The Media Holding the Media Accountable

In the latest Press Freedom Index 2009, compiled on the basis of questionnaires completed by hundreds of journalists and media experts around the world, Pakistan ranked 159 out of 175 countries. Although the country “has scores of privately owned television and radio stations, putting it on the path of an information revolution comparable to that [...]

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Wading in the Back Channels of Diplomacy

On Sunday, Pakistan and India’s foreign ministers reportedly met for 100 minutes on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York City. According to Reuters, it was “a fresh attempt” to improve bilateral ties between the two nations since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. However, Pakistan’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi and [...]

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The Rise of Child Soldiers

Earlier this week, Pakistani authorities announced they had rescued 20 young boys “who were among hundreds recruited by the Taliban and brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers at a secret indoctrination camp” in the Charbagh area of Swat Valley. Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed, who heads a special support group tasked with handling the return of people [...]

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Lahore’s Bombing: Demystifying the Taliban

On Wednesday, at least 23 people were killed and nearly 300 were injured in a suicide bombing in Lahore. According to the NY Times, the attack was “a failed attempt to strike at the nearby provincial headquarters of Pakistan’s powerful intelligence agency.” Dawn reported:

The incident took place at a heavily guarded entry point to the [...]

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The British-Pakistani ‘Link’

On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged £665 million in aid over the next four years to Pakistan. Although much of the financial assistance will be geared towards Pakistan’s counter-terrorism (and hopefully, counterinsurgency) operations, £125 million will be earmarked for supporting education projects in the border area “in an effort to stop the spread [...]

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Everyone Poops

My friend, who works for the Water & Sanitation Program at the World Bank, passed along a short animated film they just produced on sanitation issues [read: poop] in Pakistan. Aside from my joking title, [a throwback to the fantastic children's book, Everyone Poops] sanitation issues are a very serious problem in the developing world, [...]

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Mumtaz Bhutto Arrested, Protests Continue

On Saturday, Sindh National Front leader Mumtaz Bhutto was put under house arrest in Larkana [in Sindh province] for “allegedly ordering his workers to attack on the office of a Sindhi newspaper,” reported GEO News. He reportedly was later taken into custody in Karachi. Pakistani news agency cited reports that stated the workers of SNF [...]

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The Indus Water Dispute – Syed Zain ul-Arifeen Shah

Many issues arose after the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, including one over the sharing of the Indus River system. In 1960, both countries agreed on the Indus Water Treaty, which effectively divided up the water in the region. Although the IWT has remained intact, recent developments have brought this water dispute back [...]

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POLL: From a Pakistan Perspective, Who Do You Think Should be the Next President of the United States?

Coverage of the U.S. 2008 presidential elections is everywhere – from news channels, to newspaper headlines, to blogs, to politico buttons and branded t-shirts. What is interesting, however, is that this kind of coverage is not exclusive to the United States. People throughout the international community have tuned in to hear developments related to the [...]

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U.S. Targets Haqqani Network

On Monday, U.S. drones fired missiles near Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region. Today, media outlets cited an official U.S. military statement, which said it had been targeting the network of veteran Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, otherwise known as the Haqqani Network, [although Dawn noted the statement did not directly refer to [...]

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