He was born in Lahore when Pakistan had not yet been created. Some years ago, when he was still around, he told me his story. And this is how it goes, as far as it is possible to reconstruct it faithfully. My memory is hazy. I was 14-years-old and had just started high school. […]
Archives for August 2015
The audiotape controversy
Politics is a dirty game. The dirt does not spare even those who are remotely attached to politics. One wonders if an intelligence organisation of the country gets involved in politics will it get spared from a volley of allegations whether or not meant to malign it. In that case, the Constitution of Pakistan may […]
Use of coal in the 21st century
Coal has met the energy needs of humans for centuries. The decline of this fuel resource started in the mid 20th century when large reservoirs of oil and gas were discovered. Despite the environmental degradation by coal combustion most large economies of the world are dependent on its use. Countries like the US, China, India, […]
The basic structure debate
At a glance, I applaud the judges of the apex court for giving their decision on the 18th and 21st Amendments the other day. The judges of the apex court gave their judgement in an excellent manner, avoiding all legal discrepancies, bizarre debates and criticism. The judgment of the apex court has been welcomed by […]
Jimmy Carter: a life up and down
“The lives of all politicians end in failure,” so said Enoch Powell, a maverick former cabinet minister in the British government. Of recent US presidents, Jimmy Carter has not been alone in failure. Think of George W Bush (the Iraq war), Bill Clinton (Monica Lewinsky and a wasted last term), George H W Bush (messing […]
The legacy continues
August 17 marked the 27th anniversary of the plane crash in which General Ziul Haq, along with several other top military officers, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief and the US ambassador to Pakistan were killed. In stark contrast to General Zia’s death anniversaries in the past, this year the occasion was virtually unnoticed and the […]
Bangkok bombing
A huge bomb explosion that ripped through a famous shrine in Bangkok left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 injured. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack that was unprecedented in nature in the history of Thailand. Speculations are rife about the perpetrators of the attack with no clue […]
After Attock
While Shadi Khan village, along with the rest of the country, mourns Colonel (retd) Shuja Khanzada, the suicide strike that killed him in what many may have considered a peaceful and secure area of Punjab has focused minds finally on the fact that the terrorists are no respecters of our pre-conceived notions about them. Southern […]
MQMs Godil shot in Karachi; condition critical
KARACHI: Gunmen on Tuesday shot and wounded Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Abdul Rasheed Godil and killed the driver of his car, police said, as the government sought to woo his party’s deputies back to parliament after they resigned over the arrests of several leaders. Police said four attackers on two motorcycles fired on […]
MQM inching closer to rejoining parliament
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) agreed on Tuesday to continue the dialogue for the former’s return to the assemblies. The two sides said the firing at MQM lawmaker in Karachi was an attempt to sabotage the dialogue. Fazl had travelled to Karachi on Monday to hold talks with disgruntled MQM […]