Ex MNA from Kohistan Threatens Working Womendawn.com
MANSEHRA, May 5: Former Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MNA from Kohistan Maulvi Abdul Haleem on Saturday warned women working in non-governmental organisations against entering his district and said violators of the warning would be forcibly married off to locals. “I issued a decree during Friday sermon that getting education for degrees by women is repugnant to Islamic injunctions because if a woman …
Indo-Pak Civilians Renew Calls to Demilitarize Siachen GlacierEnvironmentalists See Alarming Effects of Present Trend for Globe
ISLAMABAD, April 11 — Pakistan and India’s military standoff in the frozen high mountains of Kashmir is not only costing soldiers’ lives, experts say — it is also wreaking havoc on the environment. A huge avalanche on Saturday devastated Pakistan’s Gayani army camp on the fringes of the Siachen Glacier, where Pakistani and Indian soldiers brave bitter conditions to eyeball …
Pakistan’s Wish List for How to Censor Internet AccessBy Nate Anderson
You know that “overwhelmed” feeling you get when trying to censor the entire Internet manually? Pakistan does. Its current Internet censorship regime is run by hand at its two major Internet backbone companies, PTCL and TWA, and at various local Internet providers. The system isn’t working, says the government, which instead plans to deploy automated Internet censorship hardware capable of …
Govt Claims Crackdown on Extortion Mafias after Big Protests‘Political & Nationalist Parties involved in Karachi Racket'
Faraz Khan - Express Tribune
Karachi, March 19: “In our profession, we don’t look at whether we’re strong, but if the other party is able to pay up,” says I*, with a 9mm pistol in hand, as he sits outside his apartment in District East. “This is give and take. No one is doing a favour. We ask for money to spare someone’s life and …
Sindh Flood Victims Can’t Afford to WaitNaseer Memon Feb 23
dawn.com
RECENTLY, a report titled Pakistan flood emergency: Lessons from a continuing crisis was prepared by a collaborative group of over a dozen leading international and national humanitarian aid agencies. It is a deeply saddening reminder that some 2.5 million people affected by floods last year are still struggling to return to normal life. The miseries of these citizens are going …
Literature Festival takes Karachi by StormExpress Tribune
Karachi, Feb. 12: Saturday morning saw enthusiasts from across the spectrum – fiction lovers, political aficionados and history fans, all congregating in Carlton Hotel and filling up the main garden for the event launch even before the sessions kicked off. And the audience wasn’t disappointed. Keynote speaker, historian and writer William Dalrymple, proved to be an engrossing presenter, discussing his …
PMA Demands Creation of Federal Drug Regulatory AuthorityDozens dead after taking spurious heart medicine in Punjab
Karachi, Feb. 7: Acknowledging corruption and malpractice in the registration and pricing of drugs at federal level since the creation of Pakistan, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on Monday insisted on establishment of a federal authority to regulate medicines in the country. PMA office-bearers at a news conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) said that after the recent drug-related …
The Taliban WithinTV Show Host Fired for Hounding Couples
Pakistani liberals derided host Maya Khan’s behavior on Twitter and Facebook, comparing it to the kind of moral policing practiced by the Taliban, and started an online petition asking Samaa TV to end this ”irresponsible programming” and apologize. The company responded Saturday in a letter sent to reporters saying it had decided to fire Khan and her team and cancel …
Pakistan’s Political Drama Begs the Question:
What’s Next ? By Shahab Usto dailytimes.com
FOR some years, Pakistan has been in the crosshairs of change, a change that is not acceptable to some, not enough for others, and too late for still others. And that perhaps lies at the heart of our current political imbroglio political and state grandees are not ready to understand the true dynamics of change. If they do grudgingly, it`s …
National Assembly Votes in Autonomous Women’s CommissionThe Battle Must Go On
By Zubeida Mustafa
SUCH are the paradoxes in Pakistan’s politics, that at a time our politicians are locked in a grim power struggle in Islamabad, the same gentlemen joined hands to pass unanimously the women’s commission bill last Thursday. Whether this show of unity on a matter concerning women should be interpreted as an act of chivalry or a demonstration of ‘woman power’, …
HRW Terms 2011 Disastrous for Human Rights in PakistanCites Upsurge in Attacks on Civilians, Torture & Targeted Killings
