Journalism held hostage
In February, about 50 journalists who report from the tribal conflict zones of Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Kabul. They discussed issues related to war reporting and the need for…
Dangers of a shared reality
In Pakistan, journalism has become the riskiest profession. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), out of 66 journalists killed worldwide in 2011, 10 died in Pakistan. For the second consecutive…
Autism, religion and conversion
There are many excellent reasons for young hearts to seek love outside their religious confines. That is what sages like Bulley Shah are believed to have encouraged. In Delhi, more…
What arrogance, what delusion
So then, 53 “carefully selected” and “chosen carefully Pakistani foreign policy elite” — retired civilian and military officials, analysts, journalists and civil society practitioners — with established expertise on Afghanistan…
Memogate and history
Husain Haqqani will not be enjoying Christmas festivities in Washington DC. The former journalist and spin-doctor was simply outmanoeuvred by his opponents in the field he thought he had mastery…
Uncorking the Babri genie
Maulana Jalaluddin Umri was fasting when he met a clutch of journalists last week. India’s mainstream media had shown no interest in him so he decided to invite a few…
Viewpoint: Are we heading towards a bloody revolution?
It is difficult to determine who said it first. But the line "the country is heading towards a bloody revolution" seems to have struck a chord with all kinds of…
Endgame in Afghanistan
Scarcely a day goes by without a major story about Afghanistan in mainstream newspapers and TV channels in Britain and America. The tone of these reports is increasingly sombre. More…
The war on journalism
It was on May 31, 2011 that Saleem Shahzad’s broken body was found in Mandi Bahauddin, several kilometres from his home in Islamabad. Abducted, tortured and murdered, the journalist had…
Media needs attention
I can’t quite determine which part of the story made me laugh, and which brought on tears, when I learnt that some zealous functionaries had passed around envelopes with Rs500…
