Yesterday, at least eight people were killed and 125 injured in a bomb blast inside the premises of a religious school in Peshawar. Even those who have a superficial acquaintance with developments and events in the region felt it coming. A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had hinted at such a possibility. Last week, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) had issued security alert for Quetta and Peshawar rallies of opposition parties, saying there was…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
The stories we hear of gang-rape, abuse, and the deliberate torment of women and girls seem to be growing worse with each incident. Now a mother in Faisalabad has complained that her teenage daughters, aged 17 and 15, were abducted for six days and gang-raped and videotaped by a gang of men in September this year. She has said the family did not make the complaint earlier, but chose instead to change residence because they…
The writer is a member of the literary think tank, ‘Institute of policy and Research’The increasing number of rape cases across the country has triggered a debate about why there is a precipitous increase in sexual assault and rape. A small but influential segment of society believes that the victims are blamed for their lack of so-called modesty and purity. Such insensitive comments about rape victims always evoke harsh reactions from society’s broad parts, and…
There was a time when all opposition parties wanted to resolve issues with PTI government through talks. PM Imran Khan’s hubris however led him to reject the moves disdainfully, calling these as attempts to seek the NRO. Things have reached a point now where no one in the PDM is willing to negotiate with the “selected” PM. Meanwhile, the opposition has already held half of its six planned rallies. The latest in Quetta drew big…
The words we heard at the third rally staged by the joint opposition’s PDM, in Quetta, were not entirely expected. While the usual remarks about government incompetence and mismanagement were heard from the major leaders gathered in the city, there were also some unexpected gestures. For the first time, crimes committed against the country’s people, and notably the people of Balochistan, were brought out into the open by almost all the speakers, including Mian Nawaz…
by Arifa Noor in Dawn, October 27th, 2020The writer is a journalist.THE opposition continues down the jalsa path. Big crowds, star speakers and hard-hitting speeches — their coming together has now taken political centre stage while the government has been reduced to little more than reactions galore as minister after spokesman takes to the mike in front of a bunch of journalists to attack the opposition. By now, it’s hard to see if these talks…
The writer is an analyst and commentator.Watching the opposition protests in Gujranwala, Karachi and this weekend in Quetta has been an invigorating and refreshing experience for anyone that believes in federalism, robust political expression and the majesty of the democratic process. Over the last few years, several layers of restrictions – both self-imposed and those imposed by the shrinking ecosystem for robust expression – have emerged to shape our politics. The speeches and postures adopted…
The Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM’s) rally in Quetta was huge, indicating that its narrative has gripped not only its own ranks and cadre, but a wider audience amongst the masses. This development has burst the bounds of the electoral/political base of the parties in the PDM, as the Gujranwala, Karachi, and now Quetta rallies show. The opposition seems to be gaining momentum in its drive against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) government and its establishment backers.…
As a nation, we are going under unending confusion and have polarised opinions on our national issues. We get carried away without getting into the depth of matters. We have been suffering for the last 70 years between democracy and dictatorship. We are neither happy with democracy nor with dictatorship. We fight for democracy when we are under dictatorship and after getting rid of the dictatorial rulers and our entry into the democratic zone makes…
Suddenly the stealing of votes is being highlighted by the same individuals who were selected, trained and then launched for this very purpose. Historically speaking, the ‘Sarkari Leagues’ or the ‘Kings Parties’ were created for this purpose. As a Muslim League child, I have closely watched this day time robbery which has then bred several other kinds of robberies that NAB is now investigating. The first dictator Ayub Khan institutionalised this phenomenon with the launch…
Attack in Peshawar: edit in The News, Oct 28, 2020
We see it all once again. When the coffins are lifted, they will be filled with a weight that is once again unbearable to carry for those who take them to their graves. In Peshawar’s Dir Colony, at least eight people were killed and more than 110 injured in an explosion on Tuesday morning at the Jamia Zuberia madressah. All those killed are thought to be young men aged between 19 and 40 years. Children…