The poetry of the Taliban: a lesson you wont forget on June 20, 2012Poetry of the Taliban Edited by Alex Strick Von Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Preface by Faisal Devji Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: Hurst/Columbia/Hachette India (June 15, 2012) An old Persian adage goes Mushk aan ast ki bebooyad, na aan keh attaar begooyed (a great perfume announces itself by its fragrance, it’s not the one that the […]
When it hits the fan s on June 13, 2012Poetry of the Taliban Edited by Alex Strick Von Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Preface by Faisal Devji Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: Hurst/Columbia/Hachette India (June 15, 2012) An old Persian adage goes Mushk aan ast ki bebooyad, na aan keh attaar begooyed (a great perfume announces itself by its fragrance, it’s not the one that […]
Social medias potential: breakups to breakthroughs on June 8, 2012“You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out. You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip, Skip out for beer during commercials, Because the revolution will not be televised.” Every time one looks at the social […]
Post-Chicago sabre rattling on June 6, 2012The NATO summit at Chicago is done and over with. But sabre rattling between Pakistan and the United States continues at the governmental level, in policy circles and, of course, the op-ed pages. Some really interesting pieces have appeared in the Pakistani press, which if the situation were not so grave might be amusing. A […]
Dual citizenship and dual standards on May 30, 2012“Dual citizenship has been normalised as an incident of globalisation. Nonetheless, some states will continue to obstruct individuals from holding the status.” When Professor Peter Spiro made the above observation in his 2010 article ‘Dual citizenship as a human right’, he was not alluding to Pakistan but the recent proclamations by the Honourable Chief Justice […]
Kayanis speech and national interest narrative II on May 16, 2012As discussed last week, Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s twin attack on the free press and the politicians was part of the well-conceived strategy that was replicated by the army usurpers who followed. According to the late Mazhar Ali Khan, the Ayub Khan regime felt an urgent need for a totally subservient press and had initially […]
Kayanis speech and national interest narrative I on May 9, 2012On April 30, 2012, the Youm-e-Shuhada (Martyrs’ Day) was commemorated in Pakistan. Nations around the world observe a memorial or war veterans’ day to honour the soldiers fallen defending the country. In addition to such remembrance remarks, the Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani used this solemn occasion to make a speech, which […]
Shia genocide: nameless crime, faceless victims II on April 25, 2012“When people’s lives are at risk from persecution, there is a strong moral obligation to do what is reasonably possible to help. It is not enough to seal up the windows against the smell”– Jonathan Glover. But as far as the Shia genocide goes, sealing up the windows is precisely what seems to be happening […]
Shia genocide: nameless crime, faceless victims I on April 18, 2012“Genocide is any act that puts the very existence of a group in jeopardy” — Professor Henry Huttenbach. When Winston Churchill in his August 24, 1941 speech described the extermination of the Jews and Jewish Bolshevists by the Nazis in the occupied Soviet territories, his vivid depiction of the “methodical, merciless butchery” was quite accurate. […]
Reluctance to call things by their right names on April 11, 2012Pakistan on the Brink: The Future of America, Pakistan and Afghanistan Author: Ahmed Rashid Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Viking, 2012 Just as the transition of military responsibility, including special operations such as the controversial night raids, from the United States and allied forces to the Afghan security forces accelerates, a new book dealing with […]