Pakistan radicals rule the streets
TENS of thousands of people crowded the streets of Lahore late on Sunday demanding freedom for the assassin of Punjab governor Salman Taseer. The…
A constructed enemy?
Multiple subjectivities plague any ‘objective’ measurement of anti-American sentiments in Pakistan Since the end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Pakistani society has been…
Karachi Literature Festival 2011 Programme
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE All set for the 2nd Karachi Literature Festival Karachi (31 January 2011): The 2nd Karachi Literature Festival is all set to…
Could there be a liberal resurgence in Pakistan? Lawmaker Sherry Rehman says she’s working on it.
By Issam Ahmed Fri Jan 28 | Karachi, Pakistan – Liberal Pakistani lawmaker Sherry Rehman left a comfortable life researching a book in London…
On human rights, courts and governance
My interview Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch published in The Friday Times No government institution, including the courts, should be immune from…
Jinnah’s Pakistan is not dead
In recent weeks, several commentators have dwelt upon the amorphous notion of Jinnah’s Pakistan, challenging its notional contours and exposing its overt ideological underpinnings.…
Salmaan Taseer: A life less ordinary
Remembering the man that was Salmaan Taseer o these liars and swindlers, these contractors of faith I am a rebel, I am a rebel…
Last chance for Pakistan
Taseer’s brutal murder has exposed every faultline of contemporary Pakistan The brutal assassination of Governor Punjab, Salmaan Taseer by a staff member of Punjab’s…
Mixed emotions complicate Punjab governor’s assassination
Salman Masood [NATION] ISLAMABAD // Analysts said yesterday that the assassination of Salman Taseer shows the extent of extremism in a deeply divided society…
Another blow to Pakistan: Salmaan Taseer killed by extremism
Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s brutal murder at the hands of a security personnel is a cruel reminder of where we have landed ourselves: in…
Veena Malik and the moral brigade
Pakistan’s electronic media is now a repository of the grand opinion setters of the Urdu press. Almost all channels have employed conservative writers of…
On Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
C.M. Naim’s, A Professor Emiretus had shared this some months ago: “What an extraordinary man he was. Iftikhar Alam Sahib has been publishing books…
Democracy – the only option
Much has been elaborated on the binding constraints faced by Pakistani democracy. Conventional wisdom suggests that the civil-military imbalance has left little space for…
In and out of Isloo
I have waited, walked and sometimes slept…the reluctant memories of lounges live with me When I think of an airport, I envisage chaos, delays…
Our brotherly friends
Thanks to sensational reporting on WikiLeaks, the relationship of Pakistan with Saudi Arabia has been spotlighted. We have known of ideological links between radical…
Pakistan: It is time for the judiciary to address incompetence and prejudice within its own ranks
Ali Dayan Hasan, Senior South Asia Researcher for Human Rights Watch, spoke to Raza Rumi about the blasphemy law. What is your position on…
Wikileaks and Pakistan
The WikiLeaks saga has reconfirmed the status of Pakistan as a client state. Its leadership – civilian and military – as a matter of…
Le grande exposé: South Asia and WikiLeaks
An extraordinary exposé through WikiLeaks has shaken the closed doors diplomacy and the global security establishment, which flourishes on a culture of secrecy. The…
Remembering Faiz and his Culture Policy of early 1970s
Today is the 26th death anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz whose life and works are national assets. Faiz was a torchbearer of the glorious…
Islands of Hope – Life and Works of Akhter Hameed Khan
Raza Rumi reviews a book on the life and works of Akhter Hameed Khan, a legendary development guru “It is not enough to say…