‘Pro-jihadi, anti-India’ policy #fail

Posted on May 30, 2011 by beenasarwar

“’Pro-jihadi, anti-India’ policy #fail” – my column Personal Political published in Hardnews, India, and in The News on Sunday. Many in Pakistan have been saying this for a long time, and been attacked and branded as traitors, Indian agents and kafirs for going against ‘the establishment’. Now, for the first time, this argument is in the public domain, being discussed on live television. Recently, Asma Jahangir Chairperson Emeritus of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, lashed out at the Pakistan army’s self serving policies and demanded that they stay out of politics – in words that one would never have heard on television before. Her view reinforces what I wrote a few days earlier, below (predictably, efforts are afoot to portray her as ‘anti-national, pro-Hindu, pro-India’. These efforts too, will #fail). Continue reading →

Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Pakistan army should butt out of politics: Asma Jahangir says it like it is

Posted on May 30, 2011 by beenasarwar

Clip from Crossfire in which Asma Jahangir, the indomitable Chairperson Emeritus of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, says it like it about the Pakistan armed forces, in a talk show with the  ever sensationalist Meher Bokhari, on Dunya TV on May 26, 2011. View the full programme at the PkPolitics website. The clip posted here starts with Meher Bokari summing up the current discussion – the demands on one hand to support the army, and on the other for army accountability.  Continue reading →

Filed under: Media, Pakistan | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Aur Nikle.nge Ushhaq ke Qafley – my documentary film on Dr Sarwar and DSF

Posted on May 26, 2011 by beenasarwar

Ok, I finally uploaded the 30 min film on Democratic Students’ Association to the web Aur Nikle.nge Ushhaq ke Qafley (There Will be More Caravans of Passion…) that I produced, directed by Sharjil Baloch. It’s on Youtube (Part 1 and Part 2) as well as on the Dr Sarwar blog.

Filed under: Dr M Sarwar | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Hundreds of Saudis urge King Abdullah to free Manal, let women drive

Posted on May 23, 2011 by beenasarwar

From "Saudis Debate Ban on Women Drivers", NYT, May 7, 2009

More than 500 Saudi citizens, providing their full names and occupation have signed this petition to the Saudi King. I got the text of their letter, below, from the facebook group Al Huriyah Li Manal Al Sharif-Khitab Li Al Malik (Freedom For Manal Al Sharif – People’s Petition to the King) formed in support of Manal Masoud and women’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia. Most posts to the group are in Arabic (thanks Rahaf for the translation). This has been festering since the first Gulf War. See report of an earlier campaignSaudis Debate Ban on Women Drivers, by Robert Mackey, NYT, May 9, 2007
: Continue reading →

Filed under: Human rights | Tagged: , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Pakistan2020 report; Aman Ki Asha wins int’l awards; Dorothy freed

Posted on May 19, 2011 by beenasarwar

Global recognition for Aman ki Asha: Times of India CEO Ravi Dhariwal (right) and Shahrukh Hasan, Group Managing Director Jang Group, with outgoing INMA President Michael Phelps, CEO of the Washington Examiner

Posted to my yahoogroup earlier today:

My NY trip was very brief and hectic, but rewarding. Great to catch up with some friends and apologies to those I couldn’t contact or meet. I attended two very interesting events: the launch of Hassan Abbas‘ report ‘A Vision for Building a Better Future‘, and the INMA awards ceremony where Aman ki Asha won two awards, including the top award of the evening. My report in The News.

DOROTHY PARVAZ: It was great to hear that Iran has released Dorothy Parvaz and she is safe, and free – but rightly concerned about the people she was held in detention with, many of whom were badly beaten, as she told Al Jazeera in Doha.

PAKISTAN 2020 report – a much needed ‘broader’ look at Pakistan beyond the security prism, Continue reading →

Filed under: Peace | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Free Dorothy; Osama; ‘agencies’; and some great links

Posted on May 17, 2011 by beenasarwar

Post sent earlier to my yahoogroup

Dear all,

I’m on the train to New York where Aman ki Asha has been nominated for an award at the International Newspaper Media Association (INMA) annual congress. Group Director Jang Group Shahrukh Hasan will be there and so will Laleh Habib, the Aman ki Asha coordinator.

The train left on the dot at the scheduled time, 11.13 am. And it has wi-fi, so I can catch upon things. This is a year of reunions for me. My 25th college reunion in two weeks, and this past weekend many many fellow Niemans at occasions honouring the outgoing curator Bob Giles. Many journalists requested everyone to keep the pressure on for the release of Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz (Nieman ’09) who has been missing for over two weeks now, since she entered Syria… Continue reading →

Filed under: Media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Free Dorothy Parvaz

Posted on May 15, 2011 by beenasarwar

Filed under: Media | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

‘101 uses for a chaddar’ – my article in The Star, 1980s

Posted on May 7, 2011 by beenasarwar

Scan of my 1980s article in The Star, with my illustrations

Filed under: Gender | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

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