Zafar Hilaly Obama is far too busy trying to prove that he is not a wimp to act as a statesman. However, had Pakistan spelt out the terms for its cooperation, a great deal of pressure on the government not to toe the disastrous US policy would have abated “You let a bully into your front yard, the next day he will be on your porch,” said Lyndon Johnson (while referring to Vietnam). Pakistanis feel the same. Our leaders let the US into their front yard several decades ago and today there is an American presence not only in our … Continue reading Friends, masters and bullies!

Saga of a 15-year-old Quantum note Friday, January 15, 2010 Dr Muzaffar Iqbal On the Day when graves will be opened, all will rush towards God, we are told, and on that day bones will speak and the good Lord will judge each and everyone human being who ever lived on this sad and tortured earth. On that day, the saga of a 15-year-boy caught in Afghanistan by the American Special Forces, tortured, and then flown to that outpost of humanity called Guantanamo Bay, may not stand out as the worst crime of humanity. But here below, it certainly stands … Continue reading Omar Khadr must be released

By Kuldip Nayar Indian Army Chief Deepak Kapoor gives a press conference in New Delhi. — AFP It was a welcome coincidence that both Bangladesh and Pakistan figured in the recent discussions in New Delhi. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed was on her first official visit after a landslide electoral victory last year. Top Pakistan lawyers, academicians and human rights activists sat in the capital with their counterparts to find ‘A Road to Peace’. What was common to both meetings was the search for peace. Both took certain decisions which, if implemented, will yield numerous benefits. The difference is that … Continue reading In search of peace despite General Kapoors political erections

Dawn Editorial The recent video showing Hakeemullah Mehsud seated next to the Jordanian suicide bomber makes nonsense of the American claim that while the Pakistani state’s actions against the TTP are a start, the real work against groups such as the Quetta shura and the Haqqani network is yet to begin. – Photo by Reuters. Pakistan Afghan soil being used for terrorism: ISI chief Is Hakeemullah Mehsud dead? History suggests we must wait until we can know for sure: the TTP leader has risen from the ‘dead’ before. But two observations are in order. First, even if Hakeemullah has been … Continue reading The Taliban – Zombie Mullahs of Pakistan!

Islam4UK has been pilloried and banned For many the plan to have a demonstration by an Islamist group attacking the actions of soldiers in Wootton Bassett, where the bodies of servicemen are received, is offensive and should be stopped. But should there be a level of protection for soldiers that trumps freedom of speech, asks ethicist David Rodin. Many people believe that the invasion of Iraq was unjust and a growing number question the legitimacy of the war in Afghanistan, yet many of those same people passionately hold that those who served in those wars should be honoured as heroes. … Continue reading Should we be free to criticise serving soldiers?

Nasa photographs ‘trees’ on Mars By Ben Leach TELEGRAPH Comments  The “trees” are really trails of debris caused by landslides as ice melts in Mars’s spring Photo: NASA The images appear to show rows of dark “conifers” sprouting from dunes and hills on the planet surface. But the scene is actually an optical illusion. The photographs actually show sand dunes coated with a thin layer of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, less than 240 miles from the planet’s north pole. Related Articles Urine damages Space Station Nasa telescope detects five planets outside the solar system A decade of scientific … Continue reading A Nasa probe has sent back photographs of what appears to be trees on the planet’s surface.

Posted by Sana Saleem  In the first-ever, one-on-one interview by any US president to the Pakistani media, President Barack Obama assured Pakistan that the US had no desire to seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons or to send US troops inside the country. However, in the same interview he avoided commenting on drone attacks. While answering questions on the South Waziristan offensive, he candidly suggested that there are decisions that ultimately need to be made by the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people. The position of the US is that they are partners in the process of seeking to root out extremism … Continue reading Drone fury

Holy SMS Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha  Pakistanis love emailing and text messaging quotes from hadiths and assorted religious paraphernalia. I usually ignore such messages because in my mind I imagine a holy punter who is convinced that each email or SMS of his is getting him that much closer to booking a cosy place in heaven. The truth is that this (albeit irritating) activity is actually better than a holy bum blowing himself up in public to find that same place in Paradise. However, last Monday, as I again received my share of emails and SMSes quoting hadith and … Continue reading SMS and the secret Mullah?