Dr Manzur Ejaz

Allama Iqbal himself probably did not appreciate the depth and practical dimension of his statement, “Deen-i-mullah fee sabeel Allah fasad” (the mullah’s religion is just creating frictions). And, when he preached that “Judaa ho deen siasat se to reh jati hai changezi” (if religion is separated from politics, it becomes barbarism), he was advocating being […]

Many Pakistanis have been wistfully looking towards the Tahrir Square uprising and questioning why the same cannot be done in Pakistan. These uprisings have happened many times in Pakistan, whereby army dictators were forced out of power by popular movements of one kind or the other. However, the people did not experience any improvement in […]

It seems that the movement for Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat (TNR) has become a source of political power for the mullahs. As expected, wherever there is power, there are contenders for the throne. Thus, the intense competition between the mullahs has begun and it is in fact a stampede under which Pakistan is being brutalised and crushed. The […]

While the Egyptian streets were brimming with millions of protestors to oust Hosni Mubarak, Lahore was witnessing a mullah rally to defend the blasphemy law and free a killer. The contrast between the uprising in Egypt and the mullahs’ rally in Pakistan clearly shows the difference between a people’s movement and an organised, bigoted minority’s […]

I am not sure if Veena Malik was the most articulate person in characterising the mullah and questioning the cliché of Pakistani culture, but I do know that she was brave in speaking the plain truth. If our media is concerned about how Pakistani culture is portrayed abroad, then they should ask the world whether […]

When killer Mumtaz Malik Qadri was shooting at Governor Salmaan Taseer (shaheed) his security colleagues remained mere spectators. After committing this act he was safely handed over to the police. After a few minutes, his confession statement was leaked to the media. Up until then the media was using the word “martyred” for Governor Taseer […]

I am not sure if the state’s official three-day mourning period was for late Governor Salmaan Taseer or for its own paralysis. As it has been reported, Taseer’s martyrdom — that is what it is — was pre-planned and well rehearsed before the day Qadri stole the innocent man’s life, yet no intelligence agency could […]

The Gilani government is imploding from within because of its inherent institutional and class contradictions, not to mention bad governance, lack of political will and the rampant corruption that is eating away at the already fledgling middle class. Of course, it will try to survive the political storm by creating different combinations and permutations but, […]

“The father of the nation died soon after the creation of Pakistan. He left behind five sons to rule; Jagir Ali, Talwar Ali, Munnazam Ali, Adal Ali and Qalam Ali. Before governance was handed over to them, Jagir Ali, the eldest, looked after the estates, Talwar Ali and Munnazam Ali respectively after security and daily […]