The following is a note from Ajmal Kamal (who edits the Urdu literary magazine Aaj, runs City Press in Karachi, and is an institution in his own right). Comments welcome. My own first thought (reflective of my current obsessions) is at the end of this note… If you have attended this year the two events … Continue reading Pakistan: Litfests and Bookfairs – Two Worlds? by Ajmal Kamal
Three long, agonizing days have passed since the unspeakable events in Peshawar on December 16. As people everywhere grapple with a tragedy that is beyond comprehension, the one thing that unites all Pakistanis – indeed, all those who care for humanity – is the desire to do whatever it takes to fight back against the … Continue reading Changing Pakistan after Peshawar: The Role of the State
Shama and Shahzad Masih were poor Christians who lived in the small village of Chak 59 in the Tehsil (subdivision) of Kot Radha Kishan near Lahore. It is not a remote area (though some orientalist in the BBC has managed to describe it as such), being a well developed center of the leather industry lcoated … Continue reading Burnt Offering: The Martyrdom of Shama and Shahzad Masih
Looking back at Pakistan’s history over the last forty years, he represented the country’s best opportunity to transform itself from a third-world kleptocracy to a modern democracy, which is why the failure of Imran Khan and his revolution is such a tragedy. I do not mean to imply that he has failed in narrow political … Continue reading The Tragedy of Imran Khan and the Insafian Revolution
…“We have source besides the (Pakistan) army…people in Kashmir are fighting….just need to incite them….we can fight with the (Indian) army from both the front and back….we are Muslims”….. …. This is true, there is a hot war going on right now in Kashmir and all the familiar arguments (pro-war, pro-peace) are being re-hashed. It … Continue reading “we are muslims”
….The Pushtuns are divided among the Durrani, Ghilzai, Waziri, Khattak, Afridi, Mohmand, Yusufzai, Shinwari….. each tribe is divided into subtribes…..divided into numerous clans… Zahir Shah belongs to the Muhammadzai clan of the Barakzai subtribe of the Durrani tribe. Such clan, subtribal, and tribal divisions contribute already intense rivalries and divisions….. … For some time now … Continue reading Pashtun power play(s)
….PIO (Person of Indian Origin)…will get lifelong visas…thousands of cheering Indians at Madison Square….”Happy?” he asked…chants of “Modi, Modi”…..”There is even more to come,” he said…. …. People often ask: what is the point of democracy? It is simple really, it confers legitimacy on the rulers as no other system would. Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi is … Continue reading Why democracy?
…..Khorasan historical region….northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan…. established by the Sasanian dynasty, the last Iranian empire before the rise of Islam, in the 3rd century….”The Land of the Sun,” a reference to its eastern location….. … … These days people are engaged in branding exercises in order to foster some or other group identity. The … Continue reading “Vanguards of Khorasan”
….a human rights group has obtained summons… from the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York….open letter addressed to Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri… one of the emcees in Madison Square Gardens…..“Modi is a lifelong member of the RSS….Hindu nationalist organization that has praised Hitler…disheartening to know that you will be speaking”… … … Continue reading Indians vs Cowboys (Madison Square Garden)
……Shiva, dressed in a burgundy sari and a shawl the color of rust….“We would have no hunger in the world if the seed was in the hands of the farmers….They want to take that away”…..Shiva argues that the prevailing model of industrial agriculture….places an unacceptable burden on the Earth’s resources….Shiva has contempt for farmers who … Continue reading The “rockstar” Gandhi
