Category: Politics

  • Corruption threatens the civil system of Pakistan

    Amjad Malik specially writes on post NRO scenario on corruption The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented to the government on Thursday a list of 248 politicians and bureaucrats, who were alleged to have plundered hundreds of billions of rupees but were cleared by the NAB under the National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007. Luckily, the presidential order…

  • Laidbackshow Episode 6

    Show Notes After the jump

  • The NRO (Dis)Honor Roll

    Much has been discussed about the in-famous National Reconciliatory Ordinance where 5,800 crooks were pardoned by the then President Pervaiz Mushrraf as an attempt to broker a deal for his own extended stay as the President of Pakistan. This NRO in effect opened the flood gates to allow thousands of white collar criminals and murderers…

  • What Becomes of Us

    Look at this picture, this is a child labeled as IDP (internally displaced person) living currently in a make shift camp without proper basic living conditions e.g. food, water, sanitation. He doesn’t have fear in his eyes, even though it could well be that his family died during air raids by his own country’s air…

  • Sugar Boycott (Pakistan) – Nov 5th to Nov 12th

    Boycott consumption of Sugar from 5th November to 12th November 2009 – The Power of One can make a difference

  • Open Letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

    Your Excellency, Allow me to apologize to you for not being able to be present during your address to civil society at the hallowed campus of Government College University in my beloved city of Lahore. Much as I would have wanted to benefit from the wisdom of your analysis and foresight, I could not make…

  • Different Flavors of Public Protest in India and Pakistan

    Indians and Pakistanis are discussing the leadership crisis in their respective countries, but for different reasons and with different implications. India’s inability to wield influence on the world stage is being blamed on the lack of good leadership. In Pakistan, people feel that the political leaders have failed to instill confidence and provide direction when…

  • Waziristan Strategy or Pakistan Strategy?

    By Azhar Aslam Waziristan today has come to symbolize the paradigm in which Pakistan finds itself. An epicentre of ‘terrorism’, a symbol of ‘Talibanization’ and now a field for what has been euphemistically called ‘mother of all battles’. Pakistan and Waziristan were not always like this. How we have come to this pass is crucial…

  • US official, Resigns in Protest questioning the American agenda in Afghanistan (& Pakistan)

    Matthew Hoh, A former Marine Corps captain stationed in the Zabul province in Afghanistan tendered his resignation to the US Ambassador Nancy Powel, becoming the first U.S. official known to resign in protest over the Afghan war, which he had come to believe simply fueled the insurgency. “I have lost understanding of and confidence in…

  • The Risks Of A Remote-Controlled War: CIA using Drones for International Assassination

    Jane Mayer, a political journalist for The New Yorker discusses the ethics and controversies surrounding the CIA’s covert drone program, in which remotely controlled, unmanned planes target terror suspects in Pakistan. A 32 minutes interview on NPR [transcript] Mayer writes that unlike the military’s publicly acknowledged drone program in Afghanistan and Iraq — both official…

  • Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm, Students Protest Against Terrorism

    Jaag Meray Talib-e-Ilm a group of students from various universities in Karachi gathered at Karachi Press Club on Saturday 24th October to protest against the Terrorism being vaged against the school students across the country. Fasial Kapadia and I, as concerned citizens decided to join the protest and record short interviews for our Laidback Show…

  • David Rohde’s Insights Into What Motivates the Taliban: Held by the Taliban

    David Rohde writes about the seven months he was held hostage by a group of extremist Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conveys this observation about what motivates them: My captors harbored many delusions about Westerners. But I also saw how some of the consequences of Washington’s antiterrorism policies had galvanized the Taliban. Commanders fixated…

  • PR Seminar on The Blasphemy Law – Live Stream from PMA House @ 5:30pm

    The Blasphemy Law: An Objective Assessment from Religious, Legal & Social Perspectives seminar organized by the Peoples’ Resistance is being live streamed from the PMA House at 5:30pm catch it live here on the blog or head over to the page at Ustream.tv APOLOGIES: Due to a technical glitch – live feed is *not available*

  • Laidback Show Episode 4 – @skdev

    Show notes after the jump

  • K-L Bill – Yes or No?

    ‘Do you know why these suicide attacks are suddenly one the rise again?’ asked my friend. ‘No, but I guess you have a reason to justify them’ I replied in a cold manner, wondering when did the attacks actually slowed down. ‘Yes I know it is because of the Kerry Lugar bill. You know, these…