Published on April 30, 2007
in Army and Islam.
Some of you may have already watched this documentary aired on Channal 4 on 23rd April. It is by author and journalist Ziauddin Sardar who travels back to his homeland, Pakistan, to discover how it has become enguled in a bitter conflict between the two dominant forces in the country - the military and the mullahs.
I just saw it online and and found it very interesting. It is longish at almost 50 minutes so watch it when you have the time. Highly recommended!
Also, BBC’s Panorama claims that Bob Woolmer was poisoned before he was strangled. Panorama on Woolmer’s death would be aired today at 20:30 BST on BBC One and repeated on BBC News 24 Mondays at 00:30 BST and Tuesdays at 03:30 BST. So for all those who have access to BBC, do check it out. Otherwise, it should be up on their website by tonight.
Watch Between the Mullahs and the Military below
Continue reading ‘Documentary: Between the Mullahs and Military’
Here you go! We top something. However, its not something to be proud of. In Pakistan there are many different views (religious, cultural, humanistic, etc.) on whether it is right or wrong to execute convicted criminals, but personally I am of the view that it is unnecessary. From years of deterrence studies there is overwhelming evidence that death penalty is, at best, no more of a deterrent than a life sentence in prison. Many human rights organizations are trying to get it abolished, however, it might not be that easy. I know where I stand on this, but I am certain that the readers would be divided on this issue.
Continue reading ‘Pakistan tops death row league’
It was the first time in history that an entire nature series was filmed with high-definition technology. The resulting images were some of the most fascinating that have ever been showed on television and in fact, some were the first of their type ever broadcasted (with respect to their content). That is one reason it took nearly four years for the entire 11- episode series of Planet Earth to be filmed.
One part of the documentary was dedicated to the Karakoram range and the longest mountain-glacier in the world, the Baltoro, found in Baltistan. However, even amongst the mighty mountains, Planet Earth’s main mission was not to film the mountains themselves but to capture images of an animal that has never been intimately filmed in the wild: The snow leopard. It was a task that took nearly a year from start to finish but in the end the effort paid off. Here is a brief pictorial overview of the Baltoro and the snow leopard, followed by clips of Planet Earth on Pakistan (although they do not do justice to HD or the programs’ producers, the internet still has its limitations):
Continue reading ‘Extraordinary Pakistan: the Baltoro Mountain-Glacier & the Snow Leopard’
Published on April 26, 2007
in Society.
Parsis (or, more appropriately, Zoroastrians as Mr Cowasjee would say) might be decreasing in numbers, but they have not let go off their principles or their dedication and commitment to their community. With their highly developed sense of duty and responsibility towards community and country, they have added immeasurably to civil society in Karachi. Here is an article that talks about their contributions.
By Amna Rizvi
When one dreams of an ideal society where everyone is looked after by the community itself and not just the State alone; a society, where the privileged use their resources to provide for the poor and the unfortunate, one only needs to look at the Parsi community of Pakistan to see these principles at play. Of course the Parsis have their problems like any other community, but even so, they are very good at dealing with them, and when they can’t they simply make the best of what they have in hand.
Continue reading ‘Karachi’s invaluable Parsi connection’
Published on April 25, 2007
in Politics.
I was looking forward to Benazir Bhutto’s lecture at the LSE. She was to deliver a talk on the current political situation in Pakistan.
She spoke yesterday at the LSE and I was there on time to listen to her. Firstly, she was half an hour late. The talk was supposed to start at 7pm but she arrived fashionably late with her entourage at 7:30pm. Hong Kong theatre was totally packed by 7:00pm. However, half of the Hong Kong theatre at the LSE was filled with PPP workers who were armed with their cameras and looked uncomfortable in their new suits. As soon as Benazir Bhutto arrived all of her party apparatchiks in the Hong Kong theatre dutifully stood up and started clapping with extreme zeal and passion. After this sideshow everyone sat on their chairs and waited for her to start her lecture.
Continue reading ‘Benazir Does Nothing to Deny the Deal at the London School of Economics’
Over the years every generation of Pakistani singers have made it a point to sing songs with a patriotic feel to them. More often than not these songs have done relatively well and bode well for the popularity of a lot of singers re Junoon, Vital Signs and many others.
Madame Noor Jahaan’s patriotic songs and their effect on the morale of the Pakistani army is legendary. I would like to state here that I am neither a fan of her singing nor her music, but she is surely one of the biggest and most respected singers ever. Continue reading ‘Patriotic songs: Some of the most popular’
Published on April 22, 2007
in Politics.
[Here is more on the ‘deal’. Najam Sethi argues that the deal has been done and is only a precursor to another, more detailed, deal after the elections. It runs counter to Haqqani’s thesis that there is no real deal, but only the illusion of a deal. Only time will tell.]
Has a deal been clinched between Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf? What are their compulsions to do a deal at this juncture? What sort of deal might this be? Why do both sides insist that no deal is in the offing? Is this pre-election deal a confidence-building precursor to a more enduring post-election deal? Can Ms Bhutto and Mr Musharraf live and let live, given their strong personalities and a legacy of mutual distrust?
Continue reading ‘One Deal, No Deal, Two Deals: Editorial by Najam Sethi, The Friday Times’
[For all those who are not aware this is a satirical piece as part of a series called NEWSFLASH (here and here). In this post I have looked at a real DAWN newspaper report on the power crisis in Karachi. Power cuts are a becoming a huge problem throughout the country and according to Pakistani government estimates, generating capacity needs to grow by 50 percent by 2010 in order to meet expected demand. This year will be particularly bad in this regard and even though certain power projects are planned for completion in the near future there is a possibility of a shortage well beyond 2010. ]
Here are some excerpts from a news report in DAWN (19 April 2007) followed by some investigative reporting by MicroPakistan.
Continue reading ‘NEWSFLASH: KESC to protest against Karachi residents’
Published on April 20, 2007
in Politics.
After Khuldun’s previous post about Musharraf and Benazir’s apparent deal I am posting this article by Hussain Haqqani who argues that there is no deal possible, but that the illusion of a deal works to Musharraf’s advantage.
Gulf News, Oman Tribune, The Nation (Pakistan), Indian Express, Brunei Times, The Star (Bangladesh) April 11, 2007
Illusion of a Deal
By Husain Haqqani
Each time General Pervez Musharraf comes under pressure at home or abroad, his minions float rumours of an impending deal with opposition leader Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Musharraf’s emissaries fly to Dubai, meet Ms. Bhutto and then both sides deny that a deal is in the making. Ms Bhutto’s willingness to keep open channels of communication with all political forces in Pakistan is abused by the Musharraf regime to create the illusion of a deal without actually pursuing one.
Continue reading ‘Musharraf and Benazir: Illusion of a Deal by Hussain Haqqani, Gulf News’
Published on April 18, 2007
in Politics.
It has been reported by the media in Pakistan that Benazir Bhutto and General Pervez Musharraf have reached an agreement. That is, Pervez Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto will together run Pakistan as President and Prime Minister respectively. The national general elections will take place in Pakistan this year, but it appears that the results of this year’s elections have already been decided.
Continue reading ‘Benazir and Musharraf have Joined Hands’
