News & Articles

Qaisar Sultan

Nawaz Sharif has revealed his intellectual side by suggesting that democracy is like riding a horse and autocracy like a donkey; he forgot to mention the rough riders holding the bridle of the mustang, a free roaming feral horse (Our democracy). Democracy has been treated in Pakistan in the manner: “They shoot horses, don’t they”. Nawaz Sharif talks in terms of horses and donkey, breaking legs and hands and snatching eyes from the socket, jackal’s heart with a lion’s roar. In the wild west of USA, when a horse got leg injury and was dying, they shot the horse. This is the state of democracy in Pakistan. We have nothing more than corrupt and less than mediocre men calling themselves true lovers of democracy. They only desire money and power. The poor countries in the third world, per capita income of less than $3,000.00, have tried democracy, and have failed terribly. What is it that democratic governance that works for civilized world fails in the third world? Among religious fervor, factionalism, illiteracy, feudalism, militarism and poverty democracy has lost its traction and purpose. Though it does not sound sensible that we oppose a system that works for developed countries; it is imperative to look at this issue in the light of what is at hand. If the democratic governance has utterly failed in our country, is it not better to have a benign autocracy in place of a failed democracy?Read More »Should We Ride on a Sick Horse or a Donkey?

Bushra Zulfiqar
 I board an early morning flight from Islamabad to Quetta. In the last one year, this is at least my 30th trip to Balochistan, the beautiful but bitter Province of Pakistan. I have been going there for work regarding setting up quality education initiatives for girls, the marginalized, poor and destitute children of this Province which geographically covers more than 50% of Pakistan’s width. The flight to Quetta lasts one hour and fifteen minutes and almost always has a rough landing. Sleepers like myself who are blessed with the ability to fall deep asleep as soon as the plane takes off, always wake up with a jerk. I wake up to (other than the jerk) the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)’s airhostess announcement, welcoming us to Quetta international airport. PIA is Pakistan’s national airline which was once regarded the best in South Asia and which actually helped setting up the Emirates in the 1970s. Gradually, as most other institutions of the country deteriorated, PIA also suffered its share of the blow. The feeling of a lost glory always re-appears while travelling PIA.Read More »From Quetta to Karachi: The Diversity within Pakistan

BY ALI SUKHANVER

It is a difficult question to be answered; what do the Americans hate; Islam or the Muslims; but it is a day light fact that the Muslims are maltreated in America. Complaints of harassment, discrimination, and violence against Muslims have been increasing at the rate of 30 percent per year since 2005. Before that year this rate of increase was 10 percent per year. This growing hatred against the Muslims could be to some extant an aftermath of the 9/11 incident but more important is the role of the extremist element ruling over the Christian church in USA. As referred by Jerry Brice in a recent article, Reverend Franklin Graham, one of America’s most respected Christian activists said at a dedication of a chapel in his home state of North Carolina, “We’re not attacking Islam, but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He’s not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It’s a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked religion.” Such Christian leaders have poisoned the situation in such a horrible manner that even a common man in America, who labels religion as a private affair, tries to keep himself at a distance from the Muslims.Read More »THE CHRISTIAN EXTREMISTS

Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan The People of Pakistan have special respect and regards to H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan President of United Arab Emirates for his generous humanitarian assistance in the time of our national… Read More »SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN: LEADER OF GREAT VISION

New York—Former President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that India was trying to create a hostile state in Afghanistan as he hit back at criticism of his country’s role in fighting extremists.

Musharraf, who is touring the United States as part of a comeback bid, said he has seen photographs of Kabul-based “Pakistan terrorists” a likely reference to Balochistan separatists meeting in India with intelligence agents.Read More »Musharraf: India creating ‘anti-Pak’ Afghanistan

By Qaisar Sultan

The midterm elections in the USA changed the political landscape for next two years. The Republican Party got the majority in the congress and closed the gap in the senate. The pendulum has swung back towards more conservative mode; smaller government and lower taxes. It is not a complete defeat of liberalism; but it is a short setback. The majority of working class in America feels that they should have decent life style; there should be high paying jobs, good housing, good health programs and education. These social programs require money that is mainly acquired through taxation on American people.Read More »The Mid Term Elections in USA

Not only youngsters, but people belonging to all age brackets and from all segments of society have developed the need to always having balance in their cell phones, irrespective of their finances. Cigarettes and movies were the ‘addiction’ of youngsters a few years back, but the new ‘thing’ that has been occupying their time is cell phones and with it the necessity of having balance in it. Calling, sending messages (sms), subscribing to different services including ring tones, Internet, jokes, news alerts consume the cell phone balance of the general public. In this scenario, people who could afford to have a decent amount in their cellular service accounts would obviously have balance, but the ones with meager incomes, Read More »LAHORE: Cell phone balance ‘crucial’ in unbalanced society

One of the defining questions regarding the future of democracy in Pakistan is: Have we arrived to an impasse that may require the Hobbesian tradition of controlling disorder and chaos through a Leviathan, an absolute power- I am not suggesting unalterable idea of a military ruler. There is a breakdown of authority; and anarchy has taken hold of the roots of the state. The interests of the individuals and groups have superseded the viability of the country’s survival. Though we cannot ignore the minimalist ideals and practices of democracy; we are faced with the collapse of governance, accountability and fair representation of the will of people. The Lockean view of liberal democracy, ideally and Read More »Slip and Sliding Away-By Qaisar Sultan

By Hussain H Zaidi

 When the khatib of a mosque was asked what in his opinion constituted the most useful invention of science, his reply was “the loudspeaker”. If the same question were put to any other khatib, his answer would be the same.
In our society, there is a special relationship between a khatib and the loudspeaker so much so that it is difficult to think of the former without the latter. Just as a soldier needs to be a good shooter, a khatib must be a good speaker. And one can hardly be a good speaker without being adept at using the loudspeaker.Read More »The love of the loudspeaker