Columns

There is a scene in Gulzar's Ijazaat where Naseeruddin Shah and Rekha are stranded at a railway station reminiscing about their broken lives with heavy rain holding up things outside the waiting room. Shah decides to go out and fetch something for them to eat but the bicycle he is supposed to ride has its chain broken. Ever the master of symbolism, Gulzar deftly uses the angle to showcase how the twain wasn't going to meet.
The Raymond Davis saga is just as rich in symbolism.

Last week I wrote about Christine Fair's work on madrassah education and argued that since the madrassah system is largely opposed to the teaching of subjects such as science, mathematics and literature, we should all be concerned about young minds being closed to the possibilities and opportunities that this world has to offer.
In recent times, the issue of Madrassahs has received a lot of attention in the wake of growing concerns about militancy. This is not entirely without

There are many ways to skin a cat. You, dear Brutus, always manage to skin yourself by turning the cat into a tiger. Your opponents win and thank you for saving their cat with bombs. You are useless, Brutus.
When double murderer and spy Raymond Davis suddenly took a short walk to freedom, it hit you like a thunderbolt. You came face-to-face with the bitter truth that you always sugarcoat with homilies and humbug. You saw an underling in the mirror and didn't like him. Don't tell

All too frequently these days, I am asked whether our past polling at Zogby International gave us any advance clues to the uprisings that have occurred in several Arab countries. The answer, of course, is no. We were surprised, as I believe were the demonstrators themselves, by the outpouring of support and the rapid growth of their movements in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond.
But while our polling couldn't predict the uprisings, it nevertheless has been helpful in contributing to our

Former Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah who had once suggested that the ordinary courts could deliver speedy justice and was consequently forced to resign following an executive-judiciary tiff caused by his opposition to the then Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif's plan for setting up special courts stands vindicated. The Sessions judge hearing a double murder case proved him right by rapidly acquitting Raymond Davis after the relatives of the two murdered young men pardoned him for his

According to a statement attributed to Pakistan's Prime Minister 'the US-Pakistan relationship would not be affected by the case of a single individual.' Media reports (not contradicted), however, stated that the US Congress had suspended aid to Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill as well as the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The reason for this was that 'the single individual - Raymond Davis' was in a Pakistani jail for killing two Pakistanis. Beyond the single individual

As if walking free of the rogue CIA agent Raymond Davis under a clandestine deal was not enough to inflame anti-American feelings in Pakistan, US drone attack targeting a peaceful jirga in North Waziristan has proved to be the proverbial last straw.
General Kayani, perhaps already under pressure owing to the perceived role played by the Army and the ISI in brokering a deal to whisk Davis away to the US scot free, has unequivocally condemned the attack. In an unusually harsh

One minute you have the best guest room in the classiest residence in town, the next you are on your own. That is what happens when your arch rival beats you in the gubernatorial race. We hear that during the late Salmaan Taseer days, the Governor mansion had welcome written all over it for Babar Awan. There was, in fact, a room reserved for him should he drop in for one of his trouble shooting missions. No more. It is no secret that there is no love lost between him and the current

The controversy generated over the release of the US citizen cum CIA operative Raymond Davis is both unnecessary and misplaced. It is unnecessary because it is a court of law that has ordered his release in which everyone had reposed trust. It is also misplaced because the release has been ordered in accordance with the provisions of the prevalent law and there has been no apparent breach thereof.
The insinuation that the whole drama was stage-managed may be correct, but such are

During the Cold War era, the two superpowers failed to stop major nuclear accidents at their civilian nuclear facilities. Now Japan, a technological giant, has joined the list.
The most devastating nuclear incident in the history of the US occurred in 1979 when there was a partial core meltdown in one of the units of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station. This resulted in the release of radioactive material into the atmosphere. The accident was rated at scale 4.<br

The crisis in Bahrain is likely to blow into Pakistan's face unless the government moves fast.
I am not interested in going into the whys and wherefores of the popular unrest in an archipelago where 54 percent of the population is non-local. One can wonder why the more urban and urbane Bahrainis should agitate violently, given that the constitutional monarchy there has been, for the most part, cognizant of popular attitudes. There can also be an argument against more opening up

The drop scene was dramatic and rapid. Before the more die-hard activists could say 'national honour' or 'sell-out', Raymond Davis had already been jetted out of the country - his freedom bought with the blood money paid by whom it was not clear.
Once the heirs of the two men shot to death had signed on the dotted line and accepted the payout (thanks to that great soldier of Islam and the US benefactor of the 1980s, Zia's Hudood Laws legacy), all legal hitches were removed with

Language plays an important role in the social systems of a country. At the time of independence in 1947, Urdu was declared as the national language of Pakistan. In the presence of Bangla and Punjabi, which were the languages of the two large communities in terms of population, Urdu was chosen for two major reasons: a. its association with Muslims as an identity marker during the Pakistan movement and, b. its intelligibility across provinces. This decision sparked opposition in the

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court has declared the appointment of Justice Deedaar Hussain Shah illegal. According to the reports printed in various newspapers, two judges on this three-member bench belonged to Punjab while the remaining judge belonged to Balochistan. This judgement has elicited a call for strike from the PPP in Sindh. It was announced that the protest would be kept peaceful. The PPP MPAs of Sindh attended the session of the provincial assembly wearing black

Aid poured in to Pakistan following devastating floods last year, including aid from Holland and Japan. The Dutch raised over

Article 25A was inserted in the fundamental rights section of the Constitution via the 18th Amendment. "25A. Right to Education: The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law."
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution also brought about another big change. By removing the concurrent list the subject of education has been made a provincial subject completely. So, it will be the

As the government of the day, pledged by their oath of responsibility to the Constitution to not only uphold but enforce the rule of law, the PPP has an unfortunate precedent for their blatant protest against the recent Supreme Court judgment declaring the Justice Deedar Hussain Shah's appointment as NAB Chairman null and void. In "The Ugly Face Of Fascism" written as far back as Nov 29, 1997, I had said, "On Friday Nov 28, 1997 Supreme Court of Pakistan building was attacked by an