By Qalandar Bux Memon The shrine of Data Gunj Bakhsh in Lahore. – APP (File Photo) Myths and miracles It is often assumed that Sufism stands opposed to Wahhabism. Wrong. Sufism and Wahhabism, in fact, share a fatal characteristic – they are religions of the status quo.  In Pakistan, Sufism legitimises barbarities of inequality and starvation – ‘do nothing, it’s god’s will’ – while at the same time justifying structures of oppressive power, Pirism and landlordism, rather like Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia.  Contemporary Sufism, rather than being a solution to Pakistan’s problems, is the cause. I was sitting at the … Continue reading The bad, naughty Sufi

Dawn Editorial PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif condoling with the parents of Shazia. – Photo by APP. Outrage in National Assembly over maid’s murder The death of 12-year-old Shazia, who worked as domestic help for an affluent Lahore family accused of beating her frequently, is a crime on multiple levels. According to the autopsy report, Shazia died as a result of severe physical torture. The police have now taken into custody the principal accused and three members of his family who were nominated in the FIR, as well as the couple who originally put the family in touch with Shazia. It … Continue reading Maid’s death – lawyers the new mullahs?

By Kamran Shaf We are a quite unique people as we well know too, who prey on the weak and the vulnerable, and all in the name of God. –Photo by AP First things first then, and it is highly fitting that our chief election commissioner should have been barred by the government from visiting India to attend a “function in honour of democracy”. For, what has Pakistan got to do with democracy anyway? Below, without comment a list of Pakistan’s various governments and the approximate periods of their rule, or misrule if you will. ‘Caretaker’ governments or those such … Continue reading Of this and that – preying on peoples weaknesses

Retired Brigadier Sultan Tarar, better known as Colonel Imam. — File photo RAWALPINDI: The United States should talk to the Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar if it wants to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan, a former ISI officer who is believed to have trained Omar, said in an interview to a US-based news group. Retired Brigadier Sultan Tarar, known as Colonel Imam, said Mullah Omar was open to talks. He said if a sincere message came to him from the Americans, it will be heard. “If a sincere message comes from the Americans, these people (the Taliban) are very big-hearted. … Continue reading Mullah Omar open to talks: Colonel Imam

“Hell-o,” a deep sultry voice responds on the other end of the line when I call. I mentally prepare myself to speak to one of the most controversial, love-to-hate figures in the entertainment industry, Meera. My task: to organise the interview and accompanying photo shoot that was just published in Dawn’s Images on Sunday. The team who worked on the shoot were expecting that Meera would be completely untraceable at the scheduled time for the hair and make-up. She wasn’t answering her phone, local hotels did not have her listed as staying with them, and a frantic phone call to … Continue reading “I am a ‘s-a-x’ symbol, I have always been a woman never sax changed” – Meera

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. — Photo by AFP ISLAMABAD: Respected by both Pakistan’s powerful military and Washington, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani may be the best chance of bringing political stability to Pakistan. A Supreme Court ruling last month throwing out an amnesty for unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari, several top aides and thousands of activists and government figures, triggered a political storm and expectation that Zardari was on his way out. Political turmoil in the South Asian country worries the United States. Washington is pressing Islamabad to focus on eliminating al Qaeda and Taliban militants along the border … Continue reading Yousuf Raza Gilani may be best hope for stability

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. — Photo by Reuters DUBAI: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday said the hydra-headed menace of terrorism was our common enemy and no one country could battle it out alone. He termed the Friends of Democratic Pakistan “a collective determination against an evil mindset” and urged the international community to address root causes of terrorism such as poverty and unemployment. The foreign minister was addressing the Friends of Democratic Pakistan’s Public-Private Partnership Conference in Dubai. He said the three-year plan of reconstruction and rehabilitation in Malakand comprised close to 500 projects and would cost … Continue reading ‘Terrorism’s root causes need to be addressed’

By Michael Hanlon, Science Editor Daily Mail UK Last updated at 9:54 PM on 25th January 2010 Six-eyed slime monsters. Tentacled terrors. Giant creepy-crawlies. But as scientists debate what form ET might take, MICHAEL HANLON says that the most terrifying possibility of all is that we’re alone in the Universe… Is anybody REALLY out there? Our probes hunt for signs not of intelligent life, but for primitive microbes As a science writer, I often wonder what could be the biggest story to break in my line of work, something which would put up a fight with the Second Coming for … Continue reading Are aliens out there? Heavens, I hope so!

Man ‘must prepare to meet alien life forms’ St Andrews University scientist tells conference that man now has more chance than ever of discovering life on other planets. 152841 The NGC 4414 galaxy as pictured by the Hubble Space Telescope Man has more chance than ever of discovering life on other planets – and mankind needs to prepare itself for meeting alien life forms for the first time, a Scoits scientist is to tell a conference on Monday. The conference – The Detection of Extra-Terrestrial Life and the Consequences for Science and Society – is taking place at the Royal … Continue reading St Andrews University scientist tells conference that man now has more chance than ever of discovering life on other planets.