An open letter to Mr Aitzaz Ahsan

This was published in DAWN yesterday
By Raza Rumi
THAT you are principled, charismatic and right is beyond doubt. You have inspired the cynical, intelligentsia, revived a moribund civil society and awakened Pakistan’s traditionally de-politicised middle class.
This is something that history shall record gloriously – reminiscent of the way you re-invoked the essential attributes of ‘Indus […]
Original […]

Top Taliban leader arrested in Pakistan

Islamabad, Feb.25 : A top Taliban leader Mullah Obaidullah Akhund believed to be close to Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and part of the inner core of Mullah Omar’s coterie has been arrested in Lahore where he … via Newkerala.com
Original Post at Top Taliban leader arrested in Pakistan by Pakistan News

addthis_url […]

Urgent: Mr Musharraf and western leaders, don’t even think about it!

The government is reportedly leaning on the Swiss court to step up the case against Asif Zardari, the leader of the People’s Party. It is our responsibility to warn Musharraf not to embark on this stupid course. Whatever has been done in the name of the national security in the past is one thing. But […]

More On Pakistan Elections

So, it looks like Musharraf’s Party (PML-Q) is losing. Will PPP and PML-N strike a deal? If they get 2/3rd of Parliament they are going to impeach Musharraf. Apparently, Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif had lunch and Zardari asked Sharif: “Do you want power?” and Sharif said: “Do you?” Typical. Anyway, Zardari alleges that he […]

An extraordinary encounter with Musharraf

Jemima Khan is granted a rare interview with Pervez Musharraf. In The Independent, UK:
‘Since you were so kind as to greet us in London at Downing Street last month, the President would like to return the favour,” announces Major-General Rashid Qureshi, President Pervez Musharraf’s PR man over the phone. Only in Pakistan could the government’s […]

Musharraf gets 85 per cent airtime on PTV

via The Hoot:
Reporters Without Borders has monitored the state-owned TV broadcaster PTV’s coverage of the parliamentary election campaign since 28 January and has found that, despite an effort to assign some space to all the main political parties, most of the air time has been given over to the parties that support President Pervez Musharraf, […]

Bhutto ghost dominates Pakistani elections

In The Guardian, UK, Decian Walsh reports from Faisalabad:
Shielded behind bulletproof glass and surrounded by armed police, the Pakistani opposition leader Asif Zardari told supporters yesterday that his assassinated wife, Benazir Bhutto, had come to him in a dream.
“She said ‘I am with you, and I am with the people,’” he said, drawing a roar […]

Answering Musharraf’s Orientalism

When Musharraf took fresh oath of office he said that he was aware of the democratic values but the west should not expect Pakistan to be ready for unshackled democracy when the west took centuries to eveolve them. Does any name come to your mind? Edward Said’s Orientalism. For those who are not acquainted with […]

Open letter to Fatima Bhutto

This eloquent piece by Nighat Said Khan*, published by the Friday Times, is a reminder for the bright and ambitious Fatima Bhutto that she should get her politics sorted out before she ventures to settle intra-family scores in the public domain. I have also noted that the upper middle classes of Pakistan have given huge […]

Benazir and Keith Ryan: Cover up upon cover up

If you think there was any room for conscience in the actions of states, please try to rethink the things through. The establishments of all countries behave in same fashion. While the western leaders pay great lip service to the cause of democracy their hearts remain with the dictators. Take the example of Keith Ryan’s […]