Gulmina Bilal Ahmad We are so consumed with a matter of private faith that we will accept all ills in a head of state but not the fact that s/he is a non-Muslim. What right do we have to say that there is equality before the law in Pakistan when one of our laws bars a Pakistani from a position on the basis of his/her religion? We are consumed by religion. The Muslims amongst us are consumed by Islam whereas the non-Muslim Pakistanis are consumed by their own religions. The reasons are different but the results are the same. The … Continue reading Is it time to whip Mullahs?

Zafar Hilaly The impending revolution that we all await is how to make the bureaucracy, this vast and lugubrious machine, the servant of the public and user-friendly. That, surely, must be the foremost priority for any regime that wishes to be re-elected and for the clerks who work in it to be respected Mr Nawaz Sharif’s hurt and anger at being let down by Mr Zardari is evident nowadays. Since Mr Zardari, like most politicians, does not believe in what he says, he was surprised that Mr Sharif did. Mr Sharif should have known better. A politician, like an acrobat, … Continue reading Public relationing

Zeeshan Suhail It was humanising to be able to fall and then pick oneself up as quickly as possible. I recognised my failings and expeditiously tried to improve myself, but quickly realised this would take hours. I fondly recalled the day my father taught me how to ride a bicycle. The accidents, the bruises, the memories Living in the US affords one the opportunity to participate in countless hobbies and activities that can either keep you occupied indoors, or make a mess out of you in the great outdoors. Having said that, I have a confession to make: prior to … Continue reading Aspen-bound, onward-bound

TheTimes Richard Dawkins unleashes tirade against fans Richard Dawkins has something of a reputation for provoking the religious community, but it seems he may have underestimated the atheistic fervour of his own fanbase. Amidst a tsunami of vulgar and vitriolic comments, the 85,000-strong forum on his official website RichardDawkins.net had to be shut down this week. The implosion appears to have been provoked by an announcement on the website that discussion threads and responses would in future be tightly moderated to help curb irrelevant discussions, frivolous gossip and abuse. However, the announcement itself created such an explosion of ire that the planned 30-day switch-over period had to be … Continue reading Richard Dawkins is now a Mullah?

Adam Sage, Paris The Times   (Christophe Russeil) Laurent Le Doyen pretends to undergo electric shocks in the mock game show Reality television often ends in humiliation and ridicule for those taking part. But who would be prepared to take part in a game show which featured torture and even death? The answer is most of us, judging by the results of a French experiment which involved asking people to inflict electric shocks on a fellow contestant in what they thought was a new reality TV concept. Eighty per cent of the participants ignored pleas to stop and shrieks of … Continue reading Game show contestants ignored actor’s cries to stop electric shocks

Syed Talat Hussain In the last 62 years, except for the brief spurt of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s public diplomacy, much of the country’s relations with the US have remained a complex network of deals and personal understandings the rulers of the day give to the American negotiators dangling short carrots on long knives Transparency has become the first victim of Pakistan’s deepening cooperation with the US. The country is choking with visitors from Washington who rain on Islamabad incessantly, the latest being General David Petraeus, the US Central Command chief. (The list of others who have come, gone, come back … Continue reading Governing the governors of Pakistan

—Miranda Husain It is a sad truth that even those industries that look in the mirror and declare themselves the most liberally progressive of all, have proved themselves to be the least bovvered when it comes to tackling harassment We certainly have come a long way, baby. Here at the dawn of the first decade of the 21st century, a mere 30 years since man first set foot on the moon, and Pakistan’s National Assembly has passed the country’s first-ever anti-sexual harassment bill. For many, this represents an unexpectedly wonderful departure from yesteryear’s era of enlightened moderation. A period that … Continue reading Sexual harassment’s fourth pillar

Detainee dilemma —Mahvish Khan The prisoner was standing at the far end of the room behind a long table. His leg was chained to the floor beside a seven-by-eight-foot cage. He looked wary as the door opened, but as our eyes met and he saw me in my traditional embroidered shawl, a smile broke across his weathered features. I smiled back and gave him the universal Islamic greeting: “As-salaam alaikum — May peace be upon you.” “Walaikum as-salaam — May peace also be upon you,” he responded. With that, I shook hands with my first ‘terrorist’. He was a handsome, … Continue reading His name was Ali Shah Mousovi