Posts Tagged ‘Democracy’

Pakistan is passing through most critical time in its history. I would call it even worse than 1971. Pakistan in its 62 year history has gone through many turmoils. Founding fathers of the country passed away too soon after its creation. The slogan which was used for the creation Pakistan was changed according to the personal whims of religious [...]

The Charter of Democracy (COD, signed by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif) is indeed a Magna Carta of politics of reconciliation and democracy in Pakistan. Despite a lot of criticism by the right wing media and politicians, a non-governmental institution after a careful scrutiny has revealed that 90% of the CoD has [...]

My Response to Ijazul Haq's article published in daily News today (July 04). http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248786 This is with reference to Ijazul Haq’s article “What has ‘freely’ changed?” (July 3). Mr Haq seems to be living in the 70s, as he seems unable to understand the meaning and importance of a simple word [...]

Due to General Zia Ul Haq's long dictatorship — it was undoubtedly, the darkest period in the history of Pakistan's polity — Pakistan has become the land of turbulence and crisis. Today, we are facing insurmountable problems like terrorism, democratic crises and political instability. It's really sad fact that General Zia's followers political [...]

I would like to share this letter posted almost one year before at another forum. Mr. President, Sir, 1. As one of the most senior founder members of the Pakistan People Party and Ex-General Secretary of the PPP District Gujrat, I exercise this opportunity and privilege to express my concerns. 2. After gaining a comfortable position in [...]

The Bhutto family has occupied a well-known place in the world politics and surely, when one articulates about democracy in Pakistan, the Pakistan Peoples party is the only party, which from the beginning of its foundation; laid by Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto fought against dictatorship and moved with its objective of “Islam is our [...]

جمہو ر ی یا مذ ہبی ر یا ست      جنید قیصر سقو ط ڈ ھا کہ جو ہما رے دل پر گز را ہے ۔ اِ س کے جو اند رو نی اور بیر و نی محر کا ت تھے ، سقو ط عرا ق کا المیہ اپنی نوعیت میں اِ س سے مختلف نہیں لگتا ۔ سقو ط ڈ [...]

قد ا مت پسند ی اور غیر جمہو ر ی اندا زِ فکر قا ئدا عظم ، مذ ہب اور ر یا ست کے تعلق کے حوا لے سے کیا خیا لا ت ر کھتے تھے ، قر ۃ العین حید ر کی آ پ بیتی ’’کارجہا ں درا زہے ‘‘ سے یہ اقتبا س پیش خد مت ہے [...]

Thanks to General Zia for the forced islamization of Pakistan, pouring bags full of US dollars and Saudi riyals and mushroom growth of madrassas of a particular ideology which has created a generation who has a different way of seeing things. The unholy nexus of the military, mullahs, and Muslim Leagues has affected the social, moral, and [...]

( بحوالہ روزنامہ  جنگ  ) ××× سسٹم خود کشی پر آمادہ ہے – ( جسٹس خلیل الرحمان رمدے) حالا نکہ ہم اسے پھانسی لگانا چاہتے ہیں ××× خواہش ہے جمہوری نظام کو نقصان نہ پہنچے – (جسٹس افتخار [...]

Source Economic and political weekly (With thanks to reader Hussain Bux Mallah for providing a link to this article) With the passing of the 18th constitutional amendment in April 2010, democratic Pakistan’s journey for political stability came within leaping distance of its destination, just as the chasm that needed to be crossed became [...]

Source : AJF

I wrote this for the Express Tribune’s sunday magazine and they published a much shorter (“mutilated”, according to the editor dude) version. General sahab, I have been a silent admirer of you and your methods for a long time now. You have impressed all and sundry with your charm, your cool, your foresight and your prudent outlook on [...]

One of our dearest friends, writer and intellectual Dr. Abbas Zaidi has on the LUBP  team's request, exclusively written this well argued piece for our readers. I on behalf of LUBP am grateful to him for sharing his efforts with us, and hope he will contribute more articles to this blog (aliarqam) Now that Fauzia Wahab has apologized in the [...]

Times are horrifying in this land of the pure and a chaotic world around. A “satire” protesting censoring of an episode of ‘South Park’ by Comedy Central turned viral, forcing the irreverent cartoonist to take refuge behind opposing censorship in a most inappropriate manner. A section of the aggrieved Muslims, especially Pakistanis, [...]

The most certain feature of Pakistan’s democracy is an uncertainty of its future. The optimistic view describes the current difficulties as the issues of transition from a military-dominated political order to a participatory civilian political system, which will take time to settle down. The current problems are the transitional problems on [...]

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پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی آخر کیا ہے کافی عرصے سے میں سوچ رہا تھا کے پیپلز پارٹی پاکستان آخر کیا ہے کیوں لوگ اس کے اس قدر اسکے حامی ہیں یا مخالف. آخر اس پارٹی کے لئے درمیان کی جگہ کیوں نہیں ہے؟ آخر [...]

پارلیمینٹ بالا دست ہے ============== زمانوں سے عدلیہ کی آزادی اور پارلیمینٹ کی بالا دستی کے مقولے زبان زد عام چلے آرہے تھے - کسی شخص نے پارلیمینٹ کی آزادی اور عدلیہ کی بالا دستی کی بات نہ کی تھی اور نہ [...]

