Pressurised by the right-wing political-religious parties, the Z A. Bhutto regime’s “socialism” (called ‘Islamic Socialism’) was presented by Bhutto and his party’s central think-tank as something closer to ‘true Islamic aspirations.’ However, rather ironically, the cultural tactics that his regime used to paint the regime’s socialist credentials as something nearer to Islam actually ended up contributing to the symbolism that in-turn became instrumental in the making and emergence of the 1976 right-wing anti-Bhutto “Nizam-e-Mustapha” movement. For example, all that self-righteous mocking of liberal fads and fashions in many of the decade’s Pakistani films in which, for example, a liberated woman, … Continue reading Filming irony

Thursday, 07 Jan, 2010 Pakistani policemen stand guard in Islamabad. – AFP (File Photo) ISLAMABAD: Security agencies arrested a top Tehreek-e-Taliban operative from Islamabad on Thursday. Forces also recovered a stolen military vehicle from his possession, which he was planning to use for a future suicide attack. Sources told DawnNews in Islamabad that the TTP operative, Israr Amin, belongs to District Hangu in the NWFP. During the initial investigation, the TTP operative disclosed that he had snatched five military vehicles from the tribal areas and the NWFP, and had used them to launch attacks against military targets. The arrested operative … Continue reading Top Terror Mullah arrested in Islamabad

By Dr Tariq Rahman Like sweatshops the world over the call centres of Pakistan are the new sites for the extension of globalised capitalist market practices and the ideology which underlies them. –File Sweatshops exist because workers in poor countries take lower wages to do the same kind of labour as their counterparts in developed, postindustrial societies. Corporate investors can get their products manufactured cheaply and sell these at a much higher price with their brand name. Call centres are also based on this basic principle. They exist because the rapid development in communications, especially the telephone and Internet, make … Continue reading Linguistic sweatshops

Thursday, 07 Jan, 2010 Children are the biggest victims of the war in Afghanistan, with more than 1,050 juveniles younger than 18 years old killed last year alone, according to an Afghan human rights watchdog. –AFP Photo/Tauseef Mustafa KABUL: Children are the biggest victims of the war in Afghanistan, with more than 1,050 people under 18 years old killed last year alone, according to an Afghan human rights watchdog. Taliban-linked militants caused around 64 per cent of all violent child deaths last year, the Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said in a report. Children were also press-ganged, sexually exploited, deprived of … Continue reading Afghan war kills three children a day

Are classes run by imams for young offenders the best means to tackle Islamic extremism and prevent prisons becoming ‘universities of terror Rowenna Davis The Guardian, Wednesday 6 January 2010 Imam Abdul Dayan conducts one of his twice-weekly sessions with prisoners at Aylesbury young offender institution. Photograph: Graham Turner The prisoners pad onto the mosque’s blue carpet in their socks. Before them, the grey-bearded Imam Abdul Dayan sits cross-legged on the floor. He waits until his pupils – 10 male prisoners at Aylesbury young offender institution (YOI), Buckinghamshire – are seated quietly, then he begins: “Islam is your guiding force. … Continue reading Islamic prisoners’ path to inner peace

Tayyab Siddiqui Trade relations with India have been a subject of contention and controversy for long. Popular opinion in Pakistan dictates that these relations be rejected until the Kashmir issue is settled. Others hold the view that trade and commerce have their own dynamics and may not be held hostage to political differences. The controversy has been raging for decades. India, besides bilateral efforts, has also used the SAARC platform to secure bilateral trade and transit rights through Pakistan to have access to Afghanistan and the land-locked Central Asian states. The political situation in Afghanistan, involvement of US and other … Continue reading Trade with India

Iqbal Haider In the most gloomy atmosphere around us in Pakistan, we had no reason to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The morning of Jan 1, 2010, however, gave us a pleasant surprise when we read that the editors of the Jang group in Pakistan and of the Times of India group have taken a bold initiative to join hands for promotion of peace, economic prosperity, education and health much needed by the one-and-half-billion people of our two countries. This was not the only good news on Jan 1. The civil society in Pakistan, realising the importance of peace had also … Continue reading Joint venture for peace

Mohammad Jamil The Indian Army is now revising its five-year-old doctrine to effectively meet the challenges of war with China and Pakistan, deal with asymmetric and fourth-generation warfare, and enhance strategic reach and joint operations with the IAF and Navy The future of Asia, as an engine of growth for the rest of the world or the region marred with war and threats of war, depends on the leaderships of the countries of the region. When army generals start issuing policy statements and do not watch their words, the consequences could be disastrous. The unveiling of the ‘two-front’ strategy by … Continue reading Will General Kapoors war last 96 hours?