavior. The retribution left him bloodied and nearly unconscious, and it united his fellow professors, who protested with a nearly three-week strike that ended Monday. The attack and the anger it provoked have drawn attention to the student group, Islami Jamiat Talaba, whose morals police have for years terrorized this graceful, century-old … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, Islam, Left, liberal Pakistan, Politics, psychology, Punjab, youth
Sex is no laughing matter in Pakistan
SHAZIA MIRZA April 18, 2010 IN ALL the countries that I have travelled to to perform stand-up comedy – the US being a regular destination – I have never been held up or interrogated at customs. Or I hadn’t, until I arrived in Pakistan. I spent six hours at Lahore customs, as I did not have a visa in my British passport to enter the country. The people who organised my gig had mistakenly assumed that because my parents were born in Pakistan and I, too, am brown, they would automatically let me in. The customs officer asked: “Are you Pakistani?” Yes. “Where were you born?” England. “That makes you a foreigner.” He looked through my passport, which is filled with US visas. He said: “Are you a spy?” No, I’m a stand-up comedian. … Read entire article »
Pakistan, the Lost Generation
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/pakistan901/video_index.html It’s morning in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s biggest province, and the country’s next generation is headed to school. But what children are finding when they get there is of increasing concern for those who want peace in Pakistan’s future. For 12-year-old Fatma, school is an abandoned brickyard. “I study at the Government Primary School in Lahore,” she explains. “I study English language, and I like it. There are no chairs. We have to sit on the ground. It’s a problem in the winter. When it rains, there is nowhere to sit.” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Economy, Education, Lahore, Pakistan, poverty, Punjab, Religion, Rural, Taliban, USA, youth
Female squash player from Waziristan defies the odds
By Taimur Sikander Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Sports Pir Aftab Shah Jillani presenting Maria Toor with a cash award as her family looks on during a ceremony to reward top players on the national circuit in Islamabad. -Photo by APP KARACHI: Top Pakistani squash players Aamir Atlas Khan and Maria Toor have been nominated for Professional Squash Association Young Player of the Year and Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) Young Player of the Year, respectively, by … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture, FATA, Islamism, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Rights, sport, Women, youth
“We Refuse to Be Held to Ransom By Terrorism”
Cross-post: Beena Sarwar interviews VEENA MASUD, Pakistan Women’s Swimming Association KARACHI, Oct 29 (IPS) – Karachi-based, Trinidad-born and educated Veena Masud is a school principal who wants to see Pakistani women shine in the international sports arena. Honorary Secretary of the Pakistan Women’s Swimming Association, president of the Sindh Women’s Swimming Association, and executive committee member of the Pakistan Olympic Association, she has cheered Pakistani swimmers as they returned to the Olympics after 40 years. … Read entire article »
Filed under: human rights, Law, Pakistan, Religion, Rights, sport, Women, youth
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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