Keep our war veterans out of prison That so many ex-servicemen end up in prison is shocking. We owe our veterans help returning to civilian life David Ramsbotham guardian.co.uk Today a conference will be held by Veterans in Prison, of which I am president, to examine a problem that was drawn to the attention of the public last year by the National Association of Probation Officers, which published the surprising and shocking figures that some 20,000 ex-members of the armed forces were in the hands of the criminal justice system, more than 10,000 of them in prison. The ministries of … Continue reading Keep UK war veterans out of prison

Dancing girls of Swat back in business Where women outside cloak themselves in dupattas, Swat’s dancing girls go without headscarfs and their readiness to even shake hands with men seems shockingly intimate in Swat. – File Photo MINGORA: Their cousin was kidnapped and killed in a hail of bullets – her body dumped at a roundabout, dripping blood. That was 15 months ago when the Taliban roamed Swat with impunity. Today Shabana and her sister Shabnam are back in business, proffering their favours and their dancing skills for discerning gentlemen with cash to spare now that Pakistan’s army say they … Continue reading Dancing girls of Swat

The Pakistani woman’s crusade against the system By Sadef A. Kully dawn.com “We are such a strange nation, we are carrying feudal values with us, we are carrying tribal values with us, and we are carrying capitalist values,” said Mahnaz Rahman, Resident Director of Aurat Foundation. – Photo on file KARACHI: Although, it has been twenty something odd years since Dr. Kauser Saeed Khan has been participating in and witnessing women protest for equal rights, there still seems to be some fight left in her…probably more than just some. “We are not going to be quiet, or give up,” said … Continue reading We are not going to be quiet, or give up – Pakistani Women

Evolving campus politics Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha In 1947 the only established student organisation in the newly created country of Pakistan was the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student-wing of the Muslim League. The Muslim League began to disintegrate as Pakistan’s first ruling party. Consequently, the MSF too started to reflect the fragmentary nature of its mother party. In 1950, a group of students in Karachi formed a progressive student organisation called the Democratic Students Federation (DSF). The organisation’s rapid growth led it to becoming a powerful platform for the students, and it was this initiative that instigated the … Continue reading Pakistan – Evolving campus politics.

US needs to do more in Bajaur, says Pakistan In Damadola one can see a warren of caves and tunnels so well dug into the hillside that no aerial boming could damage them. – (File Photo) dawn.com DAMADOLA: Pakistan is so weary of being told it needs to “do more” to fight militants that in one area cleared this year it has the same message for the Americans on the other side of the border in Afghanistan. “In their language, they need to ‘do more’,” says Colonel Nauman Saeed, who has led Pakistan Army operations in Bajaur tribal agency, which … Continue reading US needs to do more against Terrorism

An Easygoing Approach to Faith Sheikh Salman al-Oadah Religion is human nature. Allah created religious awareness as a component of the human being. Our very natures recognize essential moral values. This is what makes those values universal. When a person acquires religious knowledge, he or she discovers something about his or her inner self, something that was always there. As for taking things in an easygoing manner, this leaves people with fertile ground for their innate upright natures to grow and develop naturally. It gives people leave to conduct their own affairs as long as they do not transgress against … Continue reading An Easygoing Approach to your Faith

Allah is al-Muhaymin – (the Guardian) Sheikh Salman al-Oadah We find this name of Allah in the verse: “Allah says: “He is Allah, besides whom there is no God, the King, the Holy One, Peace, the Giver of Security, the Guardian.” [Sūrah al-Hashr: 23] The word muhaymin appears as a description of the Qur’ān. Allah describes the Qur’ān as “confirming the scripture that came before it and a guardian (muhaymin) over it.” [Sūrah al-Mā’idah: 48] Ibn `Abbās said: “The Qur’ān is a guardian over every scripture that came before it.” It is also said that the the Qur’ān encompasses the … Continue reading Allah is The Guardian!

As the former Bosnian president is arrested for war crimes, there is no doubt that Serbophilia is deeply rooted in British politics Adam LeBor guardian.co.uk Former Bosnian president Ejup Ganic leaves a police station in London after appearing as required by his bail conditions. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty It is a dark irony that just as Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, has begun cross-examining witnesses at his trial for war crimes and genocide at the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague, his arch-enemy Ejup Ganic, a former Bosnian president, may soon appear in a Serbian courtroom on war-crimes … Continue reading Should John Major should be charged with war crimes – UK has rewritten Balkan history

Dalmatian horse spotted on Dartmoor A horse with the markings of a Dalmatian dog has been discovered running wild in Devon. telegraph ‘Spotty’ was born just over a week ago at Wembury Point, near Plymouth Photo: APEX The young horse, who was born to a chocolate brown mare, is a British spotted pony whose father shares the same unusual colouring. Perhaps rather predictably named Spotty, he was born just over a week ago at Wembury Point, near Plymouth although his family usually grazes on Dartmoor. Related Articles Ranching with cowboys in Wild West Wyoming Dogs as intelligent as two-year-old children … Continue reading Cute Dalmatian horse in Dartmoor 🙂

Gay swans set up nest at world’s only swannery in Dorset Two male swans have ruffled feathers at the world’s only swannery in Dorset after they set up a love nest together. telegraph.co.uk The pair show no interest in their female companions and only have eyes for each other. Photo: RICHARD AUSTIN The happy couple at Abbotsbury Swannery are the only homosexual swans among more than 1,000 birds at the reserve. They are believed to be only the second male pair ever to hook up at the reserve. The pair show no interest in their female companions and only have … Continue reading Gay swans set up nest in Dorset UK