Tag: Politics

  • NRO declared Null and Void – What Now?

    After a lapse of over two years, today a full bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan came through with a historic judgment declaring the 2007 National Reconciliatory Ordinance null and void. It must be recalled that the NRO was the mastermind of the then President of Pakistan General Pervaiz Musharraf who in October 2007…

  • He who is Not a Sinner should Cast the First Stone

    By: Amjad Malik, MA, LLM I have been vehemently advocating the need to erect a system of accountability by invoking a new commission and an Act of Parliament to curb mal practice, plundering and looting whilst one is holding a public office. This new Commission can truly ensure compliance with the Clauses of Article 62…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Desperation or Challenge – Pakistan Must Act

    By Azhar Aslam When someone declares an open war, how must a nation react? How should they defend themselves? Have we forgotten the lessons from war with India? Why should we feel different now when we are being attacked from inside rather than from outside. By attacking various institutions of Pakistani state (in attacks of…

  • The Myth of Independence – Economic Imperialism

    “The notion that Pakistan controls the reigns to the economic resources of the country is incorrect—she doesn’t. The G-7 does. They are the ones who make all the economic decisions for us, for our country, through their institutions like IMF, World Bank, and WTO through the policies of SAP, TRIPS, and TRIMS. The idea is…

  • Iran Election Results Watch

    It seems the Iranian Elections are being reported by the State run news agencies as a victory for the incumbent Ahmedinejad but it seems that only a fraction of the results have been counted. Stratfor has issued a careful watch alert on the elections to not jump to conclusions just as yet as there appears…

  • We are a Crowd, not a Nation, not an Ummah …! [Survey Results]

    Recently we (The Critic Blog Team) conducted a survey to prove or disprove a hypothesis that “There is a difference of opinion among the masses about the top 5 problems, i.e. every other person focus on different agendas thus there is no channelized effort toward any single issue”. After receiving replies we complied the data…

  • The Beginnings’ End

    Guest blog by Kamil Hamid While celebration is in order, the civil society movement and Pakistanis in general must understand that it is crucial this be used as a beginning for a new era of activism and the drive for justice. Sitting back at this point, and allowing “appropriate parties” to handle matters would be…

  • Umeed-e-Sahar – LAAL

    Umeed-e-Sahar an inspirational video by Laal It is my belief that the fate of the country rests on its citizens – considering how are politicians are committed on looting and plundering Pakistan to their hearts desire the fate of our country rests upon the citizens to join hands and say STOP The question to all…

  • Deconstructing Human Conflict: My Thoughts

    Guest Blog by Hassan Baig Conflict has been one of the centerpieces of our existence since the dawn of the human race. Different millennia may have seen different markers of our species’ cultural and technological progress, the constancy of conflict has never fluctuated. And the present day is no different – us Pakistanis know that…

  • The list of our ‘poor’ Senators

    Senators in preparation of the upcoming Senate elections have filed their declaration of assets with the Election Commission of Pakistan & Dawn published an investigative summary outlining some prominent politicians and their ‘official’ declared wealth.  A run down through the list will make many wonder as to what might be the actual definition of the…

  • ABN Chicago Interviews John Fritchey for Congress – Drone attacks discussed

    ABN Chicago did an interview this Sunday with John Fritchey who is running for US Congress from Illinois state in the special election which will be held on March 3rd, 2009 where he is hoping to replace Rahem Emanuel who has vacated the seat since he has moved onwards to be Obama’s White House Chief…

  • PTA Blocks websites with Salman Taseer’s pictures ‘Harmful for the integrity of the Country’

    Its being reported that PTA has recently blocked six specific URL’s in Pakistan deeming them “harmful for the integrity of the country“. These websites are blocked for carrying a certain set of pictures containing Salman Taseer, The Governor of Punjab & his family.  The PTA is said to have complied upon the request from the…