The writer is a journalist.THE PDM’s jalsa in Multan was in the news as it should be. Any attempt to get rid of any government is, every five years, aided then by the said government’s efforts to forcibly stop the gathering. But this time around, there was a departure from the usual cast of opposition figures who railed against the inhabitants of Constitution Avenue — Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari who spoke to the crowds in Multan. She…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
edit in Pakistan Today, Dec 8, 2020Today the top leadership of the PDM meets to consider its strategy after the December 13 rally. The address to PML-N’s media team by former PM Nawaz Sharif and PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz was meant to prepare party activists for the struggle ahead. Ms Maryam Nawaz again hinted at PDM parliamentarians tendering resignations en masse. The decision will only be taken if other parties in the alliance also…
The writer is an analyst and commentator.Does Pakistan really need a grand national dialogue? Some will say it really doesn’t. Pakistan just needs to be run in accordance with its constitution. Those that want Pakistan to be run in accordance with its constitution is a large and varied group – but it isn’t everybody in Pakistan. If everybody was already in agreement with the wisdom and applicability of the constitution, we would not have an…
report in The News, Dec 8, 2020KARACHI: Sindh government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab said on Monday that the provincial administration of the PPP has been doing quality development work all over Karachi. Wahab, who is also the chief minister’s adviser on law and environment, made the claim during his visit to a park near Korangi’s Coast Guard Chowrangi that is being reconstructed under the Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project…… He added the Sindh government will not…
report in Pakistan Today, Dec 7, 2020RAWALPINDI: A Christian girl was reportedly killed in Rawalpindi after her parents rejected a marriage proposal sent by a Muslim man, named Shehzad. Officers from the Koral Police Station claimed on Sunday to have arrested an accused named Faizan, while raids are being carried out to arrest the prime suspect, Shehzad. The deceased, Sonia, and the accused were residents of the Old Airport area in Rawalpindi. Shehzad’s mother is…
The writer is a lecturer at Lahore School of Economics.GENDER bias in textbooks is an important but overlooked problem. Content analyses of textbooks have shown that women occupy a subordinate status in society; their roles are insignificant and mostly limited to household chores. They are rarely shown contributing to society outside their home. For a balanced view of the world, it is not only necessary for girls but equally important for boys to have female…
THE opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement is working hard to make its final Lahore jalsa a success on Dec 13. The PML-N is the host for the event and is utilising all its resources to gather a significant crowd. It is also an opportunity for the party to flex its electoral muscles in its home base. However, the bigger question is: what after Lahore? This is where the PDM is struggling to come up with a…
Actions speak louder than words but our prime minister keeps on repeating familiar phrases ‘NRO nahi don ga (will never award concessions to the opposition leaders) whenever and wherever he gets a chance to speak about any issue under the sun. In his recent interview aired on a national TV channel, Prime Minister Imran Khan said opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would not be permitted to hold their public meeting in Lahore on December…
by Maleeha Lodhi in Dawn, December 7th, 2020 The writer is a former ambassador to the US, UK and UN.AN inflection point seems to have been reached in the country’s politics that could propel the country into uncharted territory with uncertain consequences for its stability. The confrontation between the government and opposition shows no sign of easing. Instead, the political temperature has risen to a fever pitch and a bitter power struggle continues to rage.…
The writer is a law graduate and is presently pursuing PhD in International RelationsThe opposition’s procession from an Oktoberfest of opprobrium to a December of discontent has brought to the surface critical issues about our perception of democracy and the freedoms it promises to preserve. Amid a more lethal second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s obdurate insistence on continuing to hold massive public gatherings is fraught with danger for more reasons…
Changing the bureaucratic mindset
by Dr Farid A Malik in The Nation, Dec 8, 2020The writer is a former chairman of Pakistan Science FoundationThe royal, colonial bureaucracy of Pakistan needs a change of mindset which is by no means a trivial matter. Dr Ishrat Hussain has been working on administrative reforms for over two years; the implementation of his recommendations are eagerly awaited but unless the basic approach is reformed, quantum change will not take place. In the formative…