Gulmina Bilal Ahmad

The reasons for the violence are many and multi-layered with some analysts terming it as a sectarian conflict, some as an artificially engineered one, some as a question of lack of political rights and some analysts believe that the violence in Gilgit is actually a consequence of Pakistan’s lack of effective federal system of government. […]

In the legends and folklore of Gilgit-Baltistan, King Badat was a cannibal king, who wreaked havoc on his citizens. The notorious king demanded a child a day from his subjects, or a person from each household, as a price for their safety, until the day he was overthrown by a prince from Persia, with the […]

Yasmeen Naz was busy applying makeup on a bride. Little did she know that during the course of making another person beautiful, an attempt would be made to physically disfigure her. Yasmeen’s husband barged into her beauty parlour and threw acid on her. This is not an isolated incident. In fact, this was the second […]

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI’s) rally at Mazar-e-Quaid (Quaid’s mausoleum) in Karachi on the significant date of December 25 overshadowed the political arena. The use of cricket jargon has become a norm among the rival parties. The heightened political temperatures have defeated the bitter cold weather. It seems that the election campaign has already been initiated. The […]

Generally throughout the entire history of Pakistan, the defence budget has been continuously increasing. Particularly in the last decade the budget allocated to defence expenditures has witnessed enormous growth, from $ 2.5 billion in 1999 to around $ 5 billion in 2011. The reason cited by defence experts is the various external and internal threats, […]

Seventy-two is a staggering number of casualties resulting from friendly fire in the past three years, out of which 24 soldiers were martyred in the recent incident on the Pak-Afghan border. Why is the blame being shifted towards us in the war on terror? Why did the coalition bombard a Pakistani check post for two […]

Many are calling Imran Khan the agent of change in Pakistan. Imran Khan, a person supported and backed by a majority of the urban youth in the country, is eyeing a major victory in the next elections. Pakistan, a country traditionally ruled and governed by dynastic politicians, is undoubtedly longing for change. However, its history […]

I am reminded of a dear friend‘s remark about Pakistan as I roam the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Commenting on Pakistan, he said, “Who says we do not enjoy freedom in Pakistan? You can pee on the streets and no one is going to touch you.” Same is the case with Hizb-ut-Tahrir. HT is […]

The citizens of Pakistan hold a unanimous grudge against the colonial era and reaffirm that the basis of independence from British rule was the injustice handed down by the colonial masters. Despite this, our bureaucracy, public institutions and the government are holding on to the same decadent colonial rules and regulations, with the objective of […]

Recently, I had the pleasant experience of participating in a three-day workshop held in Islamabad, dedicated for the print, TV and radio media personnel, organised with the support of the Gender Equity Programme aimed at sensitising the media on women empowerment in Pakistan. The experience was one of both surprise and satisfaction. Surprise for the […]