Author Archive

On Friday, Pakistan celebrates the sixty-second anniversary of its independence. Recently, the country has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Terrorism, communal violence and the economic and energy crises dominate headlines. But the resilience of the nation and its people has been expressed again and again – through a nationwide consensus against militancy, a national movement in favour of a free judiciary, a much-needed Twenty20 win, the...

With the death of Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud being confirmed, it is hoped that the wave of terror gripping the country will lose strength. While Pakistani government officials are yet to give an official reaction to Mehsud’s death, the White House has said that Pakistan will be a safer place now that the country’s number one enemy is gone. How will Mehsud’s death change the tactics in the offensive against militants in the tribal...

The Pakistan cricket team has failed to show the same character and spirit during the Sri Lanka series that helped it lift the ICC World Twenty20 title. The series loss in both Tests and ODIs has once again forced the Pakistan team’s fervent followers to lose faith in the side’s ability and commitment. Is it too early to call the T20 triumph a fluke? Does the Pakistan team deserve more international matches to regain its form in the longer versions...

On Monday, Christians across Pakistan mourned the Gojra tragedy, which led to the death of seven people over the weekend. Hundreds of Muslims, apparently spurred by a banned militant group, stormed a Christian neighbourhood, burning dozens of houses after reports surfaced that some Christians had desecrated a Quran. In response to the attack, the Christian community held protests and insisted that charges of negligence be registered against the Gojra...

On Tuesday, President Asif Ali Zardari asked leading businessmen and industrialists to work with the government to find a permanent solution to nationwide power shortages. He asked private sector entrepreneurs to brainstorm ‘out-of-box’ solutions to the ongoing power crisis, admitting that rental power projects contracted by the government could only address immediate energy needs. President Zardari invited the businessmen to weigh in...

On Friday, the Supreme Court overturned convictions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for plane hijacking and terrorism. ‘Looking at the case from any angle — the charge of hijacking, attempt to hijack or terrorism does not stand established against the petitioner,’ the Supreme Court ruled on a petition filed by Sharif. The PML-N has welcomed the decision and party spokesman Siddiqul Farooq has already announced that the party will...

On Sunday, the government announced that the sending of ‘indecent, provocative and ill-motivated’ text and e-mail messages was a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison – the maximum possible in Pakistan. The announcement prompted a strong reaction in the local media. An editorial in the Dawn described the new law as ‘bordering on officially-sanctioned state censorship’ and warned that it might be used to silence the government’s...

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority raised the prices of petroleum products on Thursday following a presidential ordinance. The hike came a day after the Supreme Court suspended a government-imposed carbon surcharge in an effort to keep the price of petroleum products low.  The price hike means that petrol will now be available at Rs 62.13 per litre while kerosene is now priced at Rs 59.35 per litre. Is the ongoing petroleum price see-saw a clash...

Marwa al-Sherbini, a 31-year-old Egyptian woman, was stabbed to death by her neighbour Axel W in a courtroom in Dresden, Germany. Marwa, about four months pregnant, wore the head scarf and was involved in a court case against Alex for calling her a terrorist. She was set to testify against him when Alex stabbed her 18 times in front of her three-year-old son and half a dozen German police officers. The killing has dominated Egyptian media for days...

Pakistan’s World Twenty20 hero, Shahid Afridi, is all the rage with cricket fans world over. As attention shifts to Test cricket, Afridi takes out time to answer Dawn.com’s readers’ questions. What is it that you have always wanted to know? Why he blew that kiss to Kallis or how, finally, he decided to build an innings? Do you have questions about Afridi’s training regimen, or his favourite moments in cricket history? Or do you want to...