Redressing the grievances of our minorities on September 18, 2017 The Constitution of Pakistan 1973 incorporates the Objectives Resolution as Article 2-A. Two clauses of the Objectives Resolution deal with “minorities” in Pakistan. The first states: “Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities freely to profess and practise their religions and develop their cultures”. The second states: “Wherein adequate provision shall be […]
Jinnah, Rohingyas and Pakistan on September 11, 201769 years ago today Jinnah the founder of Pakistan passed away. His legacy is bitterly contested both in Pakistan and India. What we should be able agree on is that whatever good or bad he did, he died almost seven decades ago. It is, therefore, amusing to see some commentators still blaming him for some […]
The white part in our flag on August 28, 2017It has been 20 days since the Chief Justice of Pakistan made those remarks about the Two Nation Theory and despite widespread criticism the CJP has refused to clarify what he meant by his comments. A statement, any statement, would have been better than the deafening silence by the chief judge of the country. In […]
Lawyers and the rule of law on August 21, 2017Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, is one of those extraordinary judges who have tried very genuinely and hard to make Lahore and Pakistan better with their judicial pen. His judgments on fundamental rights, environmental issues and local government are a credit to Pakistan’s judicial system. We are lucky to have […]
Jinnahs legacy on August 14, 2017 Today as we celebrate our independence day, it would help us to revisit the life and legacy of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and how it was that this most liberal and secular of leaders came to be the maker of Pakistan, ostensibly a separatist Muslim demand. He joined politics in the Congress Party […]
CJP and the Two Nation Theory on August 14, 2017When I started practising law about a decade ago, our present Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Saqib Nisar, was a Judge in the Lahore High Court. We were in awe of him because he was considered, rightly, to be one of the fairest and most competent judges in the High Court. The first time I […]
Article 62 and our democracy on August 7, 2017Our neighbouring Islamic Republic of Iran recently re-elected the reformist candidate Hassan Fereydoun Rouhani as its president. Iran is a full constitutional theocracy where the power is split between Iran’s spiritual leadership, represented by Ayotallah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and the Revolutionary Guards, and Iran’s temporal leadership in form of the president and the parliament. […]
What should Nawaz Sharif do on July 31, 2017So the judgment has come. The thrice-elected Prime Minister has been disqualified not on the basis of the London flats or offshore companies uncovered in Panama Leaks but for the fact that he did not receive the 10,000 dirhams per month that was owed to him under contract with his own son’s company Capital FZE. […]
Nations fate on July 24, 2017I hold no brief for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family. I did not vote for the PML-N in any of the previous elections. Nevertheless one must admit that he has been elected by a heavy mandate by the people of Pakistan. What is more is that in his latest tenure, he has gone […]
Majoritarianism in India and Pakistan on July 17, 2017Every week there is news from India of a fresh lynching, mostly of a Muslim or a Dalit accused of transporting beef. The Indian liberals (and I use the word liberal very loosely for their claim to liberalism can often be quite hollow, much like some of our own Pakistani liberals) have resorted to the […]