Editorial

The Afghan Taliban are still a force to be reckoned with in diplomatic circles. At least this is the message coming out of Indonesia. For not only did the militant group bag themselves a last-minute invitation to what was supposed to be a trilateral conference — they also succeeded in getting the agenda changed. All of which may or may not suggest Taliban are winning the war of ideas in their … [Read more...] about Ghani and fatwas

That three teenagers have been raped and burned alive in a week should not be a matter of shame for just India, where these horrific crimes occurred. Everyone everywhere should hang their heads in collective remorse. Because here in the 21st century, the problem of rape remains a global one. The latest incident occurred in Madhya Pradesh. She was just 16-years-old. Her cousin has been arrested … [Read more...] about Rape is not India’s problem alone

The state is on the back-foot. Having been confronted with a protesting citizenry that demands nothing more than fundamental rights, it has gone into overdrive. In short, the response to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement’s (PTM) preparations for tomorrow’s Karachi jalsa has been disproportionate. To be sure, we, here at Daily Times, do not agree with some of the PTM rhetoric. That is, we believe … [Read more...] about PTM and sedition

The NAB chairman may well be a gentleman of the times. This, after all, is a post-truth world. Sadly, this is not the moment for flippancy. Not when Javed Iqbal, who happens to be a retired justice of the Supreme Court, has missed the mark so pointedly. The accountability chief took notice of a two-year-old World Bank report that had resurfaced several months ago in the Urdu press. From there … [Read more...] about Probing NAB

Donald Trump has launched a grenade into an already burning Middle East. The pin was pulled the moment he took the US unilaterally out of the Iran nuclear deal. Within hours, Tel Aviv reported Iranian strikes on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in Syria. And while Tehran has up until now remained coy about showing its hand on this front — regional experts have been quick to point out that, if … [Read more...] about Trump and the Middle East

Justice ShaukaT Aziz Siddiqui is consistent, if nothing else. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge, after all, was the gentleman who came up with the idea of making a declaration of faith mandatory to holding public office. Indeed, some viewed this as an opportunistic move, coming as it did hot on the heels of the contrived Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (Finality of Prophet-hood) controversy. None of which has … [Read more...] about Ramazan and the IHC

Britain’s participation in the GWOT has long been synonymous with a jaunty ambivalence towards torture. Not that the nation which once prided itself on fighting for the underdog ever gets its own mitts dirty. For that simply would not do. And, besides, is that not what the natives are for; the outsourcing of torture? Indeed, in 2004, during those heady days of waging wars simultaneously in … [Read more...] about Britain’s foul play in Libya

Sana Cheema was strangled to death in her sleep. Her own father has, according to Italian media, confessed to the crime. This honour killing like so many others before it is murder by another name. Pure and simple and premediated. Ghulam Mustafa is an Italian citizen like his 25-year-old daughter, whose neck he admits to breaking. Sana had travelled from the northern alpine city of Brescia to … [Read more...] about Justice for Sana Cheema?

Pakistan should feel proud. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 has been passed into law; coming into immediate effect. This is good news all round. Its aim, after all, is to afford equal rights to the transgender community and it does so. At least up to a certain point. Nevertheless, there is no denying that the Act represents a monumental landmark in the ongoing struggle … [Read more...] about Landmark victory for transgender rights

The PPP may finally see due process. Though it has of course taken nearly 30 years to get here. Yet in a delicious twist of irony, the Chief Justice has made it incumbent on this political set-up to ensure that the 2012 Supreme Court verdict on the Asghar Khan case is upheld. In other words, Nawaz Sharif, who himself has been implicated in rigging the 1990 elections that robbed Benazir and her … [Read more...] about Asghar Khan case and delayed justice