The Sharifs and the religious right
Political alarm bells have begun to ring after the recent secondary dissection of the rightist vote bank into sectarian divisions after a period of 40 long years. It was in…
The religious right in Sindh
Despite intellectual property rights, the internet has broken the monopoly over books, libraries, distances, university degrees etc which are not confined to a few individuals now – including in Sindh.…
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…
Let human rights be
Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Pakistan are currently enduring one of the most challenging periods in the country’s history. Any CSO that advocates for human rights or raises awareness about…
Discussing transgender rights
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has long been an advocate for the rights of transgender individuals. Most recently, it launched a campaign titled ‘Meri Pehchaan, Mera Ikhtiyar’ (My…
Right-imagine Pakistan
I have always believed that we already have much to be proud of – we don’t need to reimagine Pakistan, but rather to rightly imagine it. The real challenge has…
Modi’s religious nationalism as foreign policy
The unprovoked air attack launched by a hegemonic and Hindutva-driven India against Pakistan in the early hours of May 7 and its subsequent hostile acts against the latter’s sovereignty and…
Transgender rights
FOUR years after the epic and surprising (given our right-wing bent) multiparty approval of a Transgender Act, right-wing forces now say it is un-Islamic. Terming it anti-religion may be responsible in…
Islam & rights
RIGHT from the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Islam has advocated for the protection of human rights. It says that every individual — male or female — possesses a…
Policing and the right to protest
IT appears as if Imran Khan has deliberately slowed down the pace of his party’s ‘long march’ on Islamabad. But the challenge of providing security to the protestors and maintaining law and…
