The Nizam-e-Adl (justice) regulation was signed on April 15th, as a concession to a demand for the same in the Swat Valley region in Pakistan. This formaly enforced what many call Sharia laws in the area. The same day came the news of the Sikh Community living in Orakzai Agency being asked to pay jizia by the Taliban. Whats going on over there? C.M.Naim reports and analyses in the Outlook magazine.
The past few days have been momentous in our neighbouring country of Pakistan. If the beginning of the month had us all despairing at the rising wave of Taliban inspired fundamentalism and terrorism which did not even spare the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, the past couple of days have seen the vindication of popular struggles for democracy and rule of law. Most of us must have read the news reports of the "Long March" to Islamabad by the lawyers' movement, which was also joined recently by the Sharif brothers.
For those who believe that one can effectively fight and defeat the Taliban by aligning with this destructive troika live in a fool's paradise,writes Ammar Ali Jan.
It has been a long haul. The people-to-people contact which we fostered like a gardener tending a sapling. My tryst with friendly relations between India and Pakistan goes back to September 13, 1947. That was the day when I crossed the border at Wagha after journeying from Sialkot, my hometown. I had seen murder and worse. Like millions of refugees, I too had been broken on the rack of history,writes Kuldip Nayar.
The US never considered India 'special' as we were made to believe,says M.K. Bhadrakumar
It is about time we re-examined the events of 1971 rather than erase them from our collective national memory.
Ammar Ali Jan of Labour Party Pakistan writes on the 'fall of Dhaka' in December 1971. This article was first carried in The News.
India’s demand for action against jihadist groups is entirely legitimate. But this must be done through international pressure upon Pakistan, says Pervez Hoodbhoy,who is the chairman of the physics department at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, is a distinguished scientist and a consistent voice for peace, democracy, and friendly relations between Pakistan and India.
A look at the art of omission that the modern media has mastered and how this completely changes the perspective, especially in a time of crisis.
Ammar Ali Jan of the Labour Party Pakistan raises his voice against the bigotry shown by the Pakistani media in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. This article was first carried in The News.
Following a special report from The Dawn, which clearly established that the apprehended terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Iman "Kasab" was indeed a resident of Pakistan, from Okara to be specific, the newspaper pens an editorial asking for its fellow citizens to work toward removing the scourge of terrorism and extremism from Pakistan. Pragoti re-publishes this edit and joins The Dawn in calling Pakistanis to work toward the effort, as much as Indians would have to work toward removing fundamentalism and right wing extremism from South Asia.
Current developments in the three-way equations involving the United States, Pakistan and India highlight that for the foreseeable future, they would need to factor in a “sleeping partner” — Afghanistan. India, in particular, needs to be cognisant of this strange coupling. Retired Indian Foreign Service official MK Bhadrakumar writes in The Hindu.