SAJA & SAMMA are jointly holding a book event with Salman Ahmad, Junoon icon, musician, author and ambassador of peace. on Wed, Feb. 17, 2010, 6:30-8 pm. It is a public event at Columbia Journalism School in NYC. A documentary on Junoon and Salman Ahmad, narrated by Susan Sarandon will also be shown. The event will discuss Salman Ahmed’s new autobiography: Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution. The book is the story of Salman Ahmad’s passion for making music and of rock as a force to unite people. Every author likes to think his or her book … Continue reading Rock and Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution

Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha Last weekend I finally managed to get my hands on the DVD versions of two Pakistani films that I had once seen on the big screen many years ago, and was looking to do the same again, but this time in the privacy of my TV lounge. I went looking for them after a friend and I discussed the possibility of finding the cultural roots of what grew into mainstream socio-political extremism and myopia in Pakistan. One can pin-point almost all of Ziaul Haq’s cynical, Machiavellian farce in the name of Islam as containing the … Continue reading The films before the Mullah infestation of Pakistans film industry

Zia’s decade of darkness – by Iqbal Ahmad Khan By Iqbal Ahmad Khan The unenviable position of the most invidious of Pakistan’s rulers, among democrats and dictators alike, is occupied by Ziaul Haq, the dictator-general who died 21 years ago on Aug 17. The outward display of humility and affection masked a duplicitous and vengeful personality. These were reflected in the retrogressive and punitive measures the general unleashed on the benighted nation during more than a decade of unmitigated dictatorship. Whether it was the knotty Article 58-2(b), the much-exploited blasphemy laws or the promotion of a misogynous mindset, Pakistan and … Continue reading Zia ul Haq – Satans Mullah-e-Azam!

The notion propounded by some political parties and many individuals who should know better that ordinary people in Malakand and FATA back the Taliban as some kind of stand against the US was delivered a resounding blow in Swat, where the joint ANP-PPP candidate won by a big margin a provincial seat that lay vacant following the assassination of its MPA. He too had been affiliated with the ANP. Whereas this factor played a part in the victory for his brother, it is no coincidence that candidates of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf and the Jamaat-e-Islami finished last in the race, collecting … Continue reading Demolishing the myth of the cuddly adorable idolised Mullah

Sixty-two years after his assassination, some of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes, held in secret for decades by a family friend, are scattered at sea off the city of Durban. Participating in the final immersion rites are great grandaughters Asha and Ashish, grandaughter Ela Gandhi, great grandson Kidar Gandhi and grandson Satish Dhupelia. —AFP Photo DURBAN: Ashes of India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, kept for decades by a family friend after his assassination, were scattered Saturday off South Africa’s coast, his family said. “About 200 people attended. Everything went well, it was a beautiful ceremony,” said Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of the apostle … Continue reading Gandhi’s ashes scattered off South African coast

By Irfan Husain To be fair, Asif Zardari made a good start, surprising many by his efforts to create an inclusive alliance. –Photo by APP It isn’t often that I agree with Nawaz Sharif. However, when he said a few weeks ago that the PPP was its own worst enemy, he put his finger on the problem this government has faced since it was sworn in nearly two years ago. This was in response to Asif Zardari’s charge that he and his government were being targeted by ‘non-state actors’. Other PPP figures darkly alluded to the possibility of an army … Continue reading Power, perceptions and the PPP

Dawn Editorial Afghan President Hamid Karzai (R) shakes hands with Britain’s Foreign Minister David Miliband (2nd R) as Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown (L) and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2nd L) applaud him during the Opening Session of the Afghanistan Conference in London. –AFP Photo/Matt Dunham Is peace with the Taliban really possible? Going by what transpired in London on Thursday, the Afghan government and its western allies believe that a negotiated settlement is indeed the way forward. The idea, in essence, is to divide the insurgents in Afghanistan by winning over a bloc of ostensibly war-weary leaders and luring … Continue reading London summit

China blocks US military visits over Taiwan arms deal Beijing argued again on Saturday that the arms sales violated the US commitment to Beijing’s “One China policy”. — Photo by Reuters BEIJING: Beijing has suspended visits between the Chinese and US armed forces in protest at Washington’s plan to sell weapons worth 6.4 billion dollars to Taiwan, state media said Saturday. The defence ministry official in charge of foreign affairs, Qian Lihua, had summoned the US Embassy in Beijing’s defence attache on Saturday afternoon to complain about the arms deal, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Defence officials were not … Continue reading US encouraging Chinese-Taiwanese tension via arms deal?