Shoaib Malik to wed Sania Mirza dawn.com You will soon get some good news but it depends on my family. I expect to get married this year, Shoaib Malik said in a recent interview. –AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary Probe body recommends ban for Malik, Rana ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik is set to marry Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, a union of two of South Asia’s most well known sports personalities. The marriage is sure to attract attention because neighbouring Pakistan and India are longtime rivals, and have fought three wars since 1947. “The news of me marrying to Sania … Continue reading SM+SM=W (Shoaib Malik to wed Sania Mirza)

For the sake of the children Posted by Sana Saleem dawn.com Nearly two months after the death of Shazia Masih, the government is yet to take substantial steps towards protection of children’s rights in Pakistan. Shazia’s case first appeared after she was declared dead at Lahore’s Jinnah Hospital, suspected to have succumbed to torture by her employers. According to reports, she had  several marks of a sharp-edged weapon on her body, her right arm and a rib were fractured, her skull was damaged, and her nails had been plucked out. Despite the brutality, Shazia’s culprits were granted bail last month … Continue reading Pakistan must not replace the spoiled mullah with the spoiled lawyer

We must never forget Ziaul Haq By Kamran Shafi dawn.com “If there hadn’t been an NRO, Musharraf would still have been sitting at the top of the heap; the political parties would still have been out in the cold, and let alone being restored, the judges would still have been under house arrest.” — Photo by AP We are told that Ziaul Haq, yes the very same Ziaul Haq at whose door the responsibility of unleashing the demons responsible for most of our present travails can and should be placed, is to be excised from the nation’s history by his … Continue reading Never forget Ziaul Haq!

Who are the Christian militia ‘Hutaree’ and why was the FBI targeting them? http://hutaree.com/ This weekend, the FBI conducted a series of raids in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana to detain members of a Christian militia group on criminal charges. So what does this group believe, and how do its members fit in with the larger radical right? The group in question calls itself the “Hutaree”; its website says the term translates as “Christian warrior.” And in keeping with that name, the material it has posted online reflects an outlook of violent religious confrontation. The Hutaree believe that acts of violence … Continue reading Canada to launch drone attacks on US Christian Terrorist bases?

Why do our paranoid, anti-fun police seem to think they run the country? Morality policing here is starting to rival Saudi. At protests and festivals, we need to reassert the right to gather in public spaces George Monbiot guardian.co.uk This Thursday a year will have passed since Ian Tomlinson died after a police assault at the G20 protests. No charges have been brought against the police; no one has been punished. Despite 300 official complaints about the policing of the protests on 1 April, and plenty of video and photographic evidence, no officer has faced serious disciplinary proceedings. Those who … Continue reading British Police becoming Talibanised!

March 29, 2010 by Kalsoom CNN: Image of a painting of Paradise allegedly used by militants to indoctrinate children. Below is my reaction piece to a Washington Post article on rehabilitating child militants in Pakistan. The article was first published on Foreign Policy’s AfPak Channel: On Sunday, the Washington Post covered the progress of a new boarding school established to rehabilitate and deradicalize former child militants in Swat Valley, Pakistan. The army-sponsored center currently houses 86 young boys who were either captured by the military or brought in by their families. According to the Post, “Some had been trained by … Continue reading Rehabilitating Pakistan’s Child Soldiers

Pakistani Taliban ready for Osama’s plan By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – After a successful series of meetings in Washington last week, the United States and Pakistan have deepened their strategic relationship aimed at broad-based military cooperation for an American victory in Afghanistan. A dialogue process has also been set up with a handpicked team of the Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), the second-largest force in the Pashtun-dominated south of Afghanistan after the Taliban. United States President Barack Obama flew to Afghanistan at the weekend in a surprise visit to impress on President Hamid Karzai that effective political policy is needed to … Continue reading Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda!

Iran rediscovers value of Persian roots By Kaveh L Afrasiabi Over the weekend, Iran hosted the presidents of Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan to celebrate Nowruz, the ancient Persian new year marking the first day of spring that is celebrated by some 300 million people around the world who together form an important cultural bloc. Both Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmud Ahmadinejad used the occasion to emphasize the importance of Nowruz in fostering a global climate of peace and cooperation. In light of a recent United Nations General Assembly resolution marking March 21 as International Nowruz Day, … Continue reading Nowruz and Iranian Awakening?

Sonia goes from strength to strength By Neeta Lal NEW DELHI – The controversial passage through India’s Rajya Sabha (Upper House) of the Woman’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33% of seats for women in the country’s legislatures, was something of a personal triumph for Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and president of the Congress party. Sonia, who this month celebrates exactly 12 years at the helm of Congress, had staked her and her party’s reputation on the bill, which many of the UPA’s coalition partners bitterly opposed. The dissent was overcome and the … Continue reading Prime Minister Sonia Gandhi

IMF holds back cash to Pakistan By Syed Fazl-e-Haider KARACHI – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has deferred for an indefinite period disbursement of the fifth, US$1.2 billion, installment of funds to be paid to Pakistan under their $11.3 billion standby agreement. This came after the government failed to meet the condition of tabling draft value-added tax (VAT) legislation in the four provincial assemblies. Critics say the proposed VAT will increase inflation, erode consumers’ purchasing power and dampen demand. The government has left the issue with legislators who will adopt, reject or amend the VAT bill. Local business communities have … Continue reading Pakistan and IMF!