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| Some quick observations made by Pervez Hoodbhoy after a relief trip to areas around Mardan for refugees from Swat, Buner, and Dir: 1. There are several tent cities along the Islamabad-Swabi-Mardan stretch. It is said that about 2 million people have been displaced. We spent some time in one of them (Sheikh Yasin Camp) but decided against depositing our precious supplies there. Every NGO in the world, Islamic and secular, seems to be in the camps. Yes, this is a real struggle for hearts and minds that will determine the future direction of the war -- and everyone knows it. A strong army presence in this particular camp helps assure a moderately fair distribution mechanism, maintain law and order, and deal with Taliban elements who may have infiltrated the refugees. I had a chat with tough machine gun-toting junior officers who suggested that we go to places that have received no aid rather than in their camp. Good advice. |
 (Image courtesy: Khuban Omer Khan) |
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Continue reading Refugees from Swat and Burner.
by Khuban Omer Khan
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Nadeem Aslam's latest book The Wasted Vigil is set in Afghanistan where people of different ideologies and religion cross paths, while searching for something or someone .When I read Aslam's book I was taken aback by numerous misquotes attributed to the Quran. To find out more about Aslam, his book and why he chose to defame the Quran, especially in the current climate, I attended a reading of his novel at LUMS. I asked him, "Mr. Aslam, your fictional book is based in reality, it's not make believe right? And in it you have described the mindset of a jihadi. Now, an American journalist who has written a review of your book in the New York Times has said that 'those unfamiliar with Islam may misconstrue your characters' thoughts as being consistent with the faith'. How would you respond to this statement? Also, do you have any obligation to your reader to present an informed fictional account or can you write anything at all without any obligation to the audience of the message's veracity?" Discomfort was writ large on the faces of much of the uber-liberal audience. It was as if I had attacked the man simply by asking him why he chose to misquote the Holy Book. While Aslam struggled to answer, he was politely interrupted by the moderator, who did not want a discussion on religion (even though she had earlier commented on how the book revolves around religion) and an audience member who said, "well this is how jihadis think, it's time we accepted that." After that I was silenced. |
Continue reading Misquoting a Book in the Name of Fiction.
by Pervez Hoodbhoy
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For 20 years or more, a few of us in Pakistan have been desperately sending out SOS messages, warning of terrible times to come. Nevertheless, none anticipated how quickly and accurately our dire predictions would come true. It is a small matter that the flames of terrorism set Mumbai on fire and, more recently, destroyed Pakistan's cricketing future. A much more important and brutal fight lies ahead as Pakistan, a nation of 175 million, struggles for its very survival. The implications for the future of South Asia are enormous. Today a full-scale war is being fought in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas), Swat and other "wild" areas of Pakistan, with thousands dying and hundreds of thousands of IDPs (internally displaced people) streaming into cities and towns. In February 2009, with the writ of the Pakistani state in tatters, the government gave in to the demand of the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban Movement) to implement the Islamic Sharia in Malakand, a region of FATA. It also announced the suspension of a military offensive in Swat, which has been almost totally taken over by the TTP. But the respite that it brought was short-lived and started breaking down only hours later. |
Continue reading Towards Theocracy? .
| A lady doctor remains missing with her three children five years after her arrest. An urgent press release by Asian Human Rights Commission suggests that Dr. Afia Siddiqui has been tortured to the point where she has lost her mind. BBC reported in Jan 2007 that there are at least 200 cases of "missing" people who it believes are in the custody of the security agencies, including Afia. More updates on the specific case of Dr. Afia Siddiqui here. |
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More than 2 million Pakistanis have condemned terrorism by signing up to say "Yeh Hum Naheen" (Urdu for "This is Not Us"). Have you signed yet? Visit YehHumNaheen.org. This initiative and the corresponding song (video below) has been featured on Time Magazine, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. |
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| In The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria (editor of Newsweek Int'l) sees the "rise of the rest" -- the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others -- as the great story of our time, and one that will reshape the world. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, largest-selling movies, and most advanced cell phones are all being built outside the United States. If America is losing the ability to dictate to this new world, it has not lost the ability to lead. This book is not about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else. An excerpt from this book was published as the cover story of May 12th edition of the Newsweek. You can read it here. Fareed received a B.A. from Yale and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard. He lives in New York City with his wife, son and two daughters. |
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| After the assassination, all businesses were closed and public transportation was stopped. Domestic flights were canceled and streets were deserted in anticipation of violence. Fuel tankers could not get to gas stations and basically everyone was stuck wherever they were. Amidst these circumstances, people still showed up in hundreds of thousands to pay their final respect to Bhutto. |
| Within five to ten minutes of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, even before the news channels reported anything, almost everyone in Pakistan knew about the news. Cell and land phones were ringing non-stop. Within the next half an hour, there was considerable panic in the air. There was an unsaid fear of riots and violence on the streets. Shops started closing in the lively city of Lahore. A city that never sleeps. A city that was celebrating the colorful wedding season. Family members and friends were desperately trying to get in touch with their loved ones, trying to ensure that they are home and safe. The violence followed ... |
| Pakistan's "fair" elections are fast approaching. This picture shows state police putting up banners for the pro-Musharraf PML-Q party. Bike is the election symbol of PML-Q. How can the elections be fair if state resources are used to promote a particular political party? |
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