By Mahir Ali dawn.com The US has the same idea in mind. US assistance, Richard Holbrooke declared on American television, “will be good not only for the people whose lives we save, but for the US image … The people of Pakistan will see that when the crisis hits, it’s not the Chinese. It’s not the Iranians. It’s not other countries. It’s not the EU. It’s the US that always leads.” – File Photo. Is there any government anywhere in the world that would not have been found wanting in the face of such a profound calamity as the unprecedented … Continue reading Don’t let flawed democracy drown

Hearts, minds and floods By Rafia Zakaria dawn,com  Workers arrange the US relief goods for flood victims which arrived at Karachi airport, Pakistan, on Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. – Photo by AP. It is the militants that the world is worried about. Weeks into the devastating floods that hit so many parts of Pakistan, the international media concentrated on one aspect of the issue: what this would do to Islamic militancy and the Taliban. Major newspapers and media outlets like the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, the BBC and the New York Times all angled their news coverage on … Continue reading Mullahs taking advantage of flood victims?

By Irfan Husain dawn.com Granted, nobody could have anticipated or planned for the magnitude of the disaster, but we have had more than our share of natural catastrophes, so our bureaucracy should have been able to respond more effectively. – Photo by Reuters. As my month-long stay in Canada comes to an end, I am struck by an event that has unexpectedly been so extensively covered by the media. Barely a day has gone past without an article, op-ed comment or a letter to the editor about what seemed like a mundane event. In short, the crisis – if one … Continue reading The foreign hand strikes again

dawn.com In a picture taken on August 15, 2010 a reader points to news on local news portals on the Internet in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia bumps along the bottom of international rankings for press freedom, but the explosion of social media like Twitter and Facebook is revolutionising how journalists work. -AFP Photo Sci-Tech Politicians wary as Aussie voters embrace social media WHAT NOW? Reaction on the streets KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia bumps along the bottom of international rankings for press freedom, but the explosion of social media like Twitter and Facebook is revolutionising how journalists work. Dissenting views, which for decades … Continue reading Malaysians use social media to bypass censorship

Foreign media-ocrity by Guest “It’s such an exciting time to be in Pakistan.” This is a line one hears time and again from every new arrival of foreigners that lands at Islamabad airport. From the US Secretary of State, to the new foreign service employees at an international embassy, to the newest international media correspondent, Pakistan seems to be the new land of opportunity.  Except that this opportunity doesn’t really work for us too much, considering we were declared the most dangerous country in the world last year and now, because of natural disasters, are at our absolute lowest point. … Continue reading Media-ocrity

BOOK REVIEW: Bringing a legend to life —by Dr Amjad Parvez Momi Gaind — Translations of Maupassant’s short stories By Dr Kauser Mahmood Takhleeqaat; Pp 160; Rs 150 French history is rich with art and culture. One of its famous short story writers is Henri-René-Albert-Guy de Maupassant. Dr Kauser Mahmood, a dental surgeon by profession and a poet-cum-translator by passion, has translated eight short stories by Maupassant from French to Urdu in the form of a book titled Momi Gainde. Before we enter this work we must find out, for the benefit of our younger generation, who Maupassant was. Maupassant … Continue reading Momi Gaind — Translations of Maupassant’s short stories

PURPLE PATCH: The history craze —Margaret MacMillan History, and not necessarily the sort that professional historians are doing, is widely popular these days, even in North America, where we have tended to look toward the future rather than the past. It can be partly explained by market forces. People are better educated and, particularly in the mature economies, have more leisure time and are retiring from work earlier. Not everyone wants to retire to a compound in the sun and ride adult tricycles for amusement. History can be helpful in making sense of the world we live in. It can … Continue reading The history craze

PENSIEVE: How not to run a democracy —Farrukh Khan Pitafi There is no point in alienating those who still think that democracy is our best chance. We need grace, vision and dedication from our leadership at this moment. The future of democracy in my humble view and the scope of progress has never been more jeopardised in the country A big portion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is under water. It is a tragedy of sorts. The national infrastructure is gone, the national spirit crushed and of course the country in hot economic waters. And frankly why should it … Continue reading How not to run a democracy

COMMENT: The partition narrative —Ismail Khan Many might argue that the survivors or victims of the Bangladesh tragedy were those who hardly shared the same location as West Pakistan and, therefore, the lessons were not internalised. The same could also be said about the Taliban, who were initially thought of as a far-flung problem It is 63 years since Pakistan emerged as an independent state on the map of the world. Variably referred to as the birth of Pakistan, partition of India or independence of India and Pakistan, the event is important not only for global and national power politics, … Continue reading The partition narrative

COMMENT: The river beyond —Dr Mohammad Taqi Political leaders must take charge of shaping the narrative of this disaster and the recovery from it. They must articulate clearly and consistently that the gods are not in the business of unleashing havoc on innocent people and whole societies are not punished for the misdeeds of a few It may sound like a cliché but the late Munir Niazi’s words ring truer today than ever before: “Ik aur darya ka samna tha Munir mujh ko, Mein aik darya kay paar utra to mein ne dekha.” The translation of the above verse cannot … Continue reading The river beyond