Filed under: Human rights, Interfaith, Pakistan | Tagged: #FindRaza, due process, enforced disappearance, Human rights, missing persons, rule of law | 1 Comment »
Raza Khan with a copy of the One Million Signature Campaign against violence against women, Pakistan
On Saturday, peace activist Raza Khan, 37, went “missing” in Lahore shortly after he had organised a public discussion about the recent ‘dharna’ (sit-in) on the country’s capital that ended in ignominious surrender to those seeking power in the guise of religion. He is a law-abiding, passionate campaigner for peace in the region particularly India, for gender equality and interfaith harmony — all of these are anathema to the keepers of Pakistan’s ‘ideology’. Please sign the online petition urging the government of Pakistan to find him. Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #FindRaza. A twitter campaign for Raza is planned at 4 p.m. (Pakistan time today, Dec 5), hashtag #FindRaza. More case details below. Continue reading
Filed under: Art and activism, Blasphemy Laws, democratic political process, fascism, Freedom of expression, Human rights, Pakistan, Pakistan-India, Peace, Violence in the name of religion | Tagged: #FindRaza, Aaghaz-e-Dosti, dharna, disappeared, Faizabad, India, missing person, Pakistan, Peace activist, rule of law | 1 Comment »
Benazir Bhutto, arrival in Karachi, 2007. Photo: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
A new fellowship at Harvard University to honor the late Pakistani political leader Benazir Bhutto, member of the Harvard College class of 1973, is now accepting applications. Continue reading
Filed under: Education, Gender, Pakistan | Tagged: Benazir Bhutto, Fellowship opportunity, harvard, Kennedy School, Leadership, women | 3 Comments »
Sharing details of two very relevant films by Pakistanis whose work I’ve seen and liked: Rahm (Mercy), the movie, in London and Glasgow this Friday…
…And upcoming, seeking support: Forbidden Steps – a feature film that aims to humanize a faith and a people that have long been misrepresented; writer/director Iram Parveen Bilal’s earlier work includes Josh based on Karachi’s Khana Ghar, and The PHD Movie.
Filed under: Art and activism, Islam, Pakistan | Tagged: #MuslimBan, Dance, film, movies, Pakistan | Leave a comment »
In Karachi last week, I wrote about Sabeen Mahmud and the Creative Karachi Festival held to commemorate her life and work. PRI published it with the title Remembering a Pakistani woman who died because she wanted everyone to have a space to speak freely along with my radio interview with Marco Werman of PRI’s The World. Below is the unabridged text including with more links and photos. Also see our friend Afia Salam’s tribute to Sabeen in The Wire, Why Sabeen Mahmud Will Always Matter.
A poster with Sabeen’s photo at CKF 2016 on a divider between a stall and walkway at the Alliance Francaise. Photo: Beena Sarwar
Beena Sarwar
Early on Sunday morning in Karachi, a small, eclectic crowd converged at The Second Floor, the iconic coffee shop-cultural hub founded by my young friend Sabeen Mahmud in 2007. Continue reading
Filed under: Balochistan, Freedom of expression, Pakistan, Peace, Progressive politics, Resistance | Tagged: #CKF, #Tree4Sabeen, Activism, Pakistan, Phool Pati, Sabeen, T2F, Truck Art | 3 Comments »
My oped for The News International, Pakistan, published March 29, 2016.
Beena Sarwar
“Not since the eradication of smallpox in 1980 has the world had a chance to wipe out an incurable, but preventable, human disease, “ says Dr Hamid Jafari, former director of the World Health Organization’s Global Polio Eradication Department. Continue reading
Filed under: Health, Pakistan | Tagged: Afghanistan, Africa, conflict, Hamid Jafari, health, India certified polio free, Nigeria, Peace, polio, Rotary, WHO | 3 Comments »
Devastated at the news from Peshawar. Unless and until Pakistan doesn’t get out of this confusion of ‘good Taliban’ and ‘bad Taliban’ and treat every single criminal act as a criminal act and move to punish those who perpetuate it, whether in the name of religion or for whatever justification, we will not begin to move out of this morass. Sharing a statement from Malala Yousafzai that was just released: “I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us. Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this. I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan whose efforts so far to address this horrific event are commendable. I, along with millions of others around the world, mourn these children, my brothers and sisters – but we will never be defeated.”
Filed under: Pakistan | Tagged: fasadis, Malala, Pakistan, Peshawar attack, Taiban | 4 Comments »
Belatedly updating my blog with the article I wrote for The News on Sunday, June 15, 2014, as part of a Special Report on conspiracy theories. Other reports in that issue were Dr M. Taqi’s The truth behind conspiracy theories in Pakistan, an interview of Nadeem Farooq Paracha and more. Lots has happened since then, but this remains relevant.
Graphic: TNS
If India and Pakistan develop a good relationship, how will the security establishment justify its existence? Continue reading
Filed under: Pakistan | Tagged: conspiracy theories, hamid mir, India, Karachi airport attack, Malala Yusufzai, Pakistan | 8 Comments »
Got the word a few hours ago. Without any notice, warning or explanation, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has blocked several progressive pages on Facebook. Interestingly, there is no bar on the pages spewing hatred and furthering the ideology of banned groups.
The blocked pages include Laal, the largest leftist page in South Asia with over 408,000 followers. The other pages include those that post largely in Urdu and therefore reach large numbers, like: Continue reading
Filed under: Media, Pakistan | Tagged: censorship, Internet, Media, Pakistan, PTA | 1 Comment »
Grieved to have had to write this. Published in The News today.
Columnist, humourist, cricket and jazz buff, advertising doyen and connoisseur of the finer things in life Masood Hasan, 72, passed away in his beloved Lahore on Sunday, June 1.
Sunday was the day of his popular column ‘Over the Top’ in the op-ed page of The News, where it has been published since the launch of weekly The News on Sunday (originally The News on Friday) in 1994. Continue reading
Filed under: Pakistan | Tagged: Bapsi Sidhwa, Ira Hasan, Khalid Hasan, Kinnaird College, Lahore, lakshmi mansion, Masood Hasan, Mekaal Hasan, Samina Ahmed, sialkot, Waris Road | 1 Comment »
