AT the peak of sectarian targeted killings in Belfast in the 1970s, an Irishman found himself accosted on a dark street one night by a group of armed men.  They asked, “Are you Catholic or Protestant?”  Not sure of the leanings of his inquisitors, the Irishman decided to play it safe, “I am an atheist!”  he declared. “ Ah, yes,” came the reply, “but are you a Catholic atheist or a Protestant atheist?” 
Click here to read Full Article

Pakistan and India’s history is distorted, as it has been dictated by the ruling class.  Allama Mashriqi’s grandson (Nasim Yousaf), a historian and scholar, has committed himself to correcting the history of the Indian sub-continent.  Mr. Yousaf has written extensively on Mashriqi and has presented his papers at scholarly conferences in the USA.  His piece entitled India's Partition in the Face of Op
Click here to read Full Article

While introducing the provincial set-up in Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad had assured the local, non-local people as well as the international community that the new system would compensate for the slavery and deprivation the people of the region had gone through during the last 63 years.  Not only that, the local people would also enjoy self rule and autonomy and the package would be a giant leap for
Click here to read Full Article

PM Gilani’s boastful claim of the army being his own reminds me of my batman of the 50s (late) Sepoy Ahmed Hussain, a soldier who took real pride in his profession.  The batmen then were there to only look after the uniform of the officer and not do the household chores like the later years.  While dealing with the tailors and dhobis he often used to remind them haughtily that he was not a sepoy of
Click here to read Full Article