By Jawed Naqvi dawn.com India it is clear does not live by Dr Singh’s vaunted miracles or anyone else’s. It manages somehow to keep its integrity in spite of their widely acknowledged counsel. – File Photo. I am in Mustafabad for the weekend. It’s a small village at the halfway mark on a refurbished dual-carriage road which links Lucknow with Allahabad. Gandhi had sent Nehru here to bring his message of non-violence to agitating peasants. The young apprentice found himself equally if not more at ease with Muslim and Hindu landlords who governed the area, first for the Shia nawabs of … Continue reading Defying Indian stereotypes

by Jawad Muzaffar Let us all mourn for the family of the two brothers who were killed by an angry mob in the presence of police officials in Sialkot last week. My heart compelled me to write this due to the depression and anxiety that has been looming in my mind after hearing about the brutal killings. Pakistan has been going through a terrible crisis situation. No one knows where this country is going, but it certainly does not feel like we are heading in the right direction. Is this is the beginning of some terrible end? Everyone has a … Continue reading Mourning the Sialkot killings

by Shyema A judicial executioner, someone whose job description in simple terms requires him to kill, covers his face when he carries out a death sentence. The reasons for this vary from law to law, but one thing is for certain, no executioner would probably want his face displayed each time he drops the rope. I am not sure however, if this sentiment applies to the angry Pakistani mobs who have boldly taken to the streets to burn, beat and kill anyone who may have allegedly done something wrong. Hiding faces or identities is not even necessary here where even … Continue reading Murder will out

Skepticism Widespread in Mideast Over New Peace Talks by: Sheera Frenkel and Margaret Talev, McClatchy Newspapers Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu. (Photo: Moshe Milner GPO) Jerusalem – As the Obama administration heralded a new round of face-to-face talks on Mideast peace, the abiding reaction across the region Friday was skepticism, with many expressing doubt that conditions are ripe for much to come from negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The talks are set to resume Sept. 2 after nearly two years. Several coalition partners of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as members of his Likud Party, have threatened to … Continue reading Guess What: Mideast Peace Talks WILL Fail!

The Allen telescope array will comprise 350 telescopes listening for ET signals A senior astronomer has said that the hunt for alien life should take into account alien “sentient machines”. Seti, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has until now sought radio signals from worlds like Earth. But Seti astronomer Seth Shostak argues that the time between aliens developing radio technology and artificial intelligence (AI) would be short. Writing in Acta Astronautica, he says that the odds favour detecting such alien AI rather than “biological” life. Many involved in Seti have long argued that nature may have solved the problem of … Continue reading Alien hunters ‘should look for artificial intelligence’

Sialkot district police chief detained Monday, 23 Aug, 2010 // <![CDATA[// // <![CDATA[// Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is reported to have requested Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to suspend Mr Chohan for being responsible for the incident. – AP Photo National Lynching of brothers: case against 14 policemen LAHORE: Sialkot’s District Police Officer Waqar Ahmad Chohan was detained for 30 days on Sunday in connection with the lynching of two brothers by a mob. According to an executive order issued by the Sialkot District Coordination Officer, Mr Chohan would be detained by police and kept in police custody for 30. … Continue reading Haraamzada – W A Chohan detained?

Zardari heads ranking of leaders ‘who were absent when needed most’ WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari, who was touring Europe while Pakistan was ravaged by the worst floods seen in almost a century, has topped a unique list of influential people who were conspicuously absent when they were needed the most. Releasing the list of five such people, the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine said that Zardari was travelling in Europe, while millions of people were in dire straits due to the devastating floods and hundreds of others were targets of political violence in his country. “For a world leader, being … Continue reading US magazine unveils list

Daughters of Al Huda The writer is a director at the South Asia Free Media Association, Lahore khaled.ahmed@tribune.com.pk We are wrong to look for terrorist tracts in the madrassa. The suicide bomber is not made through syllabi but through isolation from society. When we wish to produce a normal citizen we begin by socialising the child. Anyone withdrawing from society by rejecting its norms is ripe for the plucking by the terrorists. The residential madrassa does that. In Islamabad, a number of female “dars” groups are busy doing that in varying degrees. Sadaf Ahmad is an assistant professor at the … Continue reading Al Huda – Encourage it or Ban it?

Stone in the midst of all The writer is contributing editor, The Friday Times In his novel Shame Salman Rushdie’s character Saleem remarks that “no people whose word for ‘yesterday’ is the same as their word for ‘tomorrow’ can be said to have a firm grip on the time”. Earlier in the novel, the narrator finds it difficult to tell the story of Khayam, remarking that “it seems that the future cannot be restrained, and insists on seeping back into the past.” Writing a book review in August 2008, Khaled Ahmed ended his argument thus: “Jadeed (modern) in Arabic comes … Continue reading Yes The Taliban and The Lynch Mob were Muslims!

VIEW: Direct Action Day: lessons to be learnt — II —Yasser Latif Hamdani The real tragedy that unfolded on August 16, 1946 was that Jinnah had transformed into precisely the kind of politician he had warned his old friend Gandhi against becoming. He gave up the fine wisdom of the old ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity and chose instead to walk the perilous course of disorder and chaos The truth is that the Muslim League could not afford mass-scale Hindu-Muslim violence in Calcutta or in India. Suhrawardy was in power through a cross-communal ministry, which depended as much on Hindu support … Continue reading Direct Action Day: lessons to be learnt