A recently published news story stated, “Supreme Court disposes of media commission case”. This wording portrays an erratic approach by the SC to the 2013 Report of the Media Commission. Coming on the virtual eve of the 2018 polls, the reported decision highlights how the SC has made no conclusive pronouncement on the substance of […]
Salmaan Taseer: a remembrance, a reflection
In Salmaan Taseer’s brutal assassination, Pakistan has lost an exceptional public figure who possessed a modernist intellect, bold candour, physical courage, professional acumen, entrepreneurial capacity and political grit. Though occasionally he was a difficult person to relate to, he was always a refreshingly distinct, inimitable individual. I knew him as a personal friend, a family […]
Pakistan and Bangladesh: estranged siblings II
There are distinct divergences between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The most basic variation is in ethnic and linguistic homogeneity. Bangladesh is pre-dominantly Bengali by race and the Bangla language is the lingua franca. While Urdu is the official national language of Pakistan, there are wide diversities of ethnicity and language between and within all four provinces […]
Pakistan and Bangladesh: estranged siblings I
December 16, 2011 marks exactly 40 years since1971, when Pakistan became the first state to disintegrate after World War II. Vastly outnumbered, completely encircled, grossly disadvantaged, Pakistan’s armed forces numbering only 100,000 were ordered to surrender to the Indian troops that invaded East Pakistan three weeks earlier to ensure the secession of Bangladesh. Some beginnings […]