Debate of the week

Pakistan have been pitted in the so-called ‘group of death’ in the Super 8 stage of the World Twenty20 currently underway in Sri Lanka. The 2009 champions play their first match of the Super Eights against a strong South African team before taking on neighbours and 2007 champions India on Sunday and then finally, they play Australia, whom they recently defeated in a T20 series in Dubai. While Pakistan have been undefeated so far and have managed...

The West Indies qualified for the Super Eights stage of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup after their match against Ireland, which had been reduced to 19 overs per side because of an early rain delay, was abandoned after the rain showed no sign of stopping. The West Indies went through because of a superior run rate over Ireland and without having completed any match in the tournament as their first match, against Australia, was also called off due to the...

By announcing ‘Yaum-i-Ishq-i-Rasool’ on Friday, the Pakistani government has absolved itself from any responsibility towards its citizens – letting chaos prevail throughout the cities. This public holiday had been called out to pacify the masses apparently, but if anything, the scene on the streets of the country is doing anything but pacifying us… instead it seems to be terrorising us further. Yaum-i-Ishq-i-Rasool had been intended to...

In the aftermath of protests against the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims”, Pakistan’s prime minister ordered the immediate shutdown of the video-sharing website YouTube on Monday. Youtube said it will not remove the clip which has offended millions around the Muslim world, however, it has blocked access in countries such as Libya, Egypt and most recently, India and Indonesia where violent protests have remained unabated. In its Friday...

The monsoon rains are back in Pakistan and along with them, the flooding. At least 78 people have been reported dead and thousands left homeless within a week of heavy rainfall. The National Disaster Management Authority has declared a state of emergency in several districts and is expecting more rainfall in the coming days. The picture is all too familiar for Pakistan, as the country has been dealing with some of the worst years of monsoon, where...

Saeed Ajmal’s exclusion from the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) shortlist of players for the Cricketer of the Year awards has drawn great ire from Pakistan, be it administrators, former cricketers or the passionate cricket fans. ICC has ruled out a chance for Ajmal’s late inclusion in the list, saying it does not have any authority over the final list, which is decided by an independent jury, who decided to leave out Ajmal. In return,...

Every week brings news of sectarian violence in Pakistan. Shia Muslims are targeted from one end of the country to other, yet the violence continues unabated. Making the situation worse is the lack of action from the government as distrust between the country’s minorities and minority sects keeps growing. In a rare move, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan has called for the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take...

Creators of the hit television series “Ainak wala jin” from the mid-1990s announced on Wednesday their plans to revive the show for another series later this year. The show, of which the hallmark was the depiction of wizardry and magic in a light and comic manner, was aired between 1993 and 1996 to an audience that ranged from children to youth, as well as older viewers. Characters such as “Zakoota”, “Bill Batouri” and “Nastoor” became...

Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, a few hours before Eidul Fitr informed the country that cellular network will remain suspended from 12 am to 10 am on August19 – 20 due to security reasons. The government was lauded for the pre-emptive measures it undertook to avert terrorism. However, the inconvenience this disruption caused people also holds much significance. Did the government act well to suspend the network in a hasty move or could the...

In a brutal act of violence, at least 20 Shia passengers were targeted by unknown attackers and shot dead on Thursday. The attackers disguised themselves in army uniforms, checked the passengers’ documents and targeted those who were Shia. The incident was the third of its kind in the last six months. Meanwhile, in Balochistan, Hazara Shia Muslims have been constantly targeted in a similar manner by assailants. On the same day as the bus carnage...