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.…
Issues in judicial reform
The celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Lahore High Court offered a good opportunity for discussions on ways to strengthen the judicial system so that it could better guarantee…
VIEWPOINT: Give them an inch and they will take ten miles: Religious parties’ threat
Leaders of various religious parties and groups who met at the Jamaat-e-Islami's Mansoora headquarters in Lahore on Tuesday have threatened the government to do as they want or be prepared…
The Hollywoodisation of issues
One can be cynical of the chauvinism that comes with patriotism and nationalism and yet admit a joyous moment of pride when Pakistani women receive international acclaim for their accomplishments.…
Issues of identity
Oxford University students are often accused of having a sense of entitlement. Many of them seem to assume that the world will provide them with power, high salaries and a…
Our infatuation with non-issues
In Pakistan the most feasible strategy for social control is the creation of a red-herring to divert public attention from issues of real importance. These red-herrings keep public attention diverted…
Faith, fear, fragility
FEAR and anxiety have deeply penetrated Pakistani society, undermined social cohesion and eroded the social fabric. One of the major factors responsible for this state of affairs is religious bigotry,…
Change his name if BJP wins
THERE is a perceptible voter fatigue against divisive planks. That’s encouraging news coming in for Indian democracy, which braces for a seven-stage general election starting Friday. The last round of voting is…
Judge, jury, executioner
RECENT years have seen a disturbing rise in the extrajudicial killings of blasphemy suspects — sometimes in police custody. Such cases reveal the increasing complicity of law-enforcement officials in the perpetuation of…
Mired in extremism
THE clumsy uproar of a religious group on filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat’s film Zindagi Tamasha and an appeasing response by the government reveal only a part of the extremism problem facing Pakistani state…
