The Parallel Step – Bilquis

As the military offensive in South Wazirstan wages on and violence continues to strike the country’s major cities, it is apparent that Pakistan is under siege, both literally and figuratively. Given that this is as much a war of ideas as it is a tangible conflict, the issue of what has allowed militant ideology to [...]

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Reforming Madrassas from the Inside Out

A few weeks ago, CNN aired Generation Islam, a two-hour documentary by Christiane Amanpour that focused on a range of efforts being made in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Palestine to turn young Muslim children away from militant extremism. Amanpour, when asked in a recent interview if these efforts were working, noted, “The big aggregate news that [...]

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Pakistani Pop Star Wins Philanthropic Award

Celebrities have often lent their star power to a cause – from Bono’s efforts to rally Americans to fight AIDS and global poverty to Angelina Jolie’s work as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. In Pakistan, pop star Shehzad Roy established Zindagi Trust, a not-for-profit organization that aims to provide education for underprivileged children. The organization has established [...]

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Happy Earth Day!

Not too long ago, I interviewed Roland Stevenson of RiverIndia, a company that leads kayaking expeditions in India and throughout the subcontinent. This past November, Roland led a team on an expedition down the Indus River in Pakistan, the longest river in the country and the 21st largest river in the world in terms of [...]

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An Interview with Ali Nawazish – World Record Holder for Passing 23 A-Levels

Last week, CHUP reported that Ali Nawazish broke a world record when he passed 23 A-levels in subjects including pure mathematics, travel and tourism, and sociology. The 18 year old from Rawalpindi, Pakistan received 21 A grades and a B and a C, and will be a part of the Guinness Book of World Records. [...]

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Pakistani Student Breaks World Record with 23 A-Levels

Ali Nawaz-ish from Rawalpindi broke a world record when he passed 23 A-levels in subjects including pure mathematics, travel and tourism, and sociology. The 18 year old received 21 A grades and a B and a C, and will be a part of the Guinness Book of World Records for his achievement. Now studying Computer [...]

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Militants Announce Ban on Girls’ Education in Swat

[Image from IRIN]
A friend passed along a story to me yesterday, which reported that militants in Swat had ordered a ban on girls’ education from January 15. Sikander Ali, a father of four girls, told the IRIN news agency, “They [Taliban] are savages and we’re like a helpless herd, with no one to protect us.” [...]

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An Education NGO’s Perspective on Pakistan

The Citizens Foundation (TCF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the education system in Pakistan. Established in 1995, TCF is now one of the country’s leading organizations in education that has established 455 purpose-built schools nationwide with an enrollment of about 55,000 students. TCF encourages gender diversity in their schools by ensuring 50% female [...]

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PakTurk Schools: An Alternative to Madrassa Education?

A friend directed me to a feature article in yesterday’s NY Times. Entitled, “Turkish Schools Offer Pakistan a Gentler Vision of Islam,” the article discussed the advent of Turkish schools that have come to Pakistan “with an entirely different vision of Islam. Theirs is moderate and flexible, comfortably coexisting with the West while remaining distinct [...]

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