بے نظیر ، مشرف مذاکرات اور رحمان ملک کی معافی معذرت خواہانہ رویہ کیوں ؟ =============== پرویز مشرف کے اقتدار پر قابض ہوجانے کے بعد ملک کے نوے فیصد عوام کی حمایت یافتہ سیاسی قوت کی علامت پیلز پارٹی اور [...]

انصاف ہوتا نظر آگیا ہے کسے وکیل کریں کس سے منصفی چاہیں ============================= رحمان ملک کو ہتھکڑی لگوانی تھی - رحمان ملک پر پانچ تولے سونا چرانے اور ایک کار رشوت میں لینے کا الزام لگایا گیا - اعلی [...]

================================= وقت گزرنے سے پہلے پالیمینٹ مداخلت کرے ================================= پارلیمینٹ ، انتظامیہ اور عدلیہ کے مابین دو اہم ایشوز پر اختلاف رائے پایا جاتا ہے - بظاہر پارلیمینٹ کے ساتھ عدلیہ کا [...]

================== مقدس گائے ================== ہر مسلمان کا ایمان ہے کہ ہمارا دین مکمل ہو چکا ہے - کوئی نیا پیغام ، کوئی صحیفہ کوئی مقدس گائے آسمان سے نہیں اترے گی - اب اس زمین پر ہر شخص مقدس یا ذلیل محض اپنے [...]

Mr Seth Oldmixon has brought to our attention a new column by Dr. Majjida Ahmed, a founding member of Americans for Democracy & Justice in Pakistan published today in Daily Caller. The column, 'True democracy in Pakistan can prevent extremism', discusses the important connection between cementing a strong democratic process in Pakistan, and [...]

My article "Traitors and Reactionaries" which was just a satire has created this impression that I am some kind of a Taliban supporter or a media Taliban. A long emotional article of Chaudhary Ahmed Khan alleged that I am indulging in selective lynching of PPP. He also alleged that urban middle class people like me cannot find flaws with [...]

Day after dreary day it goes on — a professor, a woman, shot and killed in a rickshaw in Quetta, four policemen blown up in Peshawar, five ‘activists’ shot dead in Karachi, and more, much more. This land has a helmsman of little consequence and the sub-leadership is habitually frugal with the truth, always hoping that lies will sustain [...]

A thought provoking article on inculcating the principles of Bhuttoism in Pakistan as a part of school syllabus. (more...)

Asif Ezdi (whose columns appear in notorious Jang Group / The News indeed) has surfaced as the establishment's latest tool in its war against politicians and democracy in Pakistan. Pakistan Media Watch has written an article on Mr Ezdi, which is being provided below. Also, note the latest attack by Mr Ezdi on Nawaz Sharif in order to pressurize [...]

Consistent with its election manifesto, the PPP government has finally taken a step in the right direction by announcing a new labour policy (effective 1 June 2010). The policy comprises a number of appreciable elements in order to protect workers' rights and to alleviate their economic and social hardships. According to Prime Minister Gilani, [...]

Pakistan was conceived by its founder as a parliamentary democratic country. Political forces in Pakistan have a consensus on the parliamentary form of democracy, which the two constitutions of the country, 1956 and 1973 drafted by the two respective constituent assemblies, amply reflect. The passage of the 18th Amendment Bill by the current [...]

The strategy evolved by the government, in consultation with the army and other stakeholders, and the determination shown by it in the face of heavy odds led to a complete ouster of the extremists from Swat The passage of the 18th amendment and its signing by the president has been rightly hailed by a broad spectrum of civil society as a [...]

The United Nations Inquiry Commission report into Bhutto's murder has put Musharraf regime in the dock The three-member United Nations Inquiry Commission has almost absolved the slain Ameer of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Commander Baitullah Mehsud of the Bhutto murder charge. By doing so it has trashed the Musharraf regime's [...]

Asad Sayeed's timely article highlights the dangerous path being currently coursed by the country's Judiciary where the mandate of 170 million people is not considered more important than the political vendetta of the establishment. Short March to Despotism For those not too bothered about legal nit picking but more concerned about [...]

It pains me to read yet another piece of sensational investigative journalism by Ansar Abbasi that appeared on back page of Daily Jang (25 April 2010)  and The News (24th April, 2010). The sub heading in Jang is mindboggling saying “the 18th Amendment might even allow convicted local spies of the RAW, the CIA, the FBI and even Mossad to become [...]

تابوت میں آخری کیل ============ عدلیہ کی آزادی ---- پارلیمینٹ کی بالا دستی ========================== کیا آپ کسی معقول انسان کا حوالہ دے سکتے ہیں کہ اس نے پارلیمینٹ کی آزادی اور عدلیہ کی بالا دستی کی بات کی ہو؟ [...]

The cross-party consensus on Pakistan’s constitutional reforms is a shot in the arm of the parliament and strengthens the process of democratisation in the country. Democratisation is an answer to the country’s many contemporary challenges, including the fight against religious extremism. In order to further entrench democracy in Pakistan, [...]

Why Pakistan needs strong institutions is amply demonstrated in recent events of monumental importance. However, these events did not get enough attention either because of indifference from analysts or their lack of comprehension about these issues. It is a tribute to democracy that, despite the challenges of security and economic downturn due to [...]

By Raza Rumi Cross Posted from Pakteahouse While the gurus of security and international affairs continue to unpack and make sense of the high-profile and much-hyped Pak-US ’strategic dialogue’, the people of Pakistan continue to ask questions about its direct relevance to their lives. If increased US investment in the energy sector and [...]