Pakistan

With President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani sending out flood relief appeals a little too late, chances are that it will be another 20 days before the donors mobilise their resources. With the national disaster management authority chief being quoted as saying that it will be another 90 days before water is drained out of districts Badin, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas, it will be a long time before the flood victims are rehabilitated. Meanwhile,...

There have been many talks about ‘getting the ball rolling’ to resolve the issue of jailed fishermen between India and Pakistan. But nothing conclusive has happened. Year after year, innocent fishermen from both sides are victimised, simply because there is no demarcation of water boundaries. According to Dawn, at least 400 fishermen have been languishing in jails in both countries for no intentional crimes. Despite no border markers, fishermen...

Justice delayed in some cases isn’t always denied. After a year since the senseless and utterly tragic deaths of two brothers in Sialkot, the jury has given a judgment.   Talking to Dawn, the family of Mughees and Muneeb said they were satisfied with the verdict in which the court sentenced seven of the convicts to death on four counts, gave life-term on four counts to six of them and jailed nine policemen, including a former district police officer,...

With August 14 approaching fast, Dawn.com would like to know your thoughts on Pakistan and the way forward. In your opinion, what should be done today to fix the many problems Pakistan faces? Please give your answer in one sentence along with your name, age, location and profession to qualify for the survey.

The worst floods in Pakistan’s history have carved a swathe of devastation across the land, leaving death and despair in their wake. The floods triggered by torrential monsoon rains have caused widespread devastation in northwest Pakistan, killing some 1,500 people and affecting more than four million. In this desperate hour, we all need to rise to the challenge and reach out to our fellow Pakistanis who have lost everything and now face an...

Violence triggered by the murder of Raza Haider, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and member of the Sindh Assembly in Karachi on Monday claimed at least 35 lives, according to officials. Once again we saw Karachi burn last night as angry protestors took to the streets burning vehicles and gas stations. Gunfire could be heard in several locations as people stayed home in fear. Once again, we saw Karachi shutdown. Where were you when...

An Air Blue passenger plane carrying 152 people crashed in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills on Wednesday morning. Although rescue teams have been dispatched to the site of the crash, due to the hilly terrain, teams travelling by road are having difficulty reaching the area. Dawn.com invites its readers to share whatever information and/or photographs you may have pertaining to today’s passenger plane crash. To view the passenger list, please click here....

Independence Day is exactly a month away and Dawn.com invites you to celebrate August 14 with us. Send us your images on celebrating independence, on what it means to have a country you can call home and what symbols – other than our national flag – represent our identity. You can be as creative and abstract as you want with your images or graphics. We welcome anything that celebrates Pakistan and the national spirit. Ten best images will be selected...

As the final result for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination came through this week, a few questions came to mind: Can the bureaucrats act like civil servants? Do they think that when Pakistan is being considered the 5th most unstable country in the world, do they want to help change things? Why aren’t the top notch universities graduates adopting this field as their careers anymore? How can nepotism and corruption be eradicated from...

Karachi is currently experiencing torrential rains for the past several hours. What’s happening in your area? Do you have electricity? Are the phones still working? What are the conditions of roads and other infrastructure in your part of the city? Dawn.com invites its readers based in the city to share their experiences. Photo by Hasaan Haider/Dawn.com The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily...