Category Archives: Pakistan
PTI’s folly in NA-246
Leading up to the by-election on National Assembly seat NA-246 in Karachi, perhaps nobody except Imran Khan and his PTI cohorts believed that anyone but MQM will win NA-246 again. If political acumen instead of ego had been driving PTI, the smart thing to do would have been to withdraw the PTI candidate in favour of the JI candidate. This way JI would have been deeply obliged, and owed PTI one. Further, the win of MQM would not have come across as a win against PTI.
Beyond the Crossroads
Yemen – sifting the fact from the fiction
The Houthis are not an ethnic race or a tribe. They are people belonging to a theological movement that was started in Saada Governorate of Yemen in 1992, with the name Believing Youth (BY), by the Houthi family. ‘Believing Youth’ preached tolerance and peace and held a broadminded educational and cultural vision. Houthi’s preferable political system is a republic with elections where women can also hold political positions. When the leader Hussein al-Houthi was assassinated by the Yemeni government in 2004, the group took up the name Houthis.
Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize – a different perspective
Not pro-Malala, not anti, just different …
To be fair to her, Malala did not ask for the Nobel Peace Prize. Nor did she lobby for it. But in all probability her handlers did, intensively; for what would be the crowning glory of 2 years hard work put into Project Malala. Intelligent as she is, I wonder if the thought has ever occurred to her in this period, for even a moment, that she has been cast in the lead role of a complex narrative which really has little to do with female education in Pakistan?
The slide into chaos
Prelude
In elections 2013 I voted for the PTI candidate from my constituency NA250. At that time like millions of others, one was tired with the PPP’s shenanigans and was hoping (against hope) for change. The PTI candidate won, and that is the last one has ever heard of him. To my observation and knowledge he has done absolutely nothing for this constituency in the past 14 months or so. For the provincial assembly seat I noted for independent candidate Jibran Nasir, who I did not know or had even heard of before.
Trouble in Paradise
I was walking past the room called Pakistan on the 13th floor of World Tower, when through the open door I heard the sound of protracted sobbing. Instinctively I stepped into the room to see Democracy sitting in a dark corner, her hands clutching a kerchief to her face and sobbing uncontrollably. It was a distressing sight. Especially as I quite liked Democracy.
Happy Birthday Pakistan?
Opinions differ regarding how the country’s 68th birthday should be observed. One side advocates celebration with patriotic, no-questions asked fervor. The other side counters that the nation is in a deep morass and there is really nothing to celebrate. While one does wish to rejoice on such an occasion, too much blood and tears have flown, and continue to flow, in this country on a daily basis, to allow the soul genuine exuberance. This is the sad reality.