Editorials

From the settlers in Balochistan the target has now been expanded to include any Punjabi in transit, as the killing of five workers returning to Lahore from Iran would indicate. Scores of Punjabis including traders, teachers, doctors, even labourers have died in acts of targeted killing. Hundreds have been forced to sell their property and businesses or leave their jobs and have been forced to return to their native province. This is reminiscent of the happenings in what was once East

Well, the irony of the whole thing hasn't been lost on anyone. Corruption in the ministry of religious affairs. That too, in facilitation of one of the five pillars of faith. The dust hasn't settled on what quite happened in the scam involving the Hajj but the barbs have started flying. What is interesting is the quarters from where the accusations have started. Far from the usual routine of the opposition grilling the government on the matter, most of the infighting is within the

The Pakistani women cricketers wrapped themselves in glory at Guangzhou by clinching the first-ever gold on the game's debut in the premier Asian sporting spectacle. They did it with a measure of aplomb, coasting to victory without the loss of a wicket. In fact, such was the dominance of women in green that in four wins on course to the title, only as many wickets were lost. This is impressive stuff that should inspire their male compatriots now battling scandals and South Africa in

In a welcome move, President Zardari has reached out to Mian Nawaz Sharif at a time when the PPP-led coalition faces challenges from its allies. That the allies have decided to oppose two bills being piloted by the administration indicates the way ahead for the government would be rocky.
The MQM, ANP and JUI(F) had disowned the four member parliamentary committee for the appointment of judges maintaining that the decision was taken without consulting the allies. The MQM and JUI

A simple Eid Mubarak doesn't appear to roll easily off PML(N) leader Ahsan Iqbal's tongue. On the second day of Eid, the former education minister attempted to do to the ruling party a verbal version of what butchers and amateurs across the great land did to kosher animals. What prompted the politician to speak out on the occasion is anybody's guess. The current regime has broken all records of corruption and inflation, he said. Though not many dispute that the present government is a

The Nato summit has begun at a time when President Karzai is increasingly under attack from his American patrons for criticising Gen Petraeus' "kill or capture" night raids on the Taliban. Karzai's problem is that he occasionally tends to forget that he holds his position as President courtesy the US and its allies and that he is supposed to carry out orders without throwing tantrums. His latest fits of pique have landed him in hot soup and he is being asked to explain which side he

Coming out of the virtual world of the Facebook, Musharraf finds himself abandoned by former colleagues, both civilian and military, while his adversaries are anxiously waiting for his arrival to drag him to the courts. Like a scared person preparing himself to face a hostile situation Musharraf continues to repeat "I am determined to go back to Pakistan" almost on a daily basis without moving a step towards the direction. Getting frustrated with his own handiwork, called the PML(Q)

Biases and knee-jerk responses are known to tear down the wall of any reasonable argument. But not without a measure of damage. The standard quote of both opposition and treasury members on the floods is the US is giving a disproportionately low amount of aid in the face of one of the worst natural disasters that Pakistan has faced in its history. Ditto for analysts, columnists and TV anchors. But it sure must rankle when the Americans respond by asking a simple question: why should

How does one read the Supreme Court's notices to the chiefs of the intelligence agencies in what is, after all, a missing persons case? The court stepping up to the plate? Most certainly. The spooks should most certainly be taken to task. The notices are in a case related to prisoners who had gone missing from the Adiala Jail. Some reports in the press allege that the prisoners were picked up by the intelligence agencies. The Chief Justice also did well to refuse to hear the

Some of the recent statements by the Chief Minister Balochistan implying that the center was unresponsive and was acting arbitrarily had created doubts about the way the recently expanded provincial autonomy was being implemented in the province. The charge by Balochistan Assembly Speaker Aslam Bhootani that the federal government intends to sell 70 thousand hectares of land in Lasbela to some gulf princes for hunting despite opposition by the provincial government would further

Blasphemy is a crime; no one should be allowed to slander the good name of our Prophet (PBUH). But our blasphemy laws border close to the blasphemous themselves when the love for the Prophet is allowed to be used for ulterior motives and, perhaps, xenophobia. Our blasphemy laws should protect the good name of our Saviour, not be confusing enough for anyone to take advantage of. The recent death sentence of a Christian woman highlights this. She should be provided ample protection

Was it at a gathering of the old boys club that the Minster of Interior, a former veteran of the FIA, declare that the FIA is now going to be given more powers to crackdown on corrupt officials? On the face of it, the steps, including a rumoured granting of police powers to the agency, seem like solid action. But to what end? There is a need, granted, for accountability but why not through more transparent channels? There needs to be a consensus on the accountability bill. This is one

The bomb cum gun attack in Karachi killing at least 24 and injuring over 1,000 indicates that the city which had till recently avoided bigger attacks by Taliban militants is no more immune. Like the strike on the Marriot hotel in Islamabad in 2008, this too was an audacious but well planned adventure. The CID building, where recently arrested Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) activists were also being interrogated, was chosen despite its location in the red zone. The attack was presumably aimed

Well, is it a mini-budget? Given by the major restructuring in the scheme of revenue generation, coupled with the costs to be incurred in flood relief, we can safely say that it is. These taxation measures aren't going to be too practical. For instance, there is the one-time flood surcharge, which is an additional tax on the salaried classes for a period of six months. Then there is the increment on withholding tax, one that many economists believe businesses will transfer on to the

The PPP and PML(Q) have reportedly reached an agreement on toppling the PML(N) government in Punjab through vote of no confidence. This is bound to revive in many the bitter memories of the 1988-99 period ending in a military coup. But will the PPP be willing to pay the price demanded by the PML(Q), which is the post of the province's chief minister for the PML(Q) nominee?
The PPP can maintain that the battle was actually initiated by the PML(N) by failing to fulfill the promises

What to do about our perennial sugar problem, if anything at all? Well, conditions of international donor agencies seem to imply that we shouldn't do much. Just the day before, the government agreed to the proposal to end the role of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan in the import and supply of sugar. In effect, letting millers and wholesalers work the whole thing out themselves. This would then mean an end to the system of direct subsidies that the government gives for the

Nawaz Sharif's address in Khairpur was widely reported the next day by the vernacular Sindhi media. It was noted, with ironic connotations, by some that this was the first interaction on the part of the chief of the major opposition party with interior Sindh during the last two years and a half. The visit came in the wake of an announcement by Nawaz early this month that he was working on a new social contract that he called the Charter of Pakistan and which, according to him, was