Naeem Tahir

The prime minister of Pakistan does not want to leave, happen what may! There is load shedding almost 24 hours a day, with short intervals of surprise availability of electricity. Pressure of gas supply varies from zero to 60 percent. Petroleum prices fluctuate frequently, going up by leaps and bounds and coming down by fractions. […]

It was the zero hour between the night of August 14 and August 15, 1947, which is the most significant moment in the history of this subcontinent. Those who have lived in those times would remember that the suspense of the partition of the Indian subcontinent and the consequences of it were already occupying everyone’s […]

I wonder if there are survivors of the times when Tamara Khanam from the Soviet Union visited and performed in Lahore, or when the film Bhawani Junction was made at the Lahore Railway Station. When Stewart Granger and Ava Gardner were staying in the Fallettis Hotel, or when Gopi Krishna danced in the Open Air […]

Tribal uprisings occurred after the accession of Balochistan to Pakistan. On the other hand, some sardars held high positions in the government. The Mengal and Marri tribes remained in the forefront of such uprisings, until Nawab Akbar Bugti’s assassination by the Musharraf regime forced the Bugtis into the rebel camp. The government of Pakistan responded […]

The Counterpunch article A Call to Resistance: The Khan of Kalat Gathers the Tribes by Annie Nocenti has interesting details of how the grandson of the Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud is operating from Pakistan and the UK. The known field rebels are the Marris, Bugtis and Mengals. The brain, raiser of funds and […]

The Khan of Kalat’s disappointing delays and the act of dragging his feet before the promised announcement of accession may have been in response to some internal conflicts. He had delayed the fulfillment of the promise of accession of the state to Pakistan with Mr. Jinnah by almost six months. It is likely that some […]

December 2011 may be remembered for its ‘jalsa’ (rally) season. In Lahore in one day, December 18, there were at least four of these by different political parties, namely Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Each one carried a significant message, except the JI, which did […]

The reaction to the NATO raid on an army outpost near Kunar is widespread. There is little ‘new’ in the reaction except for the high intensity of it. There cannot be two opinions about the gravity of the ‘mistake’. It is the most serious tragedy to date. May God bless the souls of the martyrs […]

There is a much talked about, and speculated about, ‘memo’ that is making the rounds. This memo has reminded me of a cartoon in an old newspaper. The cartoon showed a man sitting on a toilet ‘throne’ and looking at the toilet roll saying, “No job is complete without paperwork!” The ‘memo’ under reference is […]

On Monday, Oct 31, 2011, UNESCO general conference president Katalin Bogyay announced that the UN cultural organisation had voted strongly in favour of membership for the Palestinians — a move opposed by Israel and the US. Of 173 countries voting, 107 were in favour, Pakistan included. A huge cheer erupted in UNESCO’s General Assembly after […]