The ghouls of South Asia
When South Asian leaders met at their first summit in Dhaka in 1985 there were just two democracies among the seven-member states that formed Saarc at the time — Sri…
A partial reckoning
Abdul Quader Mollah certainly did himself no favours when, earlier this month, he flashed a smile and a V-sign as he emerged from a hearing of the International Crimes Tribunal…
Justice or revenge?
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) set up in Bangladesh in 2010 by Prime Minister Hasina Wajid’s Awami League government, sentenced Abdul Quader Mollah, a senior Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader, to life…
Revolution: Islamabad style
Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital for half a century, was conceived as a peaceful retreat, away from the heat and dust of this country and the humdrum of its people. For a…
What is there to talk about?
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) delights in showing us off as a helpless and contemptible force. So last week, when the TTP’s offer of peace talks hit the newswires we perked…
Economic space for women
At the recent South Asia Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium in Dhaka, 120 women participants from 11 countries came together to create cross-border linkages between women entrepreneurs and leaders in South Asia.…
Blunders of the 1971 war
ON March 25, 1971, Gen Yahya Khan ordered the army to restore the writ of the state in East Pakistan. On Dec 16, 1971, East Pakistan was no more. That…
The long-term goal
The birth of the All-India Muslim League on Dec 31, 1906 in Dhaka was the result of the biggest consensus ever achieved in Muslim history. It brought together diverse sects…
Five sides of the conflict coin
The 1971 war was nothing less than the episode of H’abeel and Q’abeel for the two wings of Pakistan. The 41st anniversary of the fall of Dhaka fell on December…
And pine for what is not
This is that time of the year when endings come together with beginnings. But some prophesied endings have failed to turn up. The Mayan apocalypse was not to be and…
