Saleem Shahzad—another voice silenced

Tuesday, May 31^st, 2011, was yet another black day for journalism and free speech in Pakistan. Syed Saleem Shahzad, bureau chief of Asia Times online and a fine investigative reporter, paid the highest cost for his unwavering commitment to his profession—his life. Two days after he had been abducted from Islamabad, Saleem Shahzad was found dead near Mandi Bahauddin.

Time to clean our house

In the aftermath of the attack on PNS Mehran Naval Base in Karachi, there are conflicting reports emerging about the attack itself and the operation. Initially the media reported that up to 15 terrorists attacked the naval base simultaneously from three different sides. However, after the operation ended, Interior Minister Rehman Malik declared that the base was attacked from one vulnerable area; in a surreal scenario, four to six militants apparently used a ladder and cut barbed wires to climb over the wall near Malir tributary. The next day, police officials, citing the initial case report, said there were up to 12 militants involved in the attacks. It will take a few days to establish what exactly happened at the naval base for those 17 hours. But the implications of this attack are already clear and, unfortunately, staggering.

Business Plan for Pakistan's Political Parties

Between the rule of General Zia and General Mushy, whenever a new government was elected, the most common feedback heard was, “corruption ki intiha ho gayee hai” (corruption has exceeded all limits). 

Now that all the major political parties have had their chance in the government, and have made their share of the money, I propose a siraat-e-mustaqeem for the smaller political parties—a business plan. The parties can brand and market their election symbols and earn revenue. Examples:

Alternate offense by the establishment

Amidst the slow reaction from our military , intelligence, government/foreign office, an alternate counter offense seems to be unfolding. Last night, Junaid Saleem on the programme Hasb-e-Haal asked the following questions about the "alleged" operation in Abbottabad. The relevant parts of the programme can be watched here (01:20 onwards) and here (07:00 to 07:30).