New York, Jan 23 – Pakistan’s fledgling democratic government, under increasing pressure from the military, appeased extremist groups, ignored army abuses, and failed to hold those responsible for serious abuses accountable in 2011, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012. Targeted killings and other attacks on civilians by the Taliban and sectarian and ethnic militant groups, as …
Court Revives Investigation on ISI Money for Politicians(Includes ATDT Excerpt on Backdrop for Asghar Khan's Petition)
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday fixed February 29 to hear the petition filed by Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Asghar Khan 16 years ago pertaining to Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) distributing money among politicians. Meanwhile, the former ISI chief Gen. (Retd) Durrani submitted an affidavit confirming the accusation. The petition has called upon the apex court to punish the politicians …
Néw Media Protests Demonstrate Impact on US CongressBy JONATHAN WEISMAN - New York Times
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 — Online protests on Wednesday quickly cut into Congressional support for online antipiracy measures as lawmakers abandoned and rethought their backing for legislation that pitted new media interests against some of the most powerful old-line commercial interests in Washington. A freshman senator, Marco Rubio of Florida, a rising Republican star, was first Wednesday morning with his announcement …
Commission Fails to Pin Responsibility in Journalist Murder CaseThe Express Tribune
Karachi, Jan 14: That the judicial commission’s report on Saleem Shahzad’s murder is inconclusive should not be surprising, experts say. Its shortcoming lies in its very foundation – the formation of a ‘judicial panel’ to investigate a murder. The judicial commission’s failure to point out the murderers of journalist Saleem Shahzad was expected, said Coordinator of the Committee to Protect …
Remembering Saleem Shahzad – Tribute to a slain colleagueBy the Author
It was Saleem Shahzad’s dedication to investigative reporting and his fascination for the crime-beat that foremost stands out in my memory. Come evening and the slender young man, then working for the affiliate Star newspaper, would enter the Dawn reporters room to compare notes with the crime reporter. His style was single-minded and purposeful – rechecking facts to supplement hours …
Pakistan’s PhDs – Cheaper by the Dozen?Q.Isa Daudpota - Dawn.com
AS an Internet user you would have experienced the Nigerian lottery scam. But you may not have heard of the academic scam of the African Journal of Business Management (AJBM) — unless you are in one of the countless management schools that have sprung up in Pakistan since the 1980s. There it tops the popularity chart. The Higher Education Commission …
Book on 2011 Sindh Floods Set for Launch in KarachiZulfiqar Halepoto
‘THE 2011 SINDH FLOODS: IMPACT, CAUSES AND REPERCUSSIONS’ Devastating floods of 2010 and Monsoon Rains of 2011 have completely changed the landscape of Sindh. There was a need to document the issues, reasons, impact and repercussions of these disasters. What monsoon rains 2011 and subsequently the calamity of floods have done to the socio- cultural and economic landscape of Sindh …
Pak Senate Passes Pro Women LegislationCivil Society Celebrates 'First Step' against Customary Laws
Faiza Mirza Dawn Dec 13
The Upper House of the Parliament passed two flagship bills on Monday, in order to protect the sanctity and rights of women living in Pakistan. Both the bills entail significant policies and mandates to protect women from practices such as forced wedlock, honour killing, marriage with the Quran and inflicting pain and torture by throwing acid on them. The bills …
Engage with Pakistan at Harvard University this SummerPublic Announcement
This is the only ‘live’ U.S.-based video con course linking students with Pakistani leaders and change-makers Harvard Summer School registration opens in mid-January Sign up for an email reminder at www.summer.harvard.edu Traditional and non-traditional students are welcome SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTAN South Asian Studies SAST S-140 Cross-listed in Anthropology and Government June 25 to August 10, 2012 Prominent on everyone’s radar …
A National Human Rights Commission in the MakingBy Peter Jacob The News
The News, Dec 4: Finally, the bill that shall give birth to a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is on the National Assembly’s to-do List. Though it will still take some time to pass the bill in both houses, have approval of the President and put the Commission in place, yet it is good news. Many nations have found NHRCs …