view: Religious political organisations and parties —Ishtiaq Ahmed It is important that the open, secular parties make specific arrangements for representation of religious and ethnic minorities in parliament and in sharing public office. Under all circumstances, a clear distinction must be maintained between the private religious beliefs and the public rights and obligations of an individual The shocking news that a senior faculty member of the Punjab University, Professor Iftikhar Baloch, was badly beaten up because the university disciplinary committee had expelled some goonda elements of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) is a sad reminder of the overall decay of Pakistani … Continue reading Religious political organisations and parties

dawn.com In this photo taken on Feb 18, 2010, alleged Pakistani militant Mohi-ud-Din, talks to the Associated Press while in police custody in Lahore, Pakistan. – AP Pakistan Two suicide bombers killed in Lakki Marwat gun battle Two suicide bombers killed in Lakki Marwat gun battle LAHORE: Abdul Baseer sent the grenades and explosive vest ahead, then boarded a bus that would take him to his target, accompanied by the 14-year-old boy he had groomed as his suicide bomber. But before they could blow up their target, a luxury hotel in Lahore where they believed Americans would be staying, the … Continue reading The making of a suicide bomber

Markets are bustling and girls are back at school, but the root causes of the conflict still fester. – (File Photo) dawn.com MINGORA: A year after Pakistan launched a major operation to evict the Taliban from Swat Valley, markets are bustling and girls are back at school, but the root causes of the conflict still fester. For two years the Taliban paralysed much of the valley by promoting a repressive brand of Islamic law, opposing secular girls’ education and beheading opponents until the government ordered in thousands of troops. At only 125 kilometres (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, its mountains … Continue reading Roots of Taliban conflict fester in Swat

Tech-savvy Indian minister gets caught in the web dawn.com IPL chief Lalit Modi used his Twitter site to leak details of the stakeholders in a consortium that Tharoor had helped put together for a successful bid for a new IPL franchise. —AP/File Photo Cricket Shashi Tharoor denies wrongdoing in IPL scandal Shashi Tharoor denies wrongdoing in IPL scandal NEW DELHI: Scandals have ruined many a political career in India, but Shashi Tharoor is the first minister to be brought down via Twitter. A former UN undersecretary general, Tharoor had brought a rare touch of Internet-savvy flamboyance to his brief tenure … Continue reading Tharoor – “cattle class in solidarity with all our holy cows.”

On behalf of the High Commission of Pakistan London – The British Pakistani Youth Council would like to invite its members and friends to ‘Iqbal’s plaque at Shakespeare’s Centre 23rd of April at 10:30 am Stratford-Upon-Avon’ INVITATION: Iqbal’s plaque at Shakespeare’s Centre 23rd of April at 10:30 am Stratford-Upon-Avon East Meets West: Iqbal’s plaque at Shakespeare’s Centre As a gesture of tribute to  great  oriental poet of Pakistan Allama Mohmmad Iqbal a plaque  of Iqbal will be inaugurated  at  Shakespeare’s Birth Place on the occasion of Annual International Festival at  Stratford- Upon- Avon  on  23rd of April at 10:30 am … Continue reading INVITATION: Iqbal’s plaque at Shakespeare’s Centre 23rd of April at 10:30 am Stratford-Upon-Avon

Chad Hurley: YouTube’s got TV in its sights Internet video chief says he wants YouTube to be watched in the same way as television, up from 15 minutes a day to an average of five hours. By Kamal Ahmad telegraph Chad Hurley: “There are going to be all these different devices with an internet connection” Related Articles The Most popular adverts on YouTube: YouTube: a history YouTube boss equates more minutes with more money BBC and Google in talks to launch international iPlayer site BT Vision vows to tackle slow take-up Footage of Tommy Cooper’s death on stage shown on … Continue reading YouTube’s got TV in its sights

Middle Eastern nostalgia for the 1970s Why do so many people in the Middle East keep harking back to the 1970s? Nicholas Blincoe guardian.co.uk, Just what is it that makes the 1970s so different, so appealing? Last weekend, a 14-piece band celebrated the 70s with pop-disco hits from the Middle East at a restaurant on the Edgware Road in London. Fronted by the Kurdish Iraqi-born artist, Hiwa K, the band comprised members from across the Middle East and played in front of video projections of the original artistes such the Bendaly Family (Lebanon), Ahmed Zahir (Afghanistan) and Googoosh (Iran). Seventies … Continue reading Was Thee Middle East more free in the 1970s?

Tehran: twinned with Jerusalem? If the Green movement triumphs and Iran becomes a secular democratic state, what will it mean for Israel? Mahmood Delkhasteh guardian.co.uk, On Jerusalem Day in Iran, supporters of the Green movement could be heard chanting: “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon; my life is for Iran”. In other demonstrations, many of which had been organised by the state but hijacked by the Greens, they replaced the usual “Death to America and Israel” with “Death to Russia and China”. And then last month, the reputed fiancé of Neda, the woman whose death has come to symbolise the movement, was … Continue reading If the Green movement triumphs and Iran becomes a secular democratic state then what?,

India’s international unease Unlike China, India is finding it difficult to adapt to its status as an emerging ‘Great Power’ looked upon favourably by the west Dominique Moisi guardian.co.uk, Some countries are naturally at ease with the concept and the reality of strategic power. Such was clearly the case of France under Louis XIV, the Sun King in the 17th century, and such is the case today of China, whose leadership is comfortable with the balance-of-power games of classical Europe. India is clearly in a different category. In economic terms, its confidence has been boosted by the way the western … Continue reading India – A Great Power or a Caste Ridden Conglomerate?

BOOK REVIEW: Untold stories —by Mehr Tarar We Are Not in Pakistan By Shauna Singh Baldwin Goose Lane Editions; Pp 266 Unsaid words. Incomplete phrases. Broken sentences. Half-hearted declarations. Strangled wishes. Forgotten promises. Unshed tears. Empty eyes. Vacant souls. Unlived dreams. Fragmented minds. Glacial hearts. Semi-lived yesterdays. Blank todays. Shadowy tomorrows. Unrequited loves. Comatose marriages. Abridged relationships. Censored sentiments. Shrill, fake laughter. Whispered lies. Cold embraces. Jagged touches. Barely-functional human beings. This is the world of Shauna Singh Baldwin’s We Are Not in Pakistan, and like any other good work of literature, notwithstanding the bleakness of the lives of its … Continue reading We Are Not in Pakistan