Book Review: The Thistle and the Drone


  By Malik Siraj Akbar   Since the killing of Al Qaeda leader and US citizen Anwar al-Aulaqi in a drone strike on September 30, 2011 in northern Yemen, the debate over the legality of drone strikes has gained momentum in the United States.   While the discussion in Washington still mainly revolves around the … Read more

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The Legacy of Jam Yousaf (1954-2013)


By Malik Siraj Akbar There are very few good facts historians will recall to pay flattering tributes to Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Balochistan’s former chief minister who passed away on February 2nd due to a heart attack in Islamabad while serving as the country’s minister for privatization. History will, however, always come to his rescue by … Read more

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Why Trouble Rules Balochistan


By Malik Siraj Akbar Weeks after the imposition of governor’s rule, life in Balochistan is back to normal: fresh military operations against the Baloch nationalists, more killings of Shia Hazaras, renewed attacks on security personnel and deadly assaults on Punjabi settlers. Chaos and lawlessness are the hallmarks of routine life in Balochistan, and governor rule … Read more

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Can N.A.B. Eliminate Corruption Without Manipulating Elections?


By Malik Siraj Akbarr The dust has settled down and the outcry over the imposition of the governor rule in Balochistan seems to have faded away. Political parties in the province are deeply divided on the issue of the dismissal of the P.P.P. government. Some political leaders, such as Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo of the … Read more

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Demand For Sharia Law in Balochistan


If the imposition of the governor rule in Balochistan was actually intended to break the back of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sunni fundamentalism then we have to wait for a second and listen to the fresh crazy demands the Balochistan Assembly is making. In two consecutive sessions of the provincial assembly, legislators from the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam (J.U.I.) … Read more

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Governor Rule— Unfair Rule


By Malik Siraj Akbar President Asif Ali Zardari has officially signed a decree for the imposition of the governor rule in Balochistan under article 234 of the Constitution. The decision to bring Balochistan under a state of emergency for the next 60 days was made by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in consultation with this … Read more

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Raisani Should Go as Quetta’s “Arab Spring” Gains Momentum


By Malik Siraj Akbar Protests that erupted in Quetta and across the country in the aftermath of the killing of nearly one hundred people in three bomb blasts in the provincial capital on Thursday are showing no signs of respite. People’s angry reactions are finally the harbinger of a public awakening and revolt against the … Read more

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Testing the Hazara Patience


By Malik Siraj Akbar The death tool following three bomb blasts in Quetta on Thursday, January 10, has exceeded 100 while nearly two hundred people are injured. The unprecedented terrorist attacks have also led to unprecedented protests from the Hazara, Shia community. In a unique pattern of protest, the victims’ relatives are unwilling to bury … Read more

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From Balochistan to Bloodistan


By Malik Siraj Akbar Nearly one hundred people, including policemen, unarmed civilians and media personnel, were killed in three massive bomb blasts in Quetta city on Thursday. The blasts embodied two major forms of violence that currently engulfs Balochistan, nationalistic and sectarian.The attacks once again specifically targeted some sections of our population that have already … Read more

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Obituary: Saif-ur-Rehman, The Intrepid News-breaker


By Malik Siraj Akbar SAIF BALOCH was pretty sure that he would one day make it as a big journalist. He was fully cognizant of his abilities at times when the rest of us, his fellow journalist colleagues in Quetta, thought he was too dumb to commit some much time and energy to journalism. We … Read more

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