VIEW: Americans in Afghanistan —Dr Mubashir Hasan Since its birth, Pakistan has served the US slavishly enough to earn the title of a client state. Even today, the rivers of Afghan blood irrigate the American killing fields in Afghanistan with the crucial help of Pakistan While innocently attributing the assertion to unnamed Pakistani and American officials, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt and Carlotta Gall, in their despatch to The New York Times (NYT) on June 24, 2010, unfairly accuse Pakistan of “exploiting the troubled US military effort in Afghanistan to drive home a political settlement with Afghanistan that would give Pakistan … Continue reading

VIEW: Nationalism: inclusive versus exclusive — I —Ishtiaq Ahmed Jinnah was too intelligent and too much of a liberal not to understand that religious nationalism is inherently anti-minorities. Therefore, he wanted to go back to his pristine liberal convictions based on equal rights and equal citizenship. However, here he miscalculated As an ideology and political doctrine, nationalism is a claim set forth on behalf of a body of people claiming to constitute a nation to establish a sovereign state over a specific territory. Once that state comes into being, it has to devise a national identity to distinguish itself from … Continue reading Jinnah was too intelligent and too much of a liberal ………..

by Sana Saleem dawn.com Last month, I had the opportunity to talk on behalf of citizen media in Pakistan, at the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit in Santiago, Chile. Global Voices is an international community of bloggers who blog on social issues, current events and other topics from around the world. It was an overwhelming experience to be a part of a community of over two hundred and fifty citizen journalists from sixty countries. But more importantly, it was an honour to represent my country at a globally-recognised forum. The panel of speakers included also citizen journalists from Sri Lanka, … Continue reading Rights to self-regulation

dawn.com The Pakistani economy appears to have stabilised somewhat; but security, governance and energy shortages are major challenges that require strong, consistent, incorruptible leadership rather than political brinkmanship, cronyism and corruption that remains endemic nationwide. – AFP Photo World Zardari to visit China as nuclear deal advances Zardari to visit China as nuclear deal advances WASHINGTON: The Afghanistan war may be lost on the battlefields of Pakistan, where Pakistan authorities are fighting a vicious conflict against a home-grown insurgency spawned by the war across its western frontier, warns a report released on Monday by the Atlantic Council. “The situation in … Continue reading Afghan war may be lost in Pakistan’s battlefields

dawn.com It was a dramatic departure for the Palestinians, who have traditionally viewed the American Jewish leadership with a mixture of awe, animosity and envy for its political skills and influence over what is seen as a pro-Israel US policy. – AFP Photo JERUSALEM: The Palestinians have long feared the Jewish lobby in Washington. Now, they are embracing it. During a swing through the US capital this month, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was the guest of honor at a dinner with a small but influential gathering of more than 30 Jewish American leaders and political heavyweights. In what participants on … Continue reading Palestinians seek new partner: American Jews

thenews.com.pk Sherry Rehman The writer is an MNA and former federal minister for information. The nexus between state identity and religion is always a dangerous link. When citizens are massacred and abused on the status of their religious identity, then the slide into bestiality is no longer a heartbeat away. It is firmly among us. At this point only unmitigated public outrage and a matching state response puts us back in the league of the civilized and therefore, human. The massacre of Ahmadis in Lahore is not the first event to have exposed fault lines in the crafting of a … Continue reading The embrace of insanity

Ann Widdecombe is not cut out to be Vatican ambassador Making Ann Widdecombe our woman at the Vatican would be a diplomatic disaster Former MP Ann Widdecombe is reportedly being lined up as the next British ambassador to the Vatican. Photograph: David Levenson/Getty ImagesIf Ann Widdecombe is really a serious candidate as the next British ambassador to the Vatican, should we next expect the appointment of Melanie Phillips as ambassador to Washington? They are not as different as they may seem – both of them intelligent and energetic women, wildly out of step with majority British beliefs on the things … Continue reading Richard Dawkins or Ann Widdecombe – who do you think should be the Vatican ambassador

Criminal injustice in Egypt Egyptian police and a decades-old emergency law stand in the dock of public opinion following a young man’s alleged murder Khaled Diab guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 June 2010 10.30 BST Article history Mohamed ElBaradei (centre) joins demonstrators during a protest against the alleged killing by police of Khaled Said. Photograph: Amr Nabil/APThe “before” and “after” shots looked like the makeover from hell. Before, we have a clean-cut young man who appears to be rather reserved and perhaps even somewhat shy. After, his once-youthful and pleasant face looks up with dead eyes, disfigured beyond recognition. It looks like … Continue reading Hosni Mubarak – Killer of Khaled Said?

dawn.com YaAli (L), a “prayer seller”, talks to his customer as he sits at the side of an old alley in northern Tehran.–Reuters Photo TEHRAN: In Iran where clerics rule, unofficial “prayer sellers”, who promise to intercede with the divine to solve all manner of life’s problems, are seeing their business boom. Backstreet spiritual guides like YaAli are tolerated by the authorities and increasingly sought after by Iranians seeking help from on high. “People from all walks of life – mostly young women – come here asking for prayers that can solve their problems,” says YaAli sitting on a chair … Continue reading In Iran, prayer sellers’ trade is booming

Professor Akbar S. Ahmed, former Pakistani ambassador to London, says that the rise of Muslim fundamentalism means that Islamic leaders face a choice between moderation or militancy. Muslim nations face a crisis of leadership which affects both them and their relationship with other countries. In Muslim society the leader embodies both political and moral authority. Yet even the best-known thinkers who comment on Islam, like Professor Samuel Huntington and Francis Fukuyama, have failed to identify the importance of Muslim leadership. On the surface there is a bewildering range of leadership: kings, military dictators, mullahs, democrats, and, as in the Taliban … Continue reading Islam’s Crossroads – Islamic leadership