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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…

A Social Democratic Alternative

A social democratic alternative

The mainstream parliamentary parties are being eroded as the alignment of democratic forces breaks down and the Charter of Democracy evaporates at the altar of expediency. With this erosion, the…

Tackling Extremist Ideology

Tackling extremist ideology

The decision to put Hafiz Saeed under house arrest has been received well by the small minority of liberals and lured them into believing that this time the state really…

The Potential Power Of Social Media

The potential power of social media

The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor. The swift action taken by Punjab Police at the giant Hafeez Centre Plaza, Lahore’s largest IT market, from where dozens…

The Religious Right Strikes Back

The religious right strikes back

After offering their Fajr prayers, they boarded the bus destined for Peshawar without knowing this might be their last journey; dozens were injured and killed by the bomb planted by…

The Crisis Of An Ideology

The crisis of an ideology

It’s really quite unfair. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is facing considerable criticism for following its mandate and legitimately attempting to align Pakistan into a Shariah compliant state. Never…

The Crises Of A Liberal Ideology

The crises of a liberal ideology

In an opinion piece published in The News on March 16, ‘The Crisis of an Ideology’, Afiya Shehrbano criticises a particular brand of scholarship, mislabelled as ‘postmodernist’, for adopting a…

A Crisis Of Laws

A crisis of laws

Article 20 of the Constitution is related to the freedom to profess religion and to manage religious institutions. In the relevant part, it says, “Subject to public order and morality:…

Drivers of extremism

WHAT compels a mob to burn someone to death? What explains such amplified levels of anger that an accusation against some person from a marginalised group leads to a lynching?…

‘Deon’ dilemma

THE recent shouts of lawyers at a convention to ‘uphold the Constitution and the rule of law’ got me thinking of what exactly that means. How does one really uphold…