Is gun control fair when guns are a part of your culture?
Sitting around in the ICU recently, I struck up a conversation with one of the nurses. We started talking about his new dog that he’s trained not to react to loud abrupt sounds, such as gunfire. He does this at range he shoots at. I expressed interest in what kind of gun he uses being a bit of a self-touted gun enthusiast myself. He then went on to list about 15 guns that he owns, right from an antique short-barrelled musket to an AR-9 rifle, for which he recently bought an ACOG high precision scope! Renewed debate regarding the need for stricter ...
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What will elections bring for Hazaras – more death?
It was October 5, 1999 when ex-education minister Sardar Nisar Ali was ambushed by “unknown” terrorists. His driver and personal bodyguard died on the spot, he, however, was fortunate enough to have survived the attack but sustained serious bullet injuries. This was the first terrorist attempt ever to be made on a prominent Hazara figure in Quetta in a democratic set up, led by the elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Soon after, leading Hazara businessmen including Sardar Saadat Ali, the younger brother of Sardar Nisar Ali started receiving life threatening calls known to be later on from the ‘alleged’ terrorists in Afghanistan. On ...
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Dolmen City shooting: We deserve answers
My heart skipped a beat when I first heard about the violent shooting incident at Dolmen City mall in Clifton, Karachi. Living close to the mall, I manage to frequent Dolmen City a few times a week, so the news that there had been gun fire and reportedly an attempted kidnapping within the massively popular new shopping mall was especially alarming. Later, when I tried to ascertain the exact details of the incident, I found the accounts to be conflicting. While the official police report claimed that the incident was not a kidnapping, witnesses to the occurrence said that not only was it ...
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Police powers to FC in Balochistan: A futile measure
In Balochistan, the police are currently enjoying additional powers under the Police Act of the British colonial days to raid, arrest, detain and prosecute anyone found violating the laws of the land. The police enjoy the power to search any suspected place where criminals are hiding illegal weapons, narcotics and other contraband goods. When violent incidents increased in the province, mainly through the targeted killing of Hazara Shias by terrorists in Quetta and its outskirts, the provincial government gave police powers to the Frontier Corps (FC) to raid, arrest, detain and question suspects involved in targeted killings and other heinous ...
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Spare a thought for the policeman
I am an honest policeman disgruntled by the stigma attached to my profession. So, in order to let everyone see what my life is like, I have decided to pen down what a month in my shoes looks like. Despite performing my duties without taking any bribes, I fear I am still labelled a “chillar”, “thief”, “dishonest” and “corrupt”. There is no doubt that there are many people in my profession who may deserve those labels, but stereotyping everyone as the same isn’t an honest act either. I grew up like any other ordinary child with few facilities and festivities – ...
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Silenced for speaking the truth
How easy is it for a person to tell the truth when he knows it could cost him his life? In Balochistan, the truth is seldom allowed to surface. If it does, it’s often distorted. However, I find it fascinating that there are people who speak up knowing that truth would endanger their life. Despite the terrible state of law and order and a deep sense of insecurity in the province, a less-known but brave doctor stood up for justice and told the truth, which ultimately resulted in his assassination. A year ago, police surgeon Dr Baqir Shah, a key witness ...
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Stop blaming the US and India for our problems!
Last Week, Qazi Hussain Ahmad held America and India responsible for the suicide attack aimed at him. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) took the same stance when the attack on Malala Yousafzai took place. This may all be well and good, however, a question I would like to pose to them is, “Why would the US and India target both pro-Taliban and anti-Taliban forces in Pakistan?” Many religious parties hold the sentiment that the Taliban are justified for their attacks on the Pakistani security forces because of Pakistani’s involvement in the war on terror. These parties consider the Taliban nationalist as ‘freedom fighters’. To ...
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Fighting terrorism with cell phone bans
Is the nation prepared to cope with a scenario where there will be no cell phone services at all? If not, it better start. Since there is no hope that terrorists and militants will turn into gentlemen and peace-loving human beings, there will be no let-up in such tactics by our headless government. There are many occasions, both religious and national, that we observe each year. Any occasion of happiness is intolerable for our enemies. This results in a ‘genuine’ security clampdown in the shape of mobile phone services shutdown. On this Ashura, the terror threat was so immense that cellular services remained ...
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We are not Malala, we may be the Taliban
In order for terrorists to flourish, they need more than guns, funding and a geographical location to operate in – they also need an ideological space to occupy and work inside. That is how they persist; that is how they can win. This fact is one which the majority of Pakistanis have yet to come to terms with: the fact that we ourselves are often individually culpable and involved in the war being waged against the terrorists in our country. Tragically, we are often knowingly or unknowingly on the wrong side of the ideological front. Nowhere has this been better illustrated ...
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Bollywood, please stop demonising Muslims
The relationship between Pakistan and India has always been a challenge because of the cultural and religious differences. However, both governments are trying to promote diplomacy and are trying to formulate resolutions regarding the Kashmir dispute. We must not disregard the ‘Aman ki Asha‘ initiative either, where decisions like releasing prisoners and making amends is being employed. What should be scrutinised and acknowledged is that the media has a great role amidst all of this. This is especially so for films; film is a medium through which we can influence the general views of the public and tow it in the right direction. Regrettably, ...
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