by Abbas Nasir in Dawn, December 6th, 2020The writer is a former editor of Dawn.IN the post-Trump world, whether in the US, Brazil, India or Pakistan, what makes news depends on who is peddling it, and, in the black-and-white polarised worlds we have now created, one can predict with near-certainty who will believe it. All else is not considered news, regardless of merit. If this were true only for those taking partisan positions or playing…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
The police system seems to be set to make some very needed structural changes. One of the changes, according to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Inam Ghani, is that citizens should not be called in police offices or stations without summons. Moreover, funds have been set aside to set up a software for digital monitoring of people, called in the police stations or offices, which has been planned to be launched in January…
by Sulema Jahangir in Dawn, December 6th, 2020The writer is a board member, AGHS Legal Aid Cell, an advocate of the high courtsTHE Indian and Pakistani constitutions provide equality for all, yet the rights of citizens from different religious groups in matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance and succession, depend on religious identity. A Muslim man can practise polygamy but this is denied to men from other faiths. Muslim women in India are unable to…
The writer is a human rights reporter based in Karachi.Syed Mustafa Kamal, the PSP chairperson addressing a press conference. — courtesy PSP TwitterThe inertia in Karachi’s political scene was interrupted unexpectedly when the former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders Wasay Jalil and Dr Nadeem Nusrat announced the formation of a grand alliance of Muhajir political parties of the urban Sindh on a new platform – Voice of Karachi. Their aim, they said, was to build…
The writer is a member of Progressive Academics CollectiveThe recently concluded Students Solidarity March which took place across multiple cities demonstrated students’ potential to come together and create new, democratic spaces for themselves When students march, they teach us that our current models of education and politics are inadequate and, in the process of walking, speaking, meeting, chanting and singing, they transform those models into what they need and want. They create a democratic space…
The Prime Minister’s words from a speech on Friday indicate that the ruling party has noticed perhaps its largest failing since coming into power; the inability to keep the local government system going. The PTI government has often addressed the issue and pointed towards reforms, the pandemic and other reasons for not renewing grassroots governance in provinces such as KP, where it is in power. However, whatever the reason, the ultimate result is the same—power…
THE National Accountability Bureau drew the ire of the Supreme Court this week because of its repeated 90-day physical remand of those under investigation. The court was critical of the bureau’s disturbing practice of detaining the same suspects for 90 days by filing multiple references against them. While the court clarified that it did not object to NAB’s authority to detain a suspect once, it termed the trend of continuous custody as cruel and unjust.…
The writer is a member of Progressive Academics CollectiveThe recently concluded Students Solidarity March which took place across multiple cities demonstrated students’ potential to come together and create new, democratic spaces for themselves When students march, they teach us that our current models of education and politics are inadequate and, in the process of walking, speaking, meeting, chanting and singing, they transform those models into what they need and want. They create a democratic space…
The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Islamabad.WELL, that escalated fast. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) may be in the process of fast-tracking its campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan. The end game, from its perspective, may come sooner than planned. Does this mean the opposition is on the verge of resigning from the assemblies? Well-placed sources within PDM say the issue is under serious discussion. The Lahore jalsa is scheduled for Dec 13…
The writer is a freelancerDespite official ban on public gatherings amid second wave of corona, PDM’ leadership thought it more appropriate to go as per plan about rallies in Peshawar and Multan . No attention was paid even to the threat alert of possibleterroristattacks.Was it courageous on part of the opposition to call thousands of supporters under extremely hazardous environment amid surge in corona cases? Was it so emergent or unavoidable to arrange a mass…
Third time lucky: Edit by Rahimullah Yusufzai in TNS, Dec 6, 2020
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.Barrister Muhammad Khalid Khursheed, the son of a judge, was elected as the third chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan on November 30 and sworn-in on December 2 to begin a five-year term. He was the candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which won the recent election for the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly. He secured 22 votes against the nine obtained by Amjad Hussain, the joint candidate of the…