Analysis of Balochistans situation on April 18, 2016The State of Kalat (Balochistan) declared independence under the ‘Standstill Agreement, August 11, 1947’ on August 15, 1947. After negotiations that lasted about six months, Balochistan acceded to Pakistan on March 27, 1948 under an Accession Document signed by Mr Jinnah and the Khan of Kalat and verified by A S B Shah, the joint […]
Myths versus realities on June 13, 2011Some years ago I wrote, “In the early formative years Pakistan needed the military for defending its borders but now the military needs the country for its own existence.” I have surprised myself with this prophetic analysis because the military is proving my contention as an irrefutable reality. The other day I heard Air Marshal […]
The military security myth II on June 2, 2011The Pakistani state’s violations of constitutional, fundamental and human rights of the people and their sovereignty and security also need to be addressed. Balochistan, which received provincial status in 1970, has been subjected to state violence since its accession (legal or coerced is still debated) to Pakistan in 1948. It has faced military operations in […]
The military security myth I on June 1, 2011Pakistan was conceived as a people’s welfare state but exponentially has become a security state where the welfare of the people was sacrificed at the altar of the military establishment. The security of people’s constitutional, fundamental and human rights, lives and property, economy and social services, the basic responsibility of the state that it has […]
Free and independent media? on March 20, 2011There have been many claims that for the first time Pakistan has a free and independent media. I wish to contest that. On March 4, 2011, I was witness to the control that our national media, especially the Islamabad journalists, is under. The event was a press conference that Mir Hasil Bizenjo addressed on the […]