Earlier this month, the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan, struck down the challenges to the legitimacy of the 18 and 21 Amendments to the Constitution of Pakistan, thereby approving the creation of nine military courts for trying cases of militants. This meanst that the sentences handed out in the military courts — even death penalties […]
Archives for August 2015
Disbanding derelict ministries
The Mian government’s loud, deafening diatribe of elusive economic wonders and ventures hardly seem to benefit the masses or impress impartial observers and analysts. Still honouring it as our elected government especially from Punjab and now being further sanctified by the decision of the Judicial Commission, it would be better to submit an effective cost […]
Living in a shell of patriotism
Being raised to the tunes and mantras of mitti ki muhabbat (love for my homeland), every Pakistani inculcates a strong association towards his homeland. Undoubtedly, there is a great essence to being patriotic but Pakistanis overdo it and, realistically, not do it at all. They have built a strong misty shell around themselves. While Pakistanis […]
Elusive independence III
On June 6, 1946, Jinnah and the Muslim League accepted the Constitutional Award. By doing this Jinnah in fact rescinded the Pakistan Resolution of March 23, 1940, passed in the Lahore Declaration, and abandoned the demand of partition of the subcontinent. Meanwhile, Congress presidency passed from Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to Jawaharlal Nehru in May […]
Revisiting religious discourse
Maulana Tariq Jamil is probably Pakistan’s best-known religious ideologue. He is welcome almost everywhere, from mosques to madrassas (seminaries), from colleges and universities to the corridors of power, cutting across sects and ideologies. Resultantly, what he says is what matters.While listening to one of his old speeches delivered on Independence Day, aired by the state-run […]
Another candle dies
Sir: August 16 will forever be a black day in Pakistan. We have lost another son of the soil, a brave leader by the name of Shuja Khanzada, Punjab’s home minister. He was killed in the most cowardly fashion by the most cowardly of enemies. His death should bring in a new era of renewed […]
Sale of PSM
Sir: Reportedly, Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) has been facing a severe financial crunch and it has been decided by the government that it would be sold to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) requirements. The sale of this national entity at a throwaway price will not be in the national interest. It would be a […]
Floods
Sir: With the onset of the monsoon season, massive floods have engulfed major parts of the country. While taking a heavy toll on the lives of the poor people dwelling in the densely populated rural areas of the country, the onslaught of floods, as reported by the media, has so far razed more than 2,700 […]
Justice for the weak
Sir: Hurrah for Pakistani ‘democracy’. As per news reports, an MPA, whose primary task is to prepare legislation to help the public at large, forcibly got the accused in the child sexual abuse case released from jail near a town close to Kasur. Since when does the MPA have the authority to do so? If […]
Endless war of Syria
Airstrikes by the Syrian government on a market in Douma, in retaliation for attacks on government posts by an insurgent group (Jaesh-ul-Islam) have led to 112 casualties so far. Although the strikes were meant to target the Jaesh-ul-Islam headquarters, most of the people killed or wounded were civilians, making this one of the bloodiest attacks […]