The almost forgotten radical message of Iqbal
I am reposting this old blog on Iqbal Day: God, You created the night, I made the lamp You created the earth, I made…
What It Means To Be A Pakistani. Exploring South Asian Diaspora With Raza Rumi
The following interview is conducted by Daneesh Majid with Raza Rumi Ahmad on the subjects of identity, society and culture. A man who has…
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…
Afghanistan: no cooperation, no stability
This is a shorter version of a brief which was prepared for Pakistani Senate’s standing committee on Defence. Also published here. Full report here…
The killings of Shias is a rude wake-up call for the saner elements in our state and society
My piece published today in TNS “The joke is that those who raise the slogan of Islam in the loudest voices have nothing to…
Destruction of Lahore’s Walled City is rampant as restoration efforts remain sketchy
One of my three reports published earlier this year in Herald’s annual issue on heritage Lahore fabled Walled City is now a grand metaphor…
The enigma that is Pakistan (book review)
Anatol Lieven’s new book is not just a contemporary account of Pakistan, it also attempts to present an alternative narrative of what is often…
Greater role for women in decision-making
Last week, I was invited to speak at a seminar on ‘Exploring the Gender Friendliness in Democratic Institutions’ orgnaised by The South Asia Partnership…
The debate on new provinces in Pakistan
Since 1977, military or quasi-military governments have ruled Pakistan. The basic tenet of such a governance structure has been centralization and denial of multiple…
Towards a decentralised Pakistan
Without civil service reform, devolution of policy setting will be unachievable and the current reform may just not achieve its intended purposes On July…
Sense and sovereignty in Kafkastan
I just returned from Karachi, where the city was outraged at the unscheduled, endless power cuts. Everywhere, the energy crisis dominated the discussions. In…
OBL saga and Pakistan’s crisis of governance
My piece for The News, Pakistan As details of Operation Geronimo unfold, more and more questions are being raised regarding Pakistan’s role in the…
Pakistan media: Through the looking glass
It is ironic that the electronic media which played a major role in the movement against a military dictatorship is now being cited as…
The land of his dreams
Professor Javaid Iqbal Syed’s memoir traverses the political and the personal, the mundane and the sublime, and weaves a narrative that reflects the decades…
Witch hunt grips Pakistan as bloody political assassinations deplete liberal ranks
By Amanda Hodge IT says much about Pakistan’s McCarthyist atmosphere that the television presenter whom many accuse of inciting the political assassinations rocking 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…
Taliban suicide bomber dressed as schoolboy kills 31 army cadets
By Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent, The Independent Pakistan’s army suffered a damaging blow after a suicide bomber believed to be in his teens and…
Before it’s too late
Pakistan’s radicalization is now a threat to its society and the region. Whilst General Zia ul Haq will be remembered for institutionalizing extremism, most…
Asma Jahangir – A formidable fighter
Fearless and a formidable fighter, Asma Jahangir personifies the struggles Pakistanis have initiated against shameful cultural practices, discriminatory legislation and executive excess. A frail…
On secularism, Jinnah and Pakistan
My contribution for Jinnah Institute’s secular space What are we fighting for? What are we aiming at? It is not theocracy, not for a…