Posted by Asif Akhtar The past few days have been very eventful as far as public statements in Pakistani politics go. Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has been under heavy fire from all political corners over a statement where he reportedly asked the Taliban to stop attacking the Punjab because the PMLN like the Taliban was also against foreign dictation in Pakistan’s affairs. While the media pounced on this tone of compromise, acting as a catalyst for a full-fledged Sharif-bashing session, Salman Taseer, Governer of the Punjab and Sharif’s arch-nemesis, wasted no time in condemning the statement as defeatist. Influential … Continue reading You’re a Taliban. No! You’re a Taliban! Your Dad is! No Your Dad is! Your MUM!!!

Talibangate By Cyril Almeida dawn.com Shahbaz Sharif was saying, I get it, God, country and family is my motto, too. I feel your pain. Support me and I’ll take care of you. –Photo by AP Shahbaz Sharif’s boo-boo had everyone up in arms. Even his party folks struggled to explain it away with a modicum of believability. But nobody wanted to talk about what he was really doing. Shahbaz is first and foremost a politician. Like all politicians, he’s always thinking about votes. And like most politicians, he can sometimes go over the top in the pursuit of said votes. … Continue reading Talibangate! it seems the Sharifs are up to their old tricks again?

Serbia is trying to distract us from the real war criminals Diana Jenkins says that she risked £300,000 posting bail for Ejup Ganic, the former president of Bosnia, because the accusations of war crimes he faces are false. telegraph.co.uk LEFT: Former Bosnian President Ejup Ganic RIGHT: Diana Jenkins who says that the accusations against Ganic are false Photo: AP Ejup Ganic, the former president of Bosnia, would still be languishing in Wandsworth prison because of politically motivated war crimes charges issued by Serbia, had I not risked £300,000 to post bail for a man I have never met. I did … Continue reading Serbia trying to distract us from war criminals

Trudging on —Gulmina Bilal Ahmad It is imperative to understand that we need to win the war and not just the battle. While we rightly pat ourselves and the police, military and paramilitary forces for their work, we need to remind ourselves and them that the war is yet to be won In the wake of the tragic Lahore blasts, the discussion of the ethnicity of the Taliban and the success of the operations against them has received a new impetus. During the discussions, there are those who are identified as the Punjabi Taliban — who apparently also took responsibility … Continue reading When and how do we take on the Punjabi Taliban?

A waste of women —Zaair Hussain When we herd women away from their passions and their talents and the true, full measure of their potential towards a marriage, any marriage, we are beggaring ourselves as a society, one broken dream, one abandoned gift, one wasted woman at a time The problems of Pakistani women are a monstrous diamond, with a thousand sharp facets and an incredible density. This article is not about those unfortunate souls who are denied education or even basic subsistence. It is about those women who are trapped not by the solid walls of circumstance but by … Continue reading Deny women education and destroy your nations future!

Three cups of tea —Ralph Shaw It seems that Greg Mortenson’s projects in the rural and forgotten areas of Pakistan are motivated by a genuine compassion for the downtrodden. However, it also seems that he is not immune from letting himself be used by the security establishment of his country It seems almost a sacrilege to entertain doubts about a great humanitarian figure. Especially one whose charitable school projects have helped many impoverished children get a modicum of education in the remote mountain communities of Pakistan and who is the winner of the Sitara-e-Pakistan, the country’s highest civil award. However, … Continue reading Sometimes we all have to talk to terrorists and spies to help normal people…

—Zeeshan Suhail Reality TV has its flaws and its positives, but it needs to balance the competing interest of prying into the lives of others (so we can see their ‘reality’), with the desire to be marketed to mass audiences I have long been fascinated with the way reality TV has captivated our hearts and minds. Before the first episode of the ‘Real World’ (on MTV) ever aired, we were doing just fine; no need to invade celebrity’s private spaces. But now, nearly 20 years later, we are absolutely, wholly and completely obsessed with every facet of the lives of … Continue reading The reality of reality TV

Shahbaz Sharif’s Taliban entreaties —Zafar Hilaly We can be sure that when the Taliban do not respond positively to his entreaties, Mr Sharif will not blame the Taliban, or fate, but Musharraf, the PPP, the MQM, the Americans, the Indians, the British, the Nigerians, the Somalis, in fact everybody but the Taliban At the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Yasser Arafat was asked what advice he had for Bill Clinton. “Bill Clinton,” he said, “should remember that goats don’t talk.” Mr Shahbaz Sharif should perhaps also remember that silence can, on occasions, be full of potential wisdom, because one … Continue reading Shahbaz Sharif’s Taliban Love!

The way men see it Posted by Murtaza Ali Jafri It is a well acknowledged fact that men and women think differently. What those differences are, however, remain under-explored. Here’s my attempt, then, to point out just how different men are. Face Value When a guy is on Facebook and see’s a girl whose profile picture is a cartoon, he doesn’t think how cute that is; instead, he assumes that she’s fat, ugly, or a mutation of both. He is also likely to laud her ‘wonderful’ personality. For these reasons, perhaps, women see diets as a way to improve their … Continue reading The way men see it – Women and similar creatures…

No respite from fear By I.A. Rehman dawn.com The militants’ real strength does not lie in their arms, it lies in the pockets of support for them in Pakistani society. –Photo by AFP/A Majeed Apart from the loss of a large number of precious lives, this month’s terrorist attacks have deepened the people’s sense of insecurity and despair mainly because they cannot see when and how the wave of terrorism will end. One of the causes of the people’s anxiety is the realisation that the militants are usually one step ahead of the security agencies. The latter seem to rely … Continue reading Like Asses Pakistanis have been used by any and every type of goon using Islam as a control tool