VIEW: Terrorists and their apologists —Imtiaz Alam The strategy that served the purpose of forcing the former Soviet Union to leave Afghanistan was foolishly perpetuated to serve the narrowly defined designs of our hawkish security structures on both the eastern and western fronts Now the holiest shrine of the most revered saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh in the heart of Lahore has been sacrilegiously bombed by the ideologically motivated terrorists of Pakistani origin. This is not a lone and unimagined ghastly act, as some people in Punjab may assume, but a continuation of a mad drive against all spiritual, cultural, … Continue reading Terrorists and their apologists

VIEW: Et tu, water… —Andleeb Abbas Pakistan has one of the lowest agriculture productivity per cubic metre of water in the world. Our cash crops like sugarcane, rice and cotton are all water guzzlers and therefore we really need to question whether it is worth using 97 percent of the water on them “Only God knows” is the response we receive when we go in search of some extinct natural resource of this country. Energy has already become a lost cause and the negligence of water as a scarce resource is almost assuming criminal proportions. Any resource not taken care … Continue reading Et tu, water…

ANALYSIS: Political confrontation and democracy —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi The PML-N faces controversies about several aspects of governance, especially the two-rupee roti project, poor governance, growing activism of militant Islamic groups and refusal of the Punjab government to admit that Punjab has become an active centre of militancy Current efforts to sustain the democratic, civilian political order face three challenges: the troubled economy, religious extremism and terrorism, and the efforts of the superior judiciary to expand its role at the expense of elected institutions. The economic challenge, both at the macro and the micro levels, is so pervasive that Pakistan’s political … Continue reading Pakistans political confrontation and democracy

ANALYSIS: Whose progeny? — III —Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Envisaging the emergence of a new Islamic identity from the ruins of old identities, the state arrogantly rejected histories, customs and values that existed before and actively tried to obliterate them The Pakistani state and elite have not only always turned a blind eye to the venomous hate and intolerance preached by millions of pulpits that adorn this ‘land of the pure’, but have also actively promoted it. They patronised preachers of murder and mayhem, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in which no one can object to their … Continue reading Emergence of Identity lies within the Muslim peoples and not Mullahs

Smokers’ Corner: Manly manoeuvres By Nadeem F. Paracha Is it really liberation that a woman feels behind a veil, or is this liberation only about freeing oneself from the thought of ever daring to challenge male-dominated interpretations of exactly how a Muslim woman should dress and behave? It is rather startling to note how the powerful ‘Women’s Lib’ movement in the 1970s was manhandled by certain sections of society in the West. They scrapped the intellectual aspects of the concept and used the fruits of the movement by simply exhibiting it as a way to justify nudity. The above was … Continue reading What women wear or not wear – should not be the concern of men

Indonesian Islamists eye proselytising Christians dawn.com Religious-led violence has been on the rise for months in Bekasi while mobs have forced shut two churches this year. Reuters Photo World Religious intolerance is the new racism: NGO REPORT Religious intolerance is the new racism: NGO BEKASI, Indonesia: A banner with a picture of a young, bespectacled Christian man is draped in front of a mosque, a fiery noose around his neck and the words, ”This man deserves the death penalty!” Churches are shut down. And an Islamic youth militia holds its first day of training. Though the events all occurred less … Continue reading Islamists and Christianists in Indonesia play up?

Dawn Editorial Supporters of a religious group chant slogans during a rally to condemn the twin suicide attacks on the shrine of Sufi Data Ganj Baksh, Saturday, July 3, 2010 in Lahore, Pakistan. – Photo by AP. Pakistan ‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ ‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ Perhaps the only faintest ray of hope one can find in the aftermath of the Data Darbar tragedy is the near-universal condemnation of the attack. Major political parties and civil society groups have always been in the forefront when it comes to remonstration against suicide bombings and other … Continue reading Search for soul

The silence is broken By Asha’ar Rehman Policemen pray inside the Data Darbar, the shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Ali bin Usman Hajweri in Lahore on July 2, 2010, following deadly suicide bomb attacks. — AFP A long queue of people awaited entry to the Data Darbar Complex in Lahore only 13 hours after the shrine of the Sufi saint was attacked by suicide bombers on Thursday. Their face-off with terrorism may lead to many interpretations, but essentially, those who gathered at the Darbar for Friday prayers were there to assert their right to live by a code … Continue reading The silence of Pakistanis is broken?

‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ MULTAN: Federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Sunday said that a majority of ulema do not favour suicide attacks but some of them are reluctant to condemn them unconditionally. Speaking to media representatives in Multan, Kazmi said some families in southern Punjab send their children to seminaries where they are brainwashed and indoctrinated. These children are then used for acts like these, Kazmi said. He further said that suicide bombings are fundamentally suicides and the bombers “will go to hell” for their acts and for trying to spread anarchy in … Continue reading Which Mullahs favour suicide attacks?

Deadly pursuit: The moment diver comes face to face with killer shark Like a rabbit in the headlights, this brave scuba diver faces off against one of the most feared and endangered predators of the deep. With its notably long pectoral fins enabling it to glide like a bird through the water, a 10ft-long, 350lb female Oceanic White Tip shark was photographed by Brian Skerry off the Out Islands in the Bahamas. Swimming inches past Mr Skerry’s long-time collaborator Wes Pratt, the large shark observed the pair for two hours. Fearsome: An Oceanic White Tip shark bears down on marine … Continue reading Shark asks ‘is this like an easy meal?’