Science and Technology Minister Fawwad Chaudhry has stirred a controversy demanding that Mehmood Khan Achakzai be removed from the PDM because he presumably insulted Punjabis in the Lahore jalsa. Achakzai had said in the speech that some of the people from Punjab were hand in gloves with the British rulers while people in modern-day Afghanistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa fought the foreign invaders. It is prudent not to hold a mirror to others when we all share…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
As much as opposition leaders would claim otherwise, the PDM show in Lahore on Sunday witnessed a smaller showing than was originally expected. The provincial capital had long been PML-N’s power base in Punjab—especially in the past decade. The PPP’s ideological roots were also set into Lahore. And yet, falling well short of the “historic referendum” that the opposition claimed this was, the jalsa on Sunday even failed to reach the levels of participation of…
The much-anticipated Lahore rally of the PDM failed to make a blast. The average turnout at Minar-e-Pakistan may be attributed, at least partly, to the extreme cold in the provincial capital of Punjab as well as the raging pandemic, but the speeches made by the opposition leaders too failed to cause any worries in the government ranks, let alone ringing any alarm bells. Void of any major decisions, the speeches were only a replay of…
After inserting Article 6 in the 1973 constitution, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) was confident that the era of takeovers was over. It was not only violated in his lifetime, the entire judicial system was also hijacked to physically eliminate him. After failing to contain the ‘Bhutto influence’ in politics, Zia, the first violator of this article decided to create an establishment within the establishment. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (NS) was chosen for this dirty job.…
Lahore rally and its aftermath : op-ed by Hasaan Khawar in The Express Tribune, December 15th, 2020.
The writer is a public policy expert and an honorary Fellow of Consortium for Development Policy ResearchOn Sunday, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) held its much-awaited political rally in Lahore. The event was well attended, which should hardly be a surprise, considering that Lahore is the political bastion for PML-N. But the attendance definitely did not stand up to the expectations of those who wished for a landmark historic political event. In terms of messaging,…
The writer is a political economist and heads INSPIRING Pakistan, a progressive policy unit.STICKS and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, sages say. But we see the reverse today. Those immune to stick and stones have been hurt by the open words at PDM rallies about their rarely discussed illegitimate role in politics. The trance has been broken. Still, it’s unclear if the opposition PDM’s words alone can have the…
by Arifa Noor in Dawn, December 15th, 2020The writer is a journalist.THE PDM show in Lahore has taken place among chilly winds and heated discussions. The bayania (narrative) of the numbers was at its peak on Sunday evening with both sides claiming a decisive victory — the opposition insisted the numbers were historically high and hence the Lahoris had rejected the PTI while the government saw the low turnout as a vote against the PDM,…
THAT Pakistan once again features on a list of countries with the largest number of journalists killed in the last 30 years is a damning indictment of a state that has failed to protect the country’s media workers who fulfil an essential role in a democratic system. According to the International Federation of Journalists, that published a White Paper on Global Journalism, Pakistan is among the five nations considered the “most dangerous countries for practice…
The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnistThe social media was abuzz when the news broke out of Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad receiving the post of Federal Minister for Interior. It was the reshuffle that took the country by storm. Azam Swati became the Federal Minister for Railways and Dr. Hafeez Shaikh was given the coveted post of Minister of Finance. Perhaps Rasheed Ahmed’s experience and wit may neutralize the possible clash and conflict that…
by Aamir Yaqoob in Daily Times, Dec 15th, 2020The writer is Fulbright PhD Student in Global Governance and Human Security at UMass BostonThe Pakistani state is failing to protect human rights of the women belonging to religious minorities. In Sindh, the second largest province of Pakistan, abductions and forced conversions of Hindu girls frequently occur despite growing outrage from local and international civil society organizations. According to reports by women rights groups, some 20 non-Muslim…
Approaching a dead end : Op-ed
by Zahid Hussain in Dawn, December 16th, 2020The writer is an author and journalist.FRENCH writer Georges Bernanos once said: “The worst, the most corrupting of lies are problems poorly stated.” His observation applies well to the ongoing war of words between the government and the opposition alliance. Rationality seems to have been completely lost in the cacophony of political one-upmanship that has intensified in the aftermath of the power show put up by the Pakistan…