Dharna deal: state willingly ‘mortgages’ its writ on November 28, 2017ISLAMABAD: The state of Pakistan mortgaged its writ willingly yesterday by signing an agreement with religious protesters camped at Faizabad, which at best is an embarrassing blot on its face and at worst resembles the humiliation Pakistan had to endure in 1971 when the saviours of the nation signed off the dismemberment document. True that […]
The disaster that everyone contributed to on November 26, 2017When these lines were written on the evening of November 25, the Interior Ministry had called in the Army to restore peace in the federal capital. After around 20 days of the sit-in by religious extremists calling for the resignation of the Law Minister, several attempts at negotiating with sit-in organisers and repeated orders by […]
Following ‘principles’ only when it suits you on November 23, 2017National Assembly rejected the private member’s bill seeking amendment in Election Act, 2017 to bar disqualified person from heading a party or giving party office to disqualified member of the Parliament. The House was unusually packed and the treasury benches were seen jubilant over the victory. The opposition members were left pontificating about what they […]
Rest in peace, ideology! on November 16, 2017Chairperson Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari gave an important statement yesterday rejecting the trend of banking on powerful political individuals aka ‘electables’ for winning the elections. Talking to his party’s local leadership from Faisalabad, the young Bhutto showed his enthusiasm to contest next general election on ideological grounds. It was 1977 when heavyweight personalities […]
Banned Baloch outfits set to congregate in Geneva on 18th on November 9, 2017ISLAMABAD: Exiled leaders of several proscribed Baloch outfits are set to congregate in Geneva on November 18 to deliberate on the possibility of a joint and peaceful struggle for their demands. Meanwhile, the Balochistan government has completely rubbished the idea saying that the sardars have lost public support in the province. The proscribed Baloch Republican […]
Media under fire on October 29, 2017The Friday attack on Ahmed Noorani, an investigative reporter with The News, was a grim reminder of the dangerous conditions under which journalists work in Pakistan. Working conditions, factual reporting and expressing critical opinions have always been dangerous undertakings in Pakistan. But over the recent years, coercion has become rampant and intensified. Many argue that […]
Dissent is patriotic: Pakistani liberals say in unison on October 15, 2017LONDON: More than a hundred prominent liberal, progressive and nationalist intellectuals and public figures from Pakistan expressed grave concern over the widening repression of critical, dissenting voices to the state’s narrative, resulting in shrinking space for liberal, secular, progressive ideas and pluralism. They resolved that Pakistan needed a new national narrative based on the consent […]
Pakistan should allow UN special rapporteur to visit country on October 6, 2017BANGKOK: In today’s world, personal security of individuals and communities on internet intersects with the politics of the states and is hampered by the notion of national security defined by the states inhibiting people’s rights and personal safety, said Professor David Kaye, UN special rapporteur on Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, during his […]
An unexpected challenge to writ of the government on October 3, 2017ISLAMABAD: In an unexpected challenge to the writ of the government on Monday, the Rangers denied Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and other cabinet members entry to the Judicial Complex on the occasion of the hearing of graft cases filed by NAB against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. After a news item published in some papers […]
Mainstreaming of terror outfits on September 24, 2017The recent by-election in Lahore’s National Assembly constituency NA 120 has ignited an important debate about the counter violent extremism, radicalisation and terrorism in the country. For many, the candidates fielded by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) linked Milli Muslim League (MML) and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), led by Barelvi extremists was alarming. But there is […]