Nawaz and Zardari’s “Last-Ditch” Efforts

The restoration of the judiciary continued to dominate news coverage of Pakistan on Wednesday, and media outlets reported that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari met for “a decisive round of talks” on the issue in Dubai. According to the Associated Press, “Pakistani leaders were up against a key deadline Wednesday [...]

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Zardari Goes Back on his [Judicial] Word?

On Tuesday, the restoration of the judiciary continued to dominate coverage among Pakistani media outlets. According to The News, the Pakistan People’s Party‘s co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari “went back on his word about [the] judges’ restoration in 30 days, agreed in the Murree Declaration.” According to the news agency, “Talking to Dr. Shahid Masood in [...]

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Iranian President Stops Briefly in Pakistan

Infamously controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a brief visit to Pakistan today, where he met with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Islamabad during his four-hour stay. According to the Associated Press, “[The] Iranian and Pakistani leaders resolved issues related to a multibillion-dollar [$7.5 billion] gas pipeline project opposed by [...]

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Peace Talks Underway as Taliban Leader Calls for Ceasefire

Media coverage of Pakistan on Friday was dominated by the government’s progress in negotiations with Taliban-linked militants in the FATA region. Reuters reported, “Pakistan is close to clinching a peace pact with one of the most recalcitrant tribes in its lawless border regions to rein in a Taliban leader [Beitullah Mehsud] regarded as a cohort [...]

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A Filmmaker’s Perspective on Pakistan

CHUP recently had the opportunity to interview Mehreen Jabbar, a Pakistani filmmaker whose film, Ramachand Pakistani, was recently selected for the Tribeca Film Festival and will be screened for six days, from April 28, 2008 to May 3, 2008 [for information on theaters and purchasing tickets, click here.] The film, based on a true story, explores what transpires when a Pakistani Hindu [...]

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Pakistan’s Food Crisis – Abida Mukhtar

There has been increasing concern growing over the global food crisis, which has affected numerous countries across the world, including Pakistan. This week’s Economist cover story [see attached image] noted, “For the first time in 30 years, food protests are erupting in many places at once.” Our contributor, Abida Mukhtar, a consultant based in Lahore, [...]

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The Road for “PM Zardari” is Paved in Gold

On Monday, the Pakistani Supreme Court struck down a requirement introduced by the government of President Pervez Musharraf that parliamentary candidates must hold a Bachelors degree. The News reported today, “A seven-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, while hearing the petition filed against the condition of graduation [...]

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Pakistan Frees Pro-Taliban Leader

On Monday, a “leading Pakistani militant” was released in what the Associated Press called a “major step by the new government to talk peace with Islamic militants and break with President Pervez Musharraf‘s policy of using force.” BBC News reported, “Maulana Sufi Mohammed was arrested in Pakistan in November 2001 after returning from Afghanistan. He [...]

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Pakistan to Re-Enter Commonwealth Next Month?

On Monday, media outlets reported that British Foreign Secretary David Miliband arrived Sunday in Pakistan for two-day talks. During the visit, the official affirmed the UK’s support for the Pakistani government’s talks with militants “who have renounced violence,” [more detailed post to follow], and called for Pakistan to be readmitted into the Commonwealth. What does [...]

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Pakistan Ambassador Held Hostage by Taliban

Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan, Tariq Azzizudin, who disappeared from the border area between the two countries in February, appeared in a video broadcast by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television on Saturday, in which he said he was being held by the Taliban and urged Islamabad to meet their demands. He also called on the Pakistani envoys [...]

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