Najeeb Haroon: A not-so-high-profile PTI founder
Who is the first person that comes to mind when you talk about the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf? My guess is Imran Khan. Believe it or not, a number of others were a part of the movement that started the party back in 1996. Let’s focus on another core founding father’ of the PTI, shall we? In June 1996, the first Central Executive Committee of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was formed and included the following eight founding fathers: Muhammad Najeeb Haroon, Nazim Haji, Hamid Khan, Dr Parvez Hassan, Abdul Hafeez Khan, Owais Ghani, Dr Abdul Mateen, and Dr Mohammad Farooq. As of today, only Najeeb Haroon and Hamid Khan remain members of the party ...
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PTI and Marvi: A love story turned sour
When the PML- Q joined hands with the current PPP government, Marvi Memon took a stand (along with some other MNAs and MPAs of her party) and decided not to join the federation. She even went a step ahead and tendered her resignation from the National Assembly. This move improved her image in the public eye and people began to feel that she will take revolutionary steps in politics; that she will use her political standing for the people of her country. Political analysts and critics were of the view that Marvi Memon will join the PTI after she left her parent party. But due ...
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The fundofication of PTI
Three and a half months into the tsunami, things do not seem to be going in the direction many had hoped. What started out as a campaign to bring about positive and lasting change by bringing the youth and Pakistan’s moderate majority on board has now turned in to a lota/fundo-fest. But the believers still cling onto the words that were said on October 30, during that historic jalsa in Lahore. The idea was that Pakistan was for everyone – liberals, conservatives and moderates coming together under the banner of one party that promised to build an Islamic welfare state and ...
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Of laptops, marriages and Nawaz Sharif
For sometime now, I am really concerned about the recent claims by Nawaz Sharif that only his political party can save the country and solve all political, internal and security crisis. He also stated that 20 precious years of both his life and the country’s progress have been wasted by external and internal enemies and had he remained in power, he would have made Pakistan an Asian Tiger. Apparently, truth is more powerful than falsehood and often time becomes a catalyst to prove it. I am talking about a man whose choices (of both words and decisions) have proven to ...
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Deconstructing the PTI troll
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is the talk of the town. Naysayers have several objections – some which are fair, some not quite. One particular complaint, however, is a unique piece of criticism leveled against the party: that of the PTI troll, someone we all know and despise. When criticising the PTI on public forums, especially Twitter, a commenter is often subjected to harsh language and offensive speech by ‘supporters’ of the party. Instead of presenting arguments against criticism, these trolls subject the critic to intense cyber abuse. While I agree that this behaviour is not in the party’s interests, criticising the ...
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Not with that thing on, sister
So it turns out, I cannot enter a nightclub in Dubai. To those who haven’t ever visited the city, Dubai is a place where there are more nightclubs than mosques. Here, alcohol is a ready consolation for all and sundry. When I was visiting, I was forced to put a pillow over my head in a desperate attempt to drown out the noise from the clubs nearby. In Dubai, according to the Emirati who drove our Land Cruiser over sand dunes for the desert safari earlier in the day: “We Dubai people, we do this every day. We get tired of clubbing and partying, ...
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One more step towards legal rights for women
Women Parliamentarians have proved that when it comes to higher priorities, politicians can go above party divides. The bill on anti women practices passed by the National Assembly, which prohibits forced marriage, marriage with Quran, restricting women to get their rightful share in inheritance and giving women in exchange for conflict resolution, is a proof of that. Donya Aziz and Attiya Inayatulla have been working hard on this bill and have been mobilizing support from all parties. Though the bill is signed by eight Parliamentarians of PML (Q) including Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, it is women Parliamentarians that have gone through the ...
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Occupy Minar-e-Pakistan
Pakistan, according to former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, is an international migraine. Flirting with economic disaster, institutional breakdown, and general social disorder, citizens of Pakistan, often deprived of bare necessities, have become all too familiar with the pangs of disillusionment and despair. The question frequently posed on the global stage is what then should the world do about Pakistan, if anything? In her 64 years since independence, Pakistan’s tested and tried pretty much all flavours of government — all of which have left a horrible aftertaste on the country’s palate. The nation’s pre-existing frustrations coupled with the global pitch for reform ...
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The Nottingham tea party
Courtesy should fall flat in front of the rules. The state of affairs, in sports is run by a system agreeable to the ones who need to follow it to earn their living. Some just follow it for the sake of righteousness but either way, the convention exists to guide and contain, and to reduce digression if not stop it altogether. Lewis Hamilton didn’t become a world champion and one of the most exciting drivers by moving over to the dirty side of the track and allowing his rivals an easy pass. Similarly, Amir Khan plays for a knockout, not the 12th ...
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Karachi politics: Make space for the Pashtuns
Karachi hosts the largest concentration of the urban Pashtun population, surpassing Peshawar, Quetta and Kandahar. It is the largest Pashto-speaking city in the world. In fact, by some accounts, Pashtuns make up for more than 15 per cent of the total population in Karachi. Pashtuns contribute significantly to the economy of Karachi through business and labour. The fact that the Awami National Party (ANP) managed to win two seats in the 2008 elections is evidence for large Pashtun existence in the city. ANP, as a party, is changing and is becoming a counter-force to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). Karachi is ...
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