Bilawal Bhutto and the parliamentBy: Rahim Nasar on May 25, 2019The state of Pakistan is passing through a transitional phase. The entire national situation is quite desperate. Economic deterioration, increasing ethnic nationalism, popular dissent against government's policies, the precarious security situation and the political instability have impacted the affairs of the state in myriad ways. The rise of Pashtun nationalism in the form of the Pashtun … [Read more...] about Bilawal Bhutto and the parliament
Farishata’s murder has exposed muchBy: Asif Mahsud on May 25, 2019Farishta's family must have gone through hell when they did not find her around iftar on May 15. We are now told that they kept visiting the police station to lodge a complaint regarding her disappearance but the request was not entertained. It is said that the police officials instead cast doubt on the morals of the missing girl and shrugged off her fathers' fears. One of them is accused of … [Read more...] about Farishata’s murder has exposed much
The case of Karachi’s hospitalsBy: Daily Times on May 25, 2019Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has vowed to resist any attempt by the federal government to take over three major hospitals in Karachi and asked his legal team to file a review petition in the Supreme Court after authorities in Islamabad notified the takeover of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, the National Institute of Child Health and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre … [Read more...] about The case of Karachi’s hospitals
Talal Chaudhry’s misogyny: a mere symptomBy: Daily Times on May 24, 2019Remarks of one of the most prominent PML-N leaders and former federal minister, Talal Chaudhry, about Advisor to PM for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan are neither shocking nor a new phenomenon. Talal mocking Firdous' make-up and calling her a man is just another example of political attacks convoluting into a mud-throwing bout that are boundary-less. Prevalent across all … [Read more...] about Talal Chaudhry’s misogyny: a mere symptom
Media ethics and empathyBy: Muhammad Omar Iftikhar on May 24, 2019The tragic news of Osama, the son of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, getting killed in a road accident came while the latter was addressing a press conference on electronic media. A reporter told him, "khabar aiee hai keh apkay betay ka accident hoe gaya hai!" (It has been reported that your son has met an accident). Kaira showed great composure, ending the press conference by … [Read more...] about Media ethics and empathy
Demise of secularism in Modi’s IndiaBy: Saba Sarwar on May 24, 2019Like the Time magazine's India's Divider In-chief cover, which quickly polarised India's Twitterati into two camps, the coutnry is sharply divided between Hindus and non-Hindus.Arvind Kejriwal, the New Delhi chief minister, was not far from truth when he said that while Pakistan could not divide India along religious lines Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party leader Amit Shah had achieved … [Read more...] about Demise of secularism in Modi’s India
Doctors’ strikeBy: Daily Times on May 24, 2019Thankfully, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Doctors' Council has announced an end to its strike. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan held a detailed meeting with the KPDC office bearers and promised to look into their demands. He also set up two committees. The weeklong strike had made it very inconvenient for the patients of whom many were forced to seek private consultants for treatment. The source of all … [Read more...] about Doctors’ strike
Freedom of expression, security and patriotismBy: Mohammad Nafees on May 24, 2019Freedom of expression is an ideal that aspires to have no boundary or limit in its pursuit for achieving its desired goals. It's an ideal that demands freedom for airing conflicting views without invoking any physical or disciplinary reactions from opponents or state's regulatory agencies. Now the reaction against the use of this right is always unlimited and unpredictable based on the nature of … [Read more...] about Freedom of expression, security and patriotism
Desperate times, desperate measuresBy: Muhammad Haris on May 24, 2019Prime Minister Imran Khan's promise of making Pakistan a welfare state - he likes to call it riyasat-i-medina - is commendable. Prof Hossein Askari, an academic at the George Washington University, has developed an Islamic City Index to rate states in order of their adherence to Islamic doctrines and teachings. In the 2017 rankings, only three Muslim majority countries made it to the top 50. … [Read more...] about Desperate times, desperate measures
Clouds of protestsBy: Daily Times on May 21, 2019The season of street protests is upon us. Leaders of 11 opposition parties, meeting at an iftar-dinner hosted by Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto on Sunday, have announced their intention to launch an anti-government drive in the parliament and outside following some more consultation.Politics is all about giving a credible voice to public sentiments. It is about time the … [Read more...] about Clouds of protests
