Balochistan and the upcoming elections
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 31, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar The Baloch nationalists are debating among themselves whether or not to participate in the upcoming general elections. So, is Balochistan’s political landscape going to change if the nationalists return to parliament? All nationalists are not on the same page on this crucial question, nor are they all equally capable of normalising … Read more
Filed under Balochistan
Understanding Bugti’s Legacy
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar The sixth anniversary of former Balochistan governor and chief minister Nawab Mohammad Akbar Bugti is being celebrated across Balochistan in the midst of calls for shutter down and wheel jam strikes. Every year, this day is marked amid extraordinary security arrangements. The admirers of the Nawab take out protest rallies not … Read more
Filed under Malik Siraj Akbar, The Baloch Hal Editorials · Tagged with Malik Siraj Akbar, Nawab Akbar Bugti, The Baloch Hal
Who Benefits From Pakistan’s Blasphemy Law?
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 24, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar Last weekend’s arrest and imprisonment of Rimsha Masih, an 11-year old Christian girl, by Pakistani authorities in the nation’s capital, Islamabad, on charges of blasphemy, is deeply alarming. The girl, whose mental stability is doubtful, will certainly face death sentence according to the Pakistani law if she is found guilty of disrespecting or burning … Read more
Filed under Malik Siraj Akbar · Tagged with Huffington Post+Pakistan, Malik Siraj Akbar, Pakistan blasphemy law, Rimsha Masih
Pakistan’s Mobile Phone Curfew
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 20, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar On August 14, the government of Pakistan deliberately suspended mobile phone service for millions of subscribers in the country’s largest province of Balochistan. Ironically, it was Pakistan’s Independence Day and the citizens were supposed to enjoy their freedom. The government restricted phone calls and text messages in an effort to freeze … Read more
Filed under Media/Press Freedom
Are Taliban Jealous of Imran Khan?
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar Every year, terrorists kill thousands of Pakistani civilians. Most of these killings take place in the name of religion. While extremists from the majority Sunni school of thought randomly kill the followers of Shia Islam, the Pakistani Taliban, on the other hand, target those who are ‘insufficiently religious”. Out of all … Read more
Filed under Malik Siraj Akbar · Tagged with Malik Siraj Akbar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Balochistan, threats to Imran Khan
Gosh, It Is So Hard To Be Bramdagh!
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 10, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar During a press conference in Islamabad on August 4, Interior Minister Rehman Malik offered to send a special committee of the parliament to Baloch nationalist leader Bramdagh Bugti if the latter agreed to negotiate with Islamabad. “I think Bramdagh Bugti has a soft corner in his heart for Pakistan,” said Mr. … Read more
Filed under Balochistan · Tagged with Gosh, It Is So Hard To Be Bramdagh!, Malik Siraj Akbar, Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti, The Baloch Hal
Pakistan’s Eroding Space for Free Expression
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 9, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar A new report called “Challenges for Independent News Media in Pakistan” by the Washington-basedCenter for International Media Assistance (CIMA) says physical safety is the number one concern of journalists working in Pakistan. Declared as the world’s deadliest place for reporters for the past two consecutive years, Pakistan has made little progress in … Read more
Filed under Media/Press Freedom · Tagged with Malik Siraj Akbar+Huffington Post, Pakistan's Eroding Space for Free Expression
The Futility of the Senate Debate on Balochistan
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 4, 2012 · Leave a Comment
The more the Balochistan issue is debated, the more complicated it gets. After the recent debate in the Upper House of the Parliament on the prevailing situation in the province, we do not seem to be going anywhere from here. Let’s forget … Read more
Filed under The Baloch Hal Editorials · Tagged with Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan, Balochistan, enforced disapperances in Balochistan, Malik Siraj Akbar, Mushahid Hussain Syed Parliamentary committee on Balochistan, Pakistan 18th amendment, Quetta, Rehman Malik on Balochistan, Senate Debate on Balochistan, The Baloch Hal
Spy Chief’s Visit to Washington May Undermine Pakistan’s Democratic Government’s Influence
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 4, 2012 · 1 Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar Pakistan’s spy chief Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam has drawn enormous media attention during his first official visit to Washington D.C. This reception is indeed far warmer than what was accorded to President Asif Ali Zardari in May during the Chicago Summit. So, what has changed since May? Has the United States softened … Read more
Filed under Foreign Policy · Tagged with Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam's visit to Washington, Malik Siraj Akbar, US-Pakistan relations
Security Forces, Blamed for Rights Abuses, Irk Pakistan’s Supreme Court
Posted by Malik Siraj Akbar on August 3, 2012 · Leave a Comment
By Malik Siraj Akbar In an extraordinary institutional confrontation, Pakistan’s Supreme Court says the country’s paramilitary forces should stop human rights abuses in the country’s largest province of Balochistan or face prosecution. For more than two months, Chief Justice Ifthakar Mohammad Chauhdary and two other judges have been hearing a case which implicates the Frontier Corps (F.C.), a paramilitary … Read more
