Voltaire famously quipped: “The Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy nor Roman, nor an Empire.” He would have been even more accurate had he made a similar statement about the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan” — which is neither Islamic nor a republic, and whose very name has been shamelessly debauched by the Syndicate (that occupies…

سب دوستوں کو عیدالاضحٰی مبارک ہو ۔ماشاءاللہ سب دوست ہی صاحب استطاعت ہوں گے ۔اور کوئی مقروض بھی نہیں ہوگا ۔اس لئے سب ہی قربانی کریں گے ۔آٹھ جانوروں کی قربانی ہو سکتی ہے ۔میری ان سے گزارش ہے کہ اس دفعہ بھیڑ کی قربانی کریں ۔کٹے اور بھینس کی قربانی پر اختلاف پایا جاتا…

BABAR CHEEMA I feel like crying aloud. I am heartbroken. My beloved country, Pakistan was a miracle of modern history. In the words of Stanley Wolpert,“ Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation state. Muhammad Ali Jinnah…

Being a Black man living in the 19th-century, American Poet Paul Laurence Dunbar lived during a time of grave injustice in the USA. His poem titled “We Wear the Mask” laid bare the wounds he and his fellow blacks held close to their selves. Here is a portion of the poem: “We wear the mask…

Former CJP Justice Jawad S Khwaja files petition in SC against Military Courts. The petition reads: “This case is also about power flowing from the barrel of a gun. It is about the power of the army. The army controls businesses and land. Historically, it has exercised power and influence over our political dispensation. Its…

In today’s political landscape, the prominence of dynastic politics is hard to overlook, particularly in South Asia. Today’s insightful article from Dawn, titled “All in the Family,” adroitly explores this phenomenon. The piece scrutinizes how, even in democratic systems, family lineage often dictates political trajectories, superseding merit and fostering an environment where patronage, not policy,…

کسمپُرسی اور شرمندگی تو اب ایسے ہے جیسے اس کیفیت میں زمانہ ہی گزر گیا ہو۔ لیکن پھر بھی یہ سلسلہ ایسے چلا جا رہا ہے جیسے کہ لاہور کے شمع سینما میں چلتی ہوئی ایک گولڈن جُوبلی فلم۔ لیکن لطیف کھوسہ صاحب کی کل کی تقریر نے زخم کو پھر سے ہرا کر دیا۔…

In an urgent call to action, Human Rights Watch has asked the Pakistani government to transfer civilians who are set to be tried in military courts to the civilian justice system. The international rights organization argues that such trials violate Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law to provide due process and fair trial rights…

In a new development, renowned PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan has recently made a bold move against the proposed military trials of suspects involved in the May 9th riots. As reported in Dawn, Ahsan filed a plea with the Supreme Court, expressing his objections to these trials and raising critical questions about the separation of powers…

گزشتہ صدی کی ایک مشہورِ زمانہ شخصیت کے سچے قصے سے بات شروع کرتے ہیں۔ ایک بڑے ٹھیکیدار کو برطانوی سامراج کی خدمت پر سرکار نے مراعات سے نوازا۔ القابات میں خان صاحب اور خان بہادر شامل تھے۔ شاید یہی وجہ ہو گی کہ موصوف سلطانہ ڈاکو کی نظرِ “ستائش” میں آگئے۔ ایک دن سلطانہ…