In an interesting and slightly misguided article about the possibilities of an Arab Spring in Pakistan, Michael Kugelman, (a senior program associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC) begins his opinion piece…
South Asia Democracy Watch (SADeW) South Asia Democracy Watch Criticizes Attempts to Derail Democracy in Pakistan Suggests Strong Measures to Normalize India-Pakistan Relations The influential pressure group in the U.S., South Asia Democracy Watch (SADeW), has…
Pakistan has two angry messiahs, the Maulana and the Cricketer. Both are men of fine oratory — the former being more gifted. They promise to kick wicked leaders out of government, reward the righteous, and deliver a new Pakistan. Before…
Predictably, it began much before little Rimsha was accused of the incomprehensible – much before torn little pieces of religious paraphernalia were bandied about and their desecration decried. Venal mullahs, jilted neighbours, greedy influentials – the usual cast of characters…
Agha Waqar Ahmad deserves a medal from the people of Pakistan for his great service to the nation. In a few short days, he has exposed just how far Pakistan has fallen into the pit of ignorance and self-delusion. No…
In 2011, at an exhibition titled “The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara” held at the Asia Society Museum, New York, a sequence of ‘carved narrative panels depicting episodes from the life of Buddha’ were displayed. These reminded me…
The Listening Post, a weekly news show on Aljazeera, just aired their take on the drone attacks in Pakistan. I was asked to contribute a comment to this show, which is included in the show. I have also posted my…
The honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan says he is losing patience with the Capital Development Authority (CDA). In a court-initiated (suo motu) action, he wants a quick rebuilding of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa, flattened by bulldozers in 2007, after it…
(Published: April 15, 2012: http://tribune.com.pk/story/365139/when-manmohan-singh-comes-to-islamabad/) The coincidence between President Asif Ali Zardari’s sprint to Delhi last week, and the $10 million head-money on Hafiz Saeed announced by the US could be purely accidental. But this action certainly refocused Indian attention…