Got any ID? These checks are out of hand Challenging the culture of routine checks on British citizens’ identities is as crucial as taking on the ID card scheme Josie Appleton guardian.co.uk Both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives have said they would scrap ID cards, and this is good news. What is equally important, however, is the way in which ID cards are used. Citizens in some countries with national ID cards (such as France or Spain) rarely show them on a day-to-day basis. Paradoxically, we don’t yet have cards, but we do have a culture of routine ID … Continue reading Ask me ‘Got any ID?’ and I will reply ‘You want a kick in the nuts?’

Don’t interfere with campus conflicts Debate in universities needs to be had – but it shouldn’t be interfered with by outsiders deciding what is or isn’t acceptable Antony Lerman guardian.co.uk I was a Jewish student at the then very radical Sussex University in the early 70s and have vivid memories of having to face campus extremism. I was regularly accosted by Maoists who backed me into a corner in the library cafe and harangued me with a kind of stream of consciousness about the iniquities of the west and the wonders of the cultural revolution. This had nothing to do … Continue reading Debate in universities needs to be had – but it shouldn’t be interfered with by outsiders deciding what is or isn’t acceptable

Comment: The last chance for a great generation —Zaair Hussain Our young elite are our future leaders. They, too, must be nurtured, must be directed and beyond all must be given hope that, with them, their country stands a chance. Hope is the air without which patriotism cannot blaze This aphorism oft rings like a bell without a clapper: hollow and pointless. After all, children were also our past, and our present plainly and evidently leaves a great deal to be desired. But there are moments in history that breathe life into tired phrases, and it is a matter of … Continue reading Pakistans youth are the last chance for its survival

Hawalas trouble US anti-terror probes dawn.com Faisal Shahzad is also believed to have tapped into such a network to help fund a plot to detonate a car bomb at Times Square on May 1. — Photo by Reuters World US arrests three in Times Square bomb probe US arrests three in Times Square bomb probe NEW YORK: Long before there was MoneyGram and Western Union, people in South Asian countries often used an informal network of brokers, called a ”hawala,” to transfer money over long distances when it was too inconvenient or dangerous to send cash by courier. Today, the … Continue reading Halwa eating Hawalawalas trouble the FBI?

Dr Shaikh’s therapy Dawn Editorial Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani having a meeting with Advisor on Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh at PM House, May 12, 2010. – Online Photo. At a rare media briefing, Dr Hafeez Shaikh, advisor on finance, hinted at Pakistan going back to the IMF for more funds if revenue-generation measures at home fall short of meeting budgetary targets. “You may have to consider… IMF can be a source,” he said. His statement amounts to an admission that the current $11.3bn loan from the IMF has failed to produce the intended results and that Pakistan needs to … Continue reading Pakistans Deepak Chopra?

Taliban find safe haven in Karachi dawn.com The arrest of dozens of low-key members of the TTP from the metropolis is evidence of their presence: officials – AP (File Photo) Provinces Taliban cut off hands of three tribesmen Taliban cut off hands of three tribesmen KARACHI: Hundreds of Taliban fleeing from Pakistan’s restive northwest have taken refuge in the teeming commercial hub of Karachi, where a growing nexus with banned militant organisations is a headache for law enforcement. A huge Pashtun population, mostly in the suburbs of the city of 18 million people, provides shelter to these militants, according to … Continue reading Where are the Taliban?

Meet the opportunists by Nadeem F. Paracha I have never been able to understand the cultural dynamics of what is called the Pakistan fashion industry, particularly the notion of holding ‘fashion weeks’ which, at least to me, seem to last for months. There is nothing new in saying that the so-called Pakistan fashion scene constitutes the minutest percentage of the population when we start counting the number of designers, models, ‘fashion journalists,’ and audience members for fashion shows in this country. Their activities carry not an iota of social relevance whatsoever. To me they’re quite a useless bunch and I … Continue reading The Sex-obsessed, alcoholic, drugged up fashionistas and their excuses for terrorist Mullahs!

Making the impossible possible By Kalsoom Lakhani dawn.com “There is no doubt that societies that fail to invest in their women – essentially 50 per cent of their work force – can never prosper or develop.” – AFP (File Photo) Business 15pc duty imposed on yarn export 15pc duty imposed on yarn export In 1996, the Kashf Foundation became Pakistan’s first microfinance institution, empowering both women and families in an attempt to replicate the Grameen Bank model. Today, 14 years later, Kashf has 152 branches nationwide, boasts 305,938 supported families, and operates its branches using a franchise model, allowing for … Continue reading Empowering poor women to start businesses

Gatecrashing the party by Farooq Nomani Many critics and fans alike may term Pakistan’s backdoor route into the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup as a travesty of justice, a lucky break, a gross coincidence of errors, maybe even a cardinal sin. I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who is of that opinion. In fact, I’d nod my head in solemn agreement if an incensed non-Pakistani cricket follower got in my face and spluttered his discontent about how we hadn’t even earned our place in the second round, let alone the semis. Pakistan’s ascension to the semifinal has been a story of … Continue reading Back door Pakistanis?

dawn.com With thousands of casualties in the conflict between the Taliban and the army, the psychological toll has largely gone unnoticed. — File photo Pakistan Zardari promises fair LB elections Zardari promises fair LB elections PESHAWAR: Rifaat Ramzan lay in a hospital bed with a blank stare, still traumatised weeks after losing his best friend, Noman, to a suicide bomber. “He had just told me how it is good to dream and we will achieve our dreams,” said Ramzan, who began sleeping with a gun under his pillow, fearful he too will be killed in Pakistan’s relentless violence. “This man … Continue reading Pakistani psychologists issue conflict health warning