Seraikistan is our right
Seraikis are not ‘south Punjabis’, just like Pathans aren’t ‘north Punjabis’. Stop calling them southern Punjabis; it’s in bad taste. Having one’s cultural identity reduced to a geographical variant of an alien ethnicity is unpleasant. People should realise how incredibly offensive it is when they claim that Seraiki is just a dialect of Punjabi and not a different language. Seraiki is an ancient language, rich with heritage that represents its people. Some even argue that linguistically, Punjabi may be a relatively recent relic of the Sikh invasion, while Seraiki, with its original Sanskrit script, might be significantly older. It’s ironic how a ...
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Predicament of journalists in Balochistan
Balochistan is often in the news because of its ongoing low-level insurgency, recovery of bullet-riddled bodies, explosions, target killings or the alleged presence of the so-called Quetta Shura. But very few people realise that the province has also become a very difficult place to work for journalists. In fact, ten journalists have lost their lives in the line of duty this year alone. Three of them lost their lives in explosions or after being caught in the crossfire, while the rest were killed in targeted attacks because of their professional work or perceived sympathies with the province’s suffering citizens. Recently, ...
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Losing East Pakistan: Lessons we didn’t learn
Forty years ago, Pakistan and Bangladesh became separate countries. They may enjoy good relations with each other today, but it seems that Pakistan has not learnt any lessons from the East Pakistan debacle. After the separation, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto formed the Hamoodur Rehman commission, headed by the then Chief Justice of Pakistan. It was given the mandate to investigate all circumstances and events which led to the disintegration of the eastern wing. The commission submitted its report to Bhutto in October 1974, but the report was not made public. In august 2000, parts of this report were leaked out and ...
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Balochistan: Hunger strike for not teaching?
Last week about 100 teachers of state-run schools in Balochistan launched a hunger-strike “unto death” outside the Quetta Press Club to pressurize the government into issuing a notification for the acceptance of their demands. They asked for a restructuring of their pay scale, conveyance allowance, and investigation into embezzled money. This sort of activity is quite popular in Balochistan. Teachers of state-run schools often resort to protest for a rise in pay scales, particularly when the annual examinations are near, in order to exert maximum pressure on the government. Teachers from far flung areas also turned up to this protest in Quetta only to show their strength, ...
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A vacation in Balochistan
Anyone beholding the beauty of the Balochistan coast cannot help but be struck by it. This video is a visual tour of all the work being done by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands to regenerate a coastal region that was once dead. A world class highway stretches for 800 kilometres and gives one the opportunity to view the sandy beaches, clear blue waters and the spectacular coastal ranges. This is the perfect opportunity for eco-tourism, as it promotes the welfare of the locals, and encourages responsible travel. Vast mangrove plantations have been set up, enabled by the Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department ...
Read Full PostWas there a Kharotabad cover-up?
The judicial tribunal tasked to investigate the Kharotabad incident has reached the conclusion, after holding hearings for a month, that all the five foreigners, including three women, who were killed by law enforcement agencies’ personnel, were “well-trained terrorists” and had “strong links with terrorist networks” operating in Pakistan. There were many journalists present at the crime scene but for obvious reasons no one came forward to testify. When I asked one of them why he hadn’t come forward, he said there was no point since nothing would be done, and it would not be sensible to pick a quarrel with the ...
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Appeasing the Baloch youth
The youth – the future leaders of this country – continue to bear the major brunt of the simmering conflict in Balochistan. Unemployment stands at an all time high. Educational institutions in Balochistan are either mostly closed or only partially functional – either because of threats from Baloch militants or sporadic military sweeps through the areas, or strikes, called to protest for victims of target-killings. Education at large has suffered due to frequent strikes. In 2010, more than 100 working days were lost due to the breakdown of law and order or because of political action, mostly by Baloch nationalist parties. In ...
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What Pakistan and Southern Sudan have in common
This is written on a billboard on a road in the capital of Southern Sudan: “9th July, 2011. Our long walk to freedom. 2.5 million lives paid for our independence.” Southern Sudan’s proclamation of independence is a result of a peace agreement that was signed between the rebel group, Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) and the government of Sudan after more than three decades of civil war. It gave the SPLA the right to govern Southern Sudan for six years. After six years a referendum was conducted in January 2011 in which people were to decide whether to stay a part of United Sudan or become independent. An ...
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Why PPP will be re-elected in 2013
For some reason, every four to five months, Pakistan’s politicians and media start talking about elections. Although everyone says they hope the government will complete its five year term, this does not stop them from making wild predictions about the upcoming elections, whenever they will be held. Based on what I have observed, this is the harsh truth that the people will eventually come to terms with: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is going to win the next elections. Before you start sharpening your knives and take a run at me, logically think about the electoral map of Pakistan. In order to ...
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Fatima Bhutto and her songs of blood, sword and fairytales
She was beautiful. She was eloquent. She was vivid, and witty. Yet while orating at the Sydney Writers’ Festival Fatima Bhutto also managed to be naïve, hollow and juvenile. Seemingly, the trauma of her beloved father’s death has not left her and this, unfortunately, has become an indistinguishable part of her personality – to discuss her experiences while speculating about national issues. Her recent speech clearly epitomises the emblem of her book, “Songs of Blood and Sword,” published in April, 2010, that is, selective amnesia and fiction in the absence of fact. Her speech starts with the popular state propagated narrative of politician ...
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