Dr Mohammad Taqi

Somewhere in the early 1980s I walked into the Markazi Urdu Board Library in Seokarno Square, Peshawar. I was there to see the librarian, Maulana Fazle Ma’bood, a family friend, neighbour, and the local emir of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Between his usual white dastaar (headgear) and his flowing white beard was the omnipresent smile. But […]

General (retired) Shahid Aziz has opened a can of worms, which his parent outfit — the Pakistan army — and his former boss, General (retired) Pervez Musharraf rather had remained closed. February marks the 14th anniversary of the Pakistani misadventure into Kargil. While it hit the fan in May 1999, the Kargil operation had started […]

Do you remember Justice Cornelius, or Justice Kayani, or Justice Samdani? Or do you remember Justice Shahabuddin who lived and died with his wife and cut himself off from all society, friends or relatives, because he wanted not the slightest influence in his judgments? Or even Mr A K Brohi or Mr Manzoor Qadir? Probably […]

The Awami National Party (ANP) has come under a series of terrorist attacks in the last two weeks. The terror spree started with a bomb attack in Peshawar on the party’s former provincial minister Arbab Ayub Jan, who narrowly escaped. The ANP leader from Swat, Mukkaram Shah, was not that fortunate. He was assassinated in […]

“Journalists should stand apart from institutions that make news.” The above advice contained in The New York Times Company Policy on Ethics in Journalism reflects an institutional maturity that still remains elusive for many publications and their editors in Pakistan. The policy goes on to add: “…journalists do not take part in politics…No staff member […]

“Judge Sahib will see you now,” said an assistant at the Martineau Walker Saleem law chambers located at The Mall, Lahore, as he ushered me into an elegant office. The gentleman behind a stately desk suddenly got up, and said. “Aaiaye, Taqi beta,” (come on in my son Taqi), pronouncing my name with an accurate […]

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed the initial vetting of nomination papers. The antics that the returning officers (ROs) resorted to last week could be termed childish were they not so pernicious. The bull imbued with moral certitude ran amok in the china shop of scrutiny. The search, ostensibly, for ‘sagacious, righteous and […]

The recent violence in Karachi is a tragedy no doubt. But perhaps no less tragic is the handling of the situation by those at the helm. Imran Khan and many others have justifiably taken flak for being Taliban apologists who provide the ideological milieu to religious zealotry and terrorism but, unfortunately, several government officials also […]

According to this newspaper, while addressing the inaugural session of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians conference, President Asif Ali Zardari said, “Some people might feel parliament was still under assault from some quarters, but these were teething problems of a genuine democratic transition. These are the dying kicks of an old order.” The […]

Pakistan has an unfortunate track record of hounding dissenters from Dr Fatima Ali Jinnahbhoy to Dr Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy. And the bullying has gone on with impunity and without shame. The recent slap-on-the-wrist verdict by the Supreme Court (SC) in the 16-year-old Asghar Khan case barely scratches the surface of how institutionalised and deep the […]