Portraits from the frontline
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have compelled female soldiers to silently change the military culture on the battlefield. The debate about whether British and American service-women should encounter direct…
ASR must be kept alive
Institutions must not be allowed to die. And if they are institutions whose primary function is to educate, it is all the more important that they be kept alive. But…
Fear of satellite mapping
THE people of the Hanuman Masdoor slum have enough to worry about already. If the women work at all they are poorly paid cleaners. Most of the men are scavengers,…
The battle must go on
Such are the paradoxes in Pakistan’s politics, that at a time our politicians are locked in a grim power struggle in Islamabad, the same gentlemen joined hands to pass unanimously…
Empowerment or xenophobia?
In the hysteria of near-coups, almost-wars and December weddings, you may have missed the news of Saudi Arabia’s decision to implement a law permitting only women to work in lingerie…
Raising the growth rate
Pakistan needs to ramp up its growth rate because the country faces a population bulge for almost the next 35 years; 230 million are projected to be in the labour…
The long wait for change
In 2009, the Afghan government enacted a law on the elimination of violence against women (EVAW). The law was accompanied by other measures which included the establishment and regularisation of…
Aid and NGOs
LAST month USAID announced the $40m Gender Equity Grants Programme in Pakistan to advance women’s rights and support government policies discouraging gender inequities. According to the announcement, the “United States…
Lip service to equality
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Centre, a Washington-based independent organisation, nearly 64 per cent of Pakistani men believe that a university education is more important for…
The UPA’s great gamble
India’s United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is launching a massive cash transfer project based on the Aadhaar unique identity (UID) number, in lieu of direct provision of public services.It’s rushing…
