The state has lost its authority to challenge the semi-literate maulvis who do more harm than good.—Photo by AP As the residents of a village near Kasur have demonstrated — with fatal consequences — there is little that is as explosive as anger ignited by religious passions. In yet another incident of a frenzied mob out to punish alleged blasphemy, a young man was beaten to death after his father reportedly claimed that he was the last prophet of Islam. The alleged blasphemer — an illiterate brick-kiln worker-turned-faith healer — is in police custody and other members of his family … Continue reading Blasphemy allegations – the life blood of Takfiri Mullahs

Margaret Fuller It should be remarked that, as the principle of liberty is better understood, and more nobly interpreted, a broader protest is made in behalf of woman. As men become aware that few men have had a fair chance, they are inclined to say that no women have had a fair chance. The French Revolution, that strangely disguised angel, bore witness in favour of woman, but interpreted her claims no less ignorantly than those of man. Its ideas of happiness did not rise beyond outward enjoyment, unobstructed by the tyranny of others. Man, born to purify and animate the … Continue reading Of women and slaves

Bilal Abbas Extremism breeds terrorism. Due to General Ziaul Haq’s Islamisation drive in the 1980s, Pakistan has no dearth of radicals. Problems of poverty, illiteracy, lack of swift justice, and unemployment, among others, serve the purpose of the Taliban when recruiting foot soldiers Today, Pakistan finds itself at the centre of the global war on terror. The US government believes that Pakistan is the primary place from where terrorism against the West will emanate as the leadership of al Qaeda is allegedly hiding here. It was in 2007, more specifically after the mishandled Lal Masjid operation, that Pakistan went deep … Continue reading Light at the end of the tunnel — breaking the backs of Takfiri Mullahs

Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur Here mobsters like Tipu Truckanwala and Abdul Rehman Dakait have funeral gatherings of thousands where their virtues are extolled while the ignored eminent educationists, intellectuals and journalists have very few people to mourn them The chaos, anarchy, corruption, ineptitude, misrule, mess, buffoonery and the sheer hopelessness that we see in everyday life and the sheer irrationality that passes off for governance, diplomacy, strategy or for that matter piety does not surprise me in the least now. No, I have not become insensitive to the surroundings but as Ghalib said, ‘Jab tawako he uthh gaye Ghalib, Kyun … Continue reading Musings on Pakistan

Reem Wasay While they staged rallies to bring the women’s liberation movement to the forefront in the West, we were being silenced into submission, while they rectified their divorce laws to grant an egalitarian position to the women who screamed for freedom, we were still battling with our polygamous traditions I am no fan of patriarchal mindsets; I rather admire the utopian concept of equal emancipation and I sure as hell am no devotee to the cause of anti-feminist deliberations, but I have to hand it to our high-strung politicians to bring me crashing down from my pedestal of double-gaited … Continue reading This woman scorned — The Woman and her doings….

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi Pakistan cannot be described as a failed state, but it is not a success story either. Pakistan is a troubled state that faces the threat of going under due mainly to internal problems and external pressures. However, it also has the potential to overcome these challenges and shape up as a reasonably effective state A widely shared concern at the international level is Pakistan’s uncertain future. This perspective questions the long-range capacity of the Pakistani state to effectively fulfil its obligations towards the citizenry and the international community. Several predictions of catastrophic end were made before and … Continue reading Uncertain future for Pakistan?

By Huma Yusuf The front of this Rs100 currency note is a part of a series presented to the Quaid-e-Azam by the Ministry of Finance, on April 1, 1948. Issued by the Reserve Bank of India, the note is overprinted with ‘Government of Pakistan’ in English and Urdu. – Image from Mazaar, Bazaar Dawn.com Pakistanis are hungry for visual representations of their own culture. What else explains the success of designer Maheen Khan’s truck art-inspired Gulabo line, the wildfire popularity of reproductions of Lollywood posters, and the prevalence of new art that grapples with Pakistani standards such as the passport … Continue reading The visual culture in Pakistan

BNP changes all-white constitution and ejects Times reporter from meeting // // // // // // <!– Remove following to not show photographer information –> (Paul Hackett) <!– Remove following to not show image description –> Dominic Kennedy, Investigations Editor of The Times, is evicted from the BNP meeting in Hornchurch <!– Remove following to not show enlarge option –> <!– –> // Dominic Kennedy <!– –> The British National Party voted today to change its constitution to allow black and Asian people to become members. The decision came at an extraordinary general meeting in Essex that was called after … Continue reading BNP officially ‘Loves’ Blacks and Asians and ejects Times reporter from meeting

Call to promote democratic culture Sunday, February 14, 2010 jang.com.pk/thenews LAHORE DEMOCRATIC culture, and not only democracy, needs to be strengthened for the socio-economic and political uplift of a nation, and the ideology is to be defined clearly as to what kind of a system of government the masses want in a particular country. This was a consensus at a seminar “Khudi (An Awakening), A Counter Extremism Democratic Social Movement”, held at Nairang CafÈ on Saturday. Speaking to the audience, Majid Nawaz, Co-Founder of Khudi, said it was not right just to elect a government by holding elections and then … Continue reading Khudi (An Awakening) – Pakistan