The military in Myanmar holds commercial interests in a wide range of sectors, from banking to textiles; from breweries to jade and ruby mines. It also has immense political control, with the Constitution setting aside a quarter of the seats in Parliament for the military, and due to its commercial interests. Moreover, it has embedded […]
Defamation of religion
In August 2016, Former Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt wrote, in a report on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance, “No one can be genuinely free to do something unless he or she is also free not to do it, and vice versa”. In this regard, “freedom of […]
How the establishment is pushing Pakistan towards another civil war
There has been a complete blackout of the Pakhtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) in the Pakistani media. The PTM, one of the largest movements in the country’s history, is a culmination of the efforts of ordinary people as opposed to a mass demonstration organized by any political party. Young activist, Manzoor Pashteen, is the latest victim […]
A tribute to an icon
Words fall short when one tries to describe Asma Jahangir. She was one in a million, larger than life. She was a breath of fresh airin a world filled with hypocrites. Her honest commitment to human rights will continue to serve as a beacon of hope — not just for Pakistanis but those working for […]
Balance for peace
While referring to the recently suspended security assistance to Pakistan, John Sullivan, US Deputy Secretary of State stated the following while addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week: ‘We may consider lifting the suspension when we see decisive and sustained actions to address our concerns, including targeting all terrorist groups operating within its […]
The cost of criticizing the military in Pakistan
Martin Luther King said, “We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear”. In Pakistan, those journalists, activists and students who have chosen to act with great courage to criticize the unlawful conduct of the military, vis-à-vis illegal abductions, torture, murder, oppression and corruption, find themselves and their families in the […]
Countering Trump: peace through multilateralism
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution S/2017/1060, calling for withdrawal of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, was not adopted owing to the fact that the US used its veto power in the UNSC. Out of 15 members of the UNSC, the US was the only member that voted […]
All roads lead to nowhere
Never forget, we said. A few months down the line, those who promised to implement the NAP went into a deep slumber. Perhaps they took ‘NAP’ too literally. These people wake up once in a while, particularly on the heart-wrenching day that is 16 December. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) gave a rather strange […]
The last drop
Da Vinci aptly stated: “Water is the driving force of all nature”. Human beings can survive many things; conflict, natural and man-made disasters and much more. However, there is no denying that our very existence relies on water. Amid all the recent political tensions, it seems yet again that the issues which should be on […]