With its 436 elected members representing every corner of Pakistan, Parliament is the voice of the people. As such, it has the constitutional as well as the moral authority to tackle the most serious issues facing the nation. For this reason, the bill moved by MNA Khurram Jahangir Wattoo to require all defence-related agreements to [...]
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Quitting is not a virtue
February 1st, 2012
by Mukhtar Ahmed
by Mukhtar Ahmed
Squash was my first love. I have fond memories of coming back from school and waiting eagerly for the clock to strike 4pm so I could jump in the car with my father and accompany my him to Services Club where he would play tennis (which I grew to love later on) and the younger [...]
Punjab’s Growing Militant Problem
January 30th, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
Banned militant groups were out in force again in Punjab. In Rawalpindi, a rally supposedly against ‘unconstitutional activities’ of Ahmadis turned into a demonstration of sectarian hate as speakers demanded that Ahmadis stop all religious activities including worshipping in their own properties. Participants sent a loud message of hate and violence as they waved the [...]
Roti ki koi shehriat nahi hoti
January 27th, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
Two items in the news this week should be dominating the discussion of current events. First is that 100 people in Lahore have now died from contaminated drugs. Adding insult to injury is that fact that, according to Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, the victims tended to be the poor who received the drugs for free. [...]
Pakistan’s First Oscar Nomination
January 26th, 2012
by Mukhtar Ahmed
by Mukhtar Ahmed
It came as a surprise to me when I read this Dawn article yesterday talking about Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, journalist and documentarian, becoming the first ever Pakistani film maker to earn an Oscar nomination with her film ‘Saving Face’. Having gotten used to the clichéd and extremely average movies coming out of our very own [...]
How to eliminate foreign meddling in Pakistan
January 23rd, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
If there’s one thing that is virtually agreed upon across our politically divided nation it is that there is too much foreign meddling in Pakistan. Where people tend to disagree is on the details. Is the problem America’s war on terror? Or is it Wahhabi madrassas funded from the Gulf? Or is it secret Hindu-Zionist [...]
Memogate: Another contradiction? Time to wrap it up…
January 21st, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
I would not dare to term Mansoor Ijaz as a bald faced liar. Mr Ijaz is an ultra-wealthy international businessman represented by attorney Akram Shiekh and the special guest of the Army for an appearance before the Supreme Court. That is not a hornets nest I want to find myself in the middle of. So [...]
Corruption, and the appearance of corruption
January 20th, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
Corruption is well known to be a problem of society. Most complaints about corruption center around the illegitimate amassing of wealth by elites who use public office and public resources for their own personal gain. By reducing the amount of money available for public improvements, corruption of this sort does great harm to the country. [...]
No Country For Women
January 19th, 2012
by Sidra Jafri
by Sidra Jafri
When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) delivered the gift of Islam, he brought a revolution in women’s rights. Women were to be respected in Islam. Women were to have rights. This was not only to be found in the teachings of Qur’an, but in the lessons of the Sunnah also. Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) first wife Khadija was [...]
Oh no…I agree with The Nation
January 15th, 2012
by Mahmood Adeel
by Mahmood Adeel
That’s right. Mark your calendars. Today may be a historic day. I agree (partly) with The Nation. The piece I am referring to, even more strangely it seems, is an editorial about drone strikes. What has changed my mind you ask? Nothing. Allow me to explain. When drone strikes resumed after being stopped following the [...]