Tenth Hamza Alavi Memorial Lecture, Dec 18, 2011, Karachi

The Tenth Hamza Alavi Memorial Lecture (free and open to the public) Keynote speaker: Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa - Bringing Change in Praetorian State (see her recent essay in EPW on Pakistan’s Modernity: Between the Military and Militancy: Sunday, Dec 18, 2011, at 4.00 pm Venue: Dr. Zaki Hasan Auditorium, Jinnah Medical & Dental College, Shaheed-e-Millet Road, Karachi. Chair: Dr. Jaffar Ahmed;  Introduction [...]

‘Life Goes on: Women Dead in Karachi Stampede’

Poverty and desperation coupled with charity being distributed in a chaotic manner led to nearly 20 women and girls being killed in a stampede in Old Karachi on Sept 14. Dawn aptly headlined its report ‘Crushed by poverty’. See also Shahid Husain’s report in The News ‘Food security is a fundamental human right’.

Three ’9/11′s…

Anis Mansoori of FM 103 in his live talk show brought up the significance of two 9/11s – Sept 11, 1948, when Mohammad Ali Jinnah breathed his last, and Sept 11, 2001 when two planes crashed into New York’s Twin Towers

Asif Ali Zardari – another perspective

The confessions of Brig Imtiaz have forced other intelligence officers to admit their role in destroying democracy in Pakistan, and establishing that Zardari’s name has been trashed for about 20 years to force Benazir Bhutto out of politics and to destroy the credibility of Pakistan People’s Party, writes Bilal Qureshi in his article Asif Ali Zardari – President of Pakistan

Jinnah revisited, thank you Jaswant Singh

Jaswant Singh’s latest work on Jinnah had not hit the Pakistani bookstalls at the time of writing. But from reported and televised statements and published extracts his thesis appears to be similar to Ayesha Jalal’s seminal work The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan (Cambridge University Press, 1985).

‘Blasphemy laws’ – Stopping the rot

Those inciting violence and murder from mosque loudspeakers and public accusations, true or false, must be held culpable, charged, tried and punished according to law. This also goes for those who desecrate a holy book or symbol of any religion. There must be accountability for those who allow these murders to take place. The political leadership is responsible for providing police with the training, means and the orders to prevent such violence. Finally, religion cannot be used or allowed to justify murder.

Target killing of doctors; my article of 2002; Dr Sarwar on censoring Jinnah, 1991

It is significant that while the doctors’ killings are labeled as sectarian because those targeted mostly belong to a particular sect, there is no sectarianism or religious intolerance at the grassroots level. ‘‘The incidents of apparently religiously-motivated violence, like the attack on the Islamabad church or the murder of Daniel Pearl, are planned and executed by individual miscreants with no popular support or public sanction,’’ says The News editorial. (excerpt from article of 2002)

Neighbours in peace – or pieces?

‘Intellectuals’ on either side of the border keep finding justifications for continuing animosity: “India/Pakistan wants to destroy us”; “Stop appeasing India/Pakistan”; “There is no point in talking to them”. If we listen to this babble of voices whose sole aim seems to be to present their own country’s case as better than the other’s, we’ll never get anywhere. Let’s stop these blame games and try and understand the nature and complexities of each other’s problems.

Simply repealing 295-C will not stop the rot

Now, simply repealing 295-C will not stop the rot. That must be done, but along with it we have to demand strict enforcement of law and order…. Plus links to some recent reports

Urgent appeal for potable water in monsoon-affected areas of coastal Sindh

The dire condition of people in monsoon affected areas of coastal Sindh is the direct result of decades of deprivation of fresh water, drainage of upstream pollution, and destruction of mangroves — with consequent depletion and degradation of ground water reserves specially through sea water intrusion. State policies of which many if not all of us are beneficiaries…