What the NATO Summit achieved
The Pakistanis came, they didn’t quite conquer, and now they’re leaving. At the end of the day, the NATO Summit in Chicago produced no news, and yet there was much to report. With hundreds of media personnel camped at the massive media centre at McCormick Place, the venue of the summit, the subject of the day remained Afghanistan and Pakistan. Reporters tried to work out whether Pakistan would announce the re-opening of the supply routes, an issue that has been raised in nearly every press conference that took place during the summit. All that work really was in vain – Pakistan ...
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US-Pak: Ghairatmand Pakistan’s right to beg
Sixty years have passed since Pakistan and the US have been in collaboration. This relationship has seen many ups and downs. History has witnessed pompous public welcomings of leaders of both countries, the ‘mi casa es su casa’ (my home is your home) attitude, and also watched hatred-filled rallies against one another. Despite the bipolar relationship, the fact is that this liaison has proven to be beneficial for both countries. Putting aside the rather tempting conspiracy theories, the US has been investing much in the economic and educational development of Pakistan. USAID spends millions of dollars for education in Pakistan. ...
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Was war always on the cards for Iran?
Iran has always played the role of the odd one out in the international arena. Its stand-out stance from the rest of the world has distinguished it from others and as a result, it is left isolated. There has been a lot of conjecture about an attack on Iran’s nuclear installations, whether from Israel or the US. Iran has always been cooperative with the IAEA over the years but somehow they have been portrayed as an uncooperative, rogue state. Just a week ago, Iran agreed to allow UN inspectors to inspect its notorious nuclear facility against the odds. However, the dust ...
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Representing our real selves
While the US makes a ‘strategic deal’ with India to send the latter’s military to Afghanistan to train soldiers there, and also improve mutual trade relations, and Pakistan observes with uneasiness and helplessness, I, at Deutsche Welle, Bonn, begin to start working on a joint project with an Afghan and an Indian colleague on representing a positive image of our countries and the trilateral connection among the three neighbours. With an aim to endorse our individual countries and prepare a group project about the three ‘most-in-the-news’ nations, us three have got together in Germany to work amiably, peacefully and, most ...
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What if Amreeka invaded Pakistan
It has happened. The Grand Old party (GOP) has attacked the GOP (Government of Pakistan) and its people. Initial threats of the US to bomb Pakistan back to the middle ages were met with huge laughter by the Pakistani masses. With dengue fever, floods, no electricity, target killings, and religious intolerance, we are already there you fools, the people laughed aloud. It is now expected the bombing might jolt them out of the middle ages and send them forward instead. Prior to the attack, the American government claimed it had solid proof and well written reports printed on nice pink ...
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Foot soldiers: Our forgotten war veterans
Supporting the war on terror and the military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is one debate – however, the recognition, acknowledgement and appreciation of soldiers and war veterans is a different issue. One of the strongest agents in forming one’s national identity is the support of a country’s armed forces. One can malign the Pakistan Army for its continued meddling in politics, and for maintaining a monopoly over the national security policy, but this does not give us the right to forget the foot soldiers who fought on the frontiers for our safety. These war veterans are ...
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US withdrawal: Implosion, or peace for Afghanistan?
All military campaigns have lifecycles. Some are short while others drag on for years but the end is always inevitable. It is this inevitability that currently overshadows American military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The war in Afghanistan has been America’s longest war. It has been costly in terms of money and lives for all countries involved. George W Bush invaded Afghanistan to avenge the 9/11 attacks; he also took the opportunity to take the war into Iraq, to pre-empt Sadam Hussain from using his alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction. After Bush’s two terms as the ‘war president,’ the ...
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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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Raymond Davis: Who dare point a finger at an American?
Earlier this week a US ‘diplomat’ shot two Pakistani men in broad daylight. Despite the dramatic nature of events there have been rational elements in our society who are still trying very hard to look at the issue objectively. In the interest of presenting a fair picture the media has produced criminal records of the men who were shot, there have been those who have tried to justify Raymond Davis’ actions by saying that Qartaba Chowk, the area of the shooting was unsafe and there are even some who have maintained that a ‘gora’ in Pakistan is always at risk. While many ...
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Wake up America, Islam is not the enemy
“Pakistan is going down.” This was the headline that appeared on the screen on a CNN broadcast as I prepared to board the 16 hour New York – Lahore trek, returning to a country I’ve grown to love deeply but that the newscaster was condemning as the most dangerous country on the earth. Squirming tirelessly on the flight, I thought about all that’s happened over the past few months I’ve been in Pakistan – and particularly the flooding gap between the liberals and radicals, which the international media has so loudly proclaimed – and felt an overwhelming sense of restlessness. How could the international ...
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