Any solution for Kashmir? – Dr Tariq Rahman
Any solution for Kashmir? – Dr Tariq Rahman THE desire for peace in both India and Pakistan seems to have increased as even the Mumbai attacks of last year could not bring the troops hurrying to the border as the planners of those attacks must have wished. But is there any hope of resolving the [...]
Fourth estate, fifth column – Jawed Naqvi
Fourth estate, fifth column – Jawed Naqvi QUEEN Victoria cancelled her £500 subscription with a leading British wire agency for giving spurious intelligence in the Crimean War.Kim Philby worked as a journalist both before and after becoming a spy for Britain, even as he earned part of his keep from Moscow. In an era of [...]
In distress abroad – I.A. Rehman
In distress abroad – I.A. Rehman THE release of five Pakistanis, who had been detained in Saudi Arabia for possible involvement in drug trafficking, has caused nationwide celebration, and perhaps for good reason. However, the affair has underlined the need for a rational policy towards Pakistani citizens who run into trouble in foreign lands.For several [...]
Balochistan crisis – Zeeshan Noel
Balochistan crisis – Zeeshan Noel Christopher I was on my way to Gwadar from Turbat when I heard news of the brutal murder of Rasool Buksh Mengal, a Baloch nationalist leader, who was abducted from the small town of Uthal and tortured to death allegedly by the security agencies. I could feel the agony and [...]
An agenda for news – Kamila Hyat
An agenda for news – Kamila Hyat The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor The question of what makes news is one that is becoming increasingly relevant. Every day, we are assaulted by TV talk shows and hosts who claim to put issues before us. In many ways these shows, which have [...]
Better late than never – Mehnaz Aziz
Better late than never – Mehnaz Aziz It is a big achievement of Education Policy 2009 that it acknowledges and lays the ground for early childhood education (ECE). The policy commits to an age-appropriate learning provision to children of three to five years. By focusing on this age group, we will not only be creating [...]
Pleasant memories – Dr A Q Khan
Pleasant memories – Dr A Q Khan In my previous column I wrote about Pakistan as I remember it when I came in 1952. There are many more pleasant memories to reminisce on. In this article I would like to dwell on our stay in the Sher Shah area near the Lyari river. We all [...]
Moon politics – Afiya Shehrbano
Moon politics – Afiya Shehrbano In a way, Railways Minister Ghulam Mohammad Bilour of the ANP was right when he accused the chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, of being a remnant of the Musharraf regime. This may not apply personally, perhaps, but is certainly a valid political comment. The fact is that [...]
The Afghanistan report – Ikram Sehgal
The Afghanistan report – Ikram Sehgal The raging debate in the US whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan is eerily reminiscent of how almost 50 years ago the military bureaucrat General Westmoreland kept asking for more US troops for the Vietnam quagmire. The huge difference between Vietnam and Afghanistan with respect to [...]
Pinches of nuclear salt —Brian Cloughley
Pinches of nuclear salt —Brian Cloughley The trouble is that when you penalise pariahs and try to make fools of them, and then you strike at them with military force, they might get back at you in ways that you never thought of America’s justification for its war on Iraq, announced to the UN Security [...]
Celebrating the German model —Harold James
Celebrating the German model —Harold James In the world of the twenty-first century, models of social organisation have to persuade rather than conquer. The world looks for local or national solutions to global problems. Frau Merkel won the election because she formulated a clear answer If anyone wanted evidence that we are not in the [...]
Who’s corrupt? —Nadeem Ul Haque
Who’s corrupt? —Nadeem Ul Haque When payoffs have fancy names like ‘bonuses’, ‘incentive fees’, ‘no-bid contracts’, or ‘single sourced’, they are respectable. Slumdogs are penalised because they are not capable of these fancy titles I am from a corrupt country. On the Transparency International (TI) index, Pakistan ranks 134 out of 180. Indeed, stories of [...]
