Ataturk’s legacy
Every year on November 10, Turkey holds Ataturk Remembrance Day to mark the death anniversary of the founder of the modern Turkish state and the first president of Turkey, Mustafa…
Atatürk & U-turn
MUSTAFA Kemal Atatürk died 80 years ago this month — a month that sees Pakistan caught in a mercifully less acerbic controversy on the priceless utility or the pusillanimous strategy…
The case for a Kemalist intervention
Pakistani democracy has done things to itself which it now finds impossible to get rid of. We can take it as an axiom of ‘modern’ civilisation that the state has…
‘Kemalists’ see secularist legacy under threat
For decades his picture dominated Turkey, piercing blue eyes staring from hoardings, keeping watch over city streets and army barracks. Schoolyards echoed every morning to his oath: "Happy is he…
Modern facsimiles
MUSTAFA Kemal Atatürk was born in Turkey, in 1881. Since then, facsimiles have been spawned many times: Soekarno in Indonesia, Lt-Col Rawlings in Ghana, Col Nasser in Egypt, Field Marshal…
End of ideology
THE Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the world’s second-largest Muslim-majority state and the self-declared fortress of Islam. It has the world’s largest network of religious institutions and seminaries. Yet, it…
Au revoir, Noah
THE Biblical scriptures tell us that Noah loaded his Ark with a pair of every species, especially rodents. He calculated that if his Ark was ever in danger of sinking,…
Framed in selective memories
PANDIT Nehru had all the time for Josh Malihabadi, but there was some particular matter he asked the revolutionary poet to consult Maulana Azad on. The two were very different…
Absolute victory
August 30 has a special significance in modern history. Exactly 102 years ago, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, managed to achieve a decisive victory against…
The rise of an intolerant society
How did we become so brutally intolerant? What led us to this despicable state? Over the last couple of months, Pakistan has reported violence against Christians, desecration of a Hindu…
