Guest Blog

The IMF Trap

Guest post by A.H.Kalwar of Pakistion Blog
Russia is the largest borrower from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The initial objective and promises by IMF were to quickly bail Russia out of an economic crises, and throw it back on track. Today Russia’s debts to the IMF are so big that the only way to ensure [...]


‘Comrade’ Ali Azmat

Guest Blog by Red Kazim
On the Instep pages of The News (Nov 4) there was a photograph of rock star Ali Azmat, who was in a T-shirt with the imprint of hammer-and-sickle. I wonder what a pop singer like Ali Azmat has to do with communism. In the 60s and the 70s, one is told [...]


Poem: Balochistan

Guest blog by Asim
THEY NEED OUR HELP, SUPPORT AND ALL WHAT WE CAN DO, AS THEY ARE US, AND WE ARE THEM in this hour of their need.
I am beyond those limitations
Of suffering and indifference
Years of neglect, and its toll
The divine gifts and its effect
All in presence, all to witness
The land is barren and [...]


My internal conflicts

Guest Blog by Amer Nazir
I hurried towards the train station to catch the 7:51. I was dressed well – in my Canali suit and my Hugo Boss overcoat. At the entrance to the station, I saw two people handing out leaflets. The one on the right was Susan Krammer, the local Liberal Democrat MP.
She paused [...]


Some Questions over a Lead Story in The Nation

Guest Blog by temporal who blogs at Baithak
Look at this lead story from the Nation. [also quoted below] - Arrested militants name RAW for funding 680m through Afghan secret agency

Where are the credits? Who wrote this story?
What are the sources of this story?
Is this a scoop or a “leaked” story
Does it smack of lifafa journalism?

More [...]


‘Iftikhar’

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik
Iftikhar is translated as ‘honour ’ in the dictionary, however this one word in Pakistan has gained significance from the name of deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammed Chowdhary who is still waiting for his restoration on 3rd November position. He was dismissed, and detained by General Musharraf as a [...]


The debt we owe Pakistan

Guest Post by Faisal K
Its very very hard to live in Pakistan these days. Not because everyone who has any resources is threatening to leave or at least thinking about it. Not because of the violence and the chaos that surrounds this country. When one lives here one gets immune to these things even though [...]


Pakistan is there to live

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik
As long as India keeps dreaming the disintegration of Pakistan, it will survive as a viable state as the very negativity serves the purpose of knitting this crowd of 170 million people into a nation, whenever it is confronted by its arch rival. Editor of Indian Defence Review, Mr. Bharat [...]


Swat

Wrapped up in million stars this old sky,
As they stare from little windows of existence
From the wooden bridge, in the mountains
As the mist rises in its colors of remembrance,
There lies the valley, where beauty is suicidal
There lies home, where protection is nature
All in there, fleeting glance or permanence
The old days of reflection, spent in between
As [...]


PBC suspends lawyers: What Musharraf could not do!

Guest post by Silence from Islamabad Observer blog
The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has suspended the practicing licences of advocates Mahmood Ashraf and Rana Naveed, President and General Secretary, respectively of the Lahore High Court (Multan bench) for allegedly misbehaving with Latif Khosa, Attorney General of Pakistan, who also acts as an ex-officio Chairman of PBC. [...]


Profiting from Religion: Land Grabbing Business and Christian Minority in Pakistan

Guest Blog by Silence from Islamabad Observer

Land Grabbing

Religion is basically meant to be personal belief of a person or group of people. It is outrageous, shameful and downright arrogant of the religious groups to use religion as a source of profits. However since the times immortal, criminals, religious clerics, land grabbers and even power hungry [...]


Tariq Ali speaks about Pakistan Current Situation

Guest Blog by Yaseen Khawar of Pakistanic.com
Tariq Ali s a renowned Pakistani intellectual of world reputation resides in U.K but visits Pakistan from time to time. Recently he gave an interview to Emmy Goodman, It is presented here:
Emmy Goodman: Recently Pakistani border security forces have stopped American army to cross the Pak Afghan border [...]


Tell me Sahar Ali

Guest Post by temporal of Baithak Blog
In the nearly 800,000 sq kms of land that covers all the vistas - from the parched deserts of Balochistan and Sind in the south to the peaks of K2 and Nanga Parbat in the north - from the (negroid) Makrani fishermen of the south to the blue eyed [...]


Pakistan must Ban Umra

Guest post by Silence from Islamabad Observer
Holy Quran gives greater importance to social responsibilities then religious duties of a person. Non-performance of religious duties is a matter between Allah and his creation and can be forgiven by Almighty. However social responsibilities which are between his men are mandatory. The importance of social responsibilities is evident [...]


American Lawyers conference on rule of law in Pakistan & my brief visit to Europe

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik
I was invited by British Law Society of England to visit Brussels as part of their delegation to attend a rule of law conference on ‘Pakistan and beyond’ organised by American Bar Association (ABA) on 25th September at Hilton (Brussels). Reaching Brussels airport in the morning, I caught a cab and [...]