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Posts published in “Pak Media comment”

Islam, modernity and Pakistan: op-ed by Javid Husain in The News, Nov 4, 2020

The writer is a retired ambassador and president of the Lahore Council for World Affairs.Pakistan’s current political and ideological problems are a microcosm of the crisis of the Islamic civilization in which forces of ignorance, backwardness, extremism and authoritarianism are pitted against the ideals of enlightenment, progress, tolerance and democracy. Islam gave a revolutionary message of human brotherhood, social equality and justice, rule of law, moderation, quest for knowledge, and human advancement. As long as…

The long winter of unconstitutional democracy

by Durdana Najam in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2020.The writer is a public policy analyst based in LahoreEleven political parties (as the Pakistan Democratic Movement, PDM) are on the rampage to drag Imran Khan’s government out because they believe that this government has been “brought” into power. What they mean is that the establishment has stolen elections to put their favourite on the saddle. How much truth does this blame hold? A popular belief…

The season of vicious verbosity

by Sikandar Noorani in Daily Times, Nov5, 2020The writer is a freelancerIt is very much Indo-Pak style of politics to blame the rivals for promoting enemy country’s narratives. This vicious tendency was always there but a recent surge needs much serious head on shoulders. Ex speaker national assembly Ayaz Sadiq has taken a significant lead among those PDM stalwarts who spoke irresponsibly at important forums whatwas neither expected nor required. Common audience and saner political…

Piling on the agony, land grabbing case against Mrs Sharif is aimed at her sons

Editorial in Pakistan Today, Nov 5, 2020The proceedings in a civil suit against the mother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PML(N) President Shehbaz Shraif, accusing her of landgrabbing, come at a particularly sensitive juncture, at the time when the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is ratcheting up the pressure against the PTI government. The plaintiff alleges that Mrs Sharif had illegally got the plaintiff’s mother to sign the transfer deed by force, and has…

Is the economy turning around?

by Khurram Husain in Dawn, November 5th, 2020The writer is a member of staff.A SLEW of numbers in the past few days got a few people excited that the economy has turned the corner and now lay on the path of growth. Among these people was the prime minister himself, who told his audience in Gilgit-Baltistan that the economy is now “on the right track” and he will redouble his energy towards ensuring “accountability”. More…

No change in Afghan policy

by Zahid Hussain in Dawn, November 4th, 2020The writer is an author and journalist.BILLED as one of the most momentous presidential elections in American history, the outcome of the 2020 race will have far-reaching implications for the world’s most powerful nation and beyond. If the opinion polls are to be trusted, Democratic candidate Joe Biden appears to be ahead of President Donald Trump. But nothing can be said with certainty until the last vote is…

Spoilers at work :edit in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2020.

The IS spanner can now clearly be seen in the works for peace in Afghanistan. Every attack of late in the war-ravaged country is being proudly claimed by the savage militant group — the latest one being at the Kabul University on Monday in which 22 students and staff members were killed and as many others injured. The broad daylight attack at the university — featuring a suicide bombing followed by gunfire by two more…

Violence unabated: edit in The News, Nov 4, 2020

While Afghanistan has continued its struggle for peace, this year it has seen increasing violence in the past few weeks, notably at its educational institutions. The deaths of young people are particularly tragic. When these come in multiples, it makes the story even worse. At Kabul University on Monday gunmen stormed the building and began a carnage, which left 22 students dead, out of which 10 were women. Bodies of students were found next to…

Violence rages in Afghanistan: Editorial in Pakistan Today, Nov 4, 2020

As the USA goes to the polls to either pick a new Democrat President in Joe Biden or reelect Republican incumbent President Donald Trump, the Afghan peace deal between it and the Taliban has gone on the backburner, losing the momentum seen a few months back. This has been accompanied by a deadly increase in violence with at least two major terrorist attacks taking place in the country within a week. Two days back gunmen…

Kabul University slaughter

Editorial in Dawn, November 4th, 2020WHILE hopes remain that violence in Afghanistan will one day come to an end, specifically if the government, the Afghan Taliban and other major stakeholders reach a peace agreement, civilians in that unfortunate country continue to pay a high price due to the lawlessness. On Monday, a massacre occurred at Kabul University, in which at least 22 people lost their lives. The militant Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for…

Crossing the red lines?: op-ed by Farhan Bokhari in The News, Nov 4, 2020

The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist who writes on political and economic affairs.The Pakistani opposition’s relentless attacks have triggered a dangerous trend – the fallout from breaking the hitherto well recognized red lines. For years, a succession of Pakistan’s elected governments and the armed forces have co-existed under a mutually accepted norm, each having defined their own space. But since the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) effectively led by the opposition PML-N launched its latest round…