Do not judge me on 15 seconds The writer is author of Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution and is a member of the band Junoon salman.ahmad@tribune.com.pk I wonder why the same self-professed devout people who are offended by me do not react as zealously when it comes to saving Pakistan from the terrorists who are chopping off heads, whipping girls and destroying schools and our culture. The Taliban and al Qaeda are doing far more damage to Islam and Pakistan than a 15-second clip on It’s my country too on YouTube. Allama Iqbal spoke profoundly when … Continue reading Pious twits and Music

WikiLeaks: The Fazlur Rehman connection JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman is implicated in the WikiLeaks reports as being responsible for spreading propaganda in Afghanistan. PHOTO: EPA Intelligence reports published on WikiLeaks point to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) faction leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman as a figure involved in the Afghan insurgency. WikiLeaks – The role of JUI-F One report, filed on February 27, 2004, implicates Rehman even though his name and the party’s name are misspelled. Most of the reports on WikiLeaks are written in military jargon and names are spelled phonetically. The report alleges that Rehman was involved in funding propaganda … Continue reading PROOF: Mullah Fazlur Rehman is a TERRORIST

Is Oxbridge right for the likes of me? Too many students wrongly believe that Oxford and Cambridge are only interested in the posh and the rich Sara Abbasi guardian.co.uk, Saturday 7 August 2010 22.40 BST Article history Last month, the burden of writing my university application personal statement began to weigh on me. Feeling confused about which course to apply for, and which university I’d like to study at, I decided to speak to my teacher, who instantly said: “Apply for the Oxbridge universities.” This was flattering. I’m 17 and although I obtained high grades at GCSE, I found my … Continue reading Is Oxbridge for me?

Truthfulness in advertising? Who knows – it could just catch on Imagine a world in which marketing companies were honest about the products they were trying to sell David Mitchell The Observer, Sunday 8 August 2010 Article history Some time in the 1950s, in a Kellogg’s laboratory, some scientists eagerly gathered round a bowl. “They’re perfect!” the newest member of the team muttered. “Crispy yet indulgent, luxurious yet fun!” “Let’s just wait until we’ve added the milk,” replied an old hand. “They could still go the way of Malticles.” The others shuddered at the recollection of the research dollars that … Continue reading Truthfulness in advertising?

ANALYSIS: Redefine national security —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi Political violence and terrorism are the most serious threats to Pakistan’s internal harmony and external role. These factors have created a more dangerous situation for national security than the threats coming from outside Pakistan. Further, these internal weaknesses expose Pakistan to external interference and intervention Pakistan is currently faced with natural and man-made disasters. The natural disaster is the flood and its related problems. The man-made disaster includes terrorism and street violence and killings whose latest victims are Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Karachi respectively. Both threaten the fabric of Pakistani state and society. … Continue reading Redefine national security

VIEW: Does Pakistan make sense? — I —Haider Nizamani State and nation alignment is an ideal that very few, if any, states in the world meet. As a result, when overly centralised states like Pakistan try to erase social and political differences within a diverse society like theirs, in the name of creating a ‘true Pakistani’, the project is bound to be challenged Pakistan will be turning 63 this month, but a question Ayesha Jalal posed 25 years ago has not lost its validity: how did a Pakistan come about that fits the interests of most Muslims so poorly? Professor … Continue reading Does Pakistan make sense?

ANALYSIS: Sarmad lives on —Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Sarmad lives on as the epitome of an indomitable fighter and intrepid spirit and intellect that challenges bigotry, calls the tyrant’s bluff and exposes him. He symbolises the fearless defiance of the brutal power wielded by rulers and states Sarmad was an Armenian Jew from Kashaan who accepted Islam. Well-versed in Arabic, he had profound knowledge of the subjects in vogue then. His quatrains demonstrate the profundity of his grasp of both worldly and religious knowledge. He went to trade in Hindustan, but lost his heart to Abhay Chand, son of a … Continue reading Sarmad lives on

VIEW: The king and ‘I’ —Andleeb Abbas When the ‘I’ becomes bigger than the ‘We’, the writing on the wall predicts doom. However, the writing is visible to only those who have a vision to see beyond their egos; this moral blindness is a virus, which infiltrates into each organ and like a carcinoma cell destroys the living functionality of the organ itself Some tragedies move mountains; the heartrending scenes of the plane crash and the shocking haplessness of people trapped in unstoppable floods are enough to make all who ‘feel’ try to get out of their comfort zone and … Continue reading As ‘I’ becomes bigger than the ‘We’ a nation dies

Plugging the WikiLeak: What can US government do? Wikileaks founder Julian Assange holds up a copy of the Guardian newspaper during a press conference at the Frontline Club in central London, July 26, 2010. – Reuters Photo WASHINGTON: An online whistle-blower’s threat to release more classified Pentagon and State Department documents is raising hard questions of what the US government can or would do, legally, technically or even militarily to stop it. Constrained by the massive reach of the Internet, sophisticated encryption software and the domestic legal system, the answer seems to be: Not much. If the US government believes … Continue reading “Insurance” on WikiLeaks

Generation Axe by Nadeem F. Paracha It does pain me to see a lot of ground-level PPP workers being pushed into a corner by their party leader’s nonchalant ways. They seem and sound helpless and exhausted in trying to defend their leader who has become the target of an obsessive-compulsive punching campaign of the media. However, though the president does not seem to be bothered by the campaign, he must realize that there are many of his party workers who are being seriously affected. More than this, he should also realize that the media is targeting these very workers because … Continue reading Time to throw shoes at Mullah Diesel?