Shahab Usto
We have seen terrorists blow up the shrines of mystics and saints — Bari Imam, Data Ganj Baksh, Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Sakhi Sarwar — but now even poets and political icons are in the crosshairs of terrorism. Akora Khattak, a small city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been twice hit by terrorism; one to destroy the mausoleum of Khushal Khan Khattak, a great Pashtun poet and freedom fighter of the 17th century, and then to destroy the under-construction tomb of Ajmal Khattak, a left-leaning politician and poet.
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Syed Moazzam Hai
Anders Breivik, the self assured killer of 77 people in Utoeya, Norway, has been a diehard fan of violent computer games, he boasted in front of the court that he once played ‘Modern Warfare’ for 17 hours straight, he also explained that he used such computer games to plan out the police response and his best escape strategy.
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Yasser Latif Hamdani
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan made Ahmedis non-Muslims for the purposes of the law and constitution. Exclusivist and arguably ultra vires the scope of parliamentary power as it was, it did not impose any restrictions on the freedom of religion of Ahmedis, including their right to call themselves Muslims. To do so would have been a negation of Article 20 of the Constitution, which promises every citizen freedom to profess and propagate his religion.
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Neil Berry
If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, what is the worth of the images of Anders Breivik formally shaking hands with his prosecutors in the Oslo court where he is being tried for mass murder?
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Jawed Naqvi
I MUST confess I was among the feckless journalists that wouldn’t believe for days after the event a year ago that Osama bin Laden was killed or could be killed without the help of Pakistani intelligence.
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Rafia Zakaria
THE compound has been demolished and the wives shipped off to Saudi Arabia. In the one year since Osama bin Laden’s death the physical evidence of his presence, his home and household have all but been eliminated from Pakistani soil.
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Dilip Hiro
When Washington announced in April a $10 million bounty on the Lahore-based Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, it was aimed at bringing about the jihadist leader’s conviction. Continue reading →
Dr Mohammad Taqi
“When people’s lives are at risk from persecution, there is a strong moral obligation to do what is reasonably possible to help. It is not enough to seal up the windows against the smell”– Jonathan Glover.
But as far as the Shia genocide goes, sealing up the windows is precisely what seems to be happening in Pakistan. Continue reading →
Yasser Latif Hamdani
In view of the Constitution of 1973 and the many authoritative pronouncements of our judiciary regarding Pakistan’s status as an Islamic state, it is logical to question whether secularisation of Pakistan is possible. Opponents of a secular Pakistan claim that since the state itself was founded in the name of Islam, secularisation is antithetical to it. Continue reading →
By:Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
HRCP’s yearly reports keep the public informed on the state of the human rights in Pakistan. Continue reading →
