Author Archives: Zubeida Mustafa
15th June, 2011
Language can unite
MORE than six decades after Partition, India and Pakistan continue to be locked in disputes which even take them to the brink of war. It…
MORE than six decades after Partition, India and Pakistan continue to be locked in disputes which even take them to the brink of war. It…
8th June, 2011
Crushing the working class
THE power crisis in Karachi has now begun to paralyse life in this metropolis. The immediate factor responsible is the KESC management’s failure — or…
THE power crisis in Karachi has now begun to paralyse life in this metropolis. The immediate factor responsible is the KESC management’s failure — or…
1st June, 2011
Will Sindh change?
IT is inspiring to see ripples of awakening run through people who have been downtrodden and oppressed for centuries. The first time I had this…
IT is inspiring to see ripples of awakening run through people who have been downtrodden and oppressed for centuries. The first time I had this…
25th May, 2011
Whither foreign policy?
THE Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, Karachi, has a remarkable history. Its founder-secretary, Khwaja Sarwar Hasan, brought the institution from Delhi to Karachi in 1947.…
THE Pakistan Institute of International Affairs, Karachi, has a remarkable history. Its founder-secretary, Khwaja Sarwar Hasan, brought the institution from Delhi to Karachi in 1947.…
18th May, 2011
What about HR abuses?
THIS paper reported last Saturday that during the in camera briefing to legislators, the DG ISI offered to resign if parliament so wished. He should…
THIS paper reported last Saturday that during the in camera briefing to legislators, the DG ISI offered to resign if parliament so wished. He should…
11th May, 2011
Television & mental health
ZAFAR Hilaly, a former ambassador who makes frequent appearances on television talk shows, made a very telling comment in a programme last week. This was…
ZAFAR Hilaly, a former ambassador who makes frequent appearances on television talk shows, made a very telling comment in a programme last week. This was…
4th May, 2011
Fighting the greed element
THE love of money is the root of all evil. So we were told in the pre-capitalist age. Now we are told that the love…
THE love of money is the root of all evil. So we were told in the pre-capitalist age. Now we are told that the love…
28th April, 2011
Oppression of women workers
ON April 11, the Arts Council auditorium in Karachi resounded with festivity. The first National Convention on Home Based Workers (HBW) was being held there.…
ON April 11, the Arts Council auditorium in Karachi resounded with festivity. The first National Convention on Home Based Workers (HBW) was being held there.…
20th April, 2011
English as a barrier
AN online video doing the rounds on the Internet is a talk by Patricia Ryan titled ‘Don’t insist on English’. It is one of the…
AN online video doing the rounds on the Internet is a talk by Patricia Ryan titled ‘Don’t insist on English’. It is one of the…
13th April, 2011
Women and devolution
How will women be affected by the devolution process under way in line with the 18th Amendment? The relative silence from them — compared to…
How will women be affected by the devolution process under way in line with the 18th Amendment? The relative silence from them — compared to…
6th April, 2011
Who sets the agenda?
SO much has happened between the US and Pakistan in recent months that it is time for a review of their relationship. It would require…
SO much has happened between the US and Pakistan in recent months that it is time for a review of their relationship. It would require…
30th March, 2011
Ringing the alarm bells
AT long last some in the government have belatedly woken up to, what they term, the education emergency in Pakistan. The emergency is not new.…
AT long last some in the government have belatedly woken up to, what they term, the education emergency in Pakistan. The emergency is not new.…
23rd March, 2011
The war of elephants
THE Raymond Davis episode has proved, if nothing else, how impossible it is to fit people into neat categories. Although we love to brand people…
THE Raymond Davis episode has proved, if nothing else, how impossible it is to fit people into neat categories. Although we love to brand people…
16th March, 2011
Grave and terrifying
DR Tipu Sultan, president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), has described the health situation in the country as “grave, embarrassing and terrifying”. He is…
DR Tipu Sultan, president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), has described the health situation in the country as “grave, embarrassing and terrifying”. He is…
9th March, 2011
An acre for every woman
IN his famous essay Poverty and Famine, the Nobel Laureate for economics, Amartya Sen, writes that contrary to popular belief, famines are not caused by…
IN his famous essay Poverty and Famine, the Nobel Laureate for economics, Amartya Sen, writes that contrary to popular belief, famines are not caused by…
2nd March, 2011
After Davis, what?
SO the cat is out of the bag. Raymond Davis, or whatever his real name is, was a CIA agent. But should that shock us…
SO the cat is out of the bag. Raymond Davis, or whatever his real name is, was a CIA agent. But should that shock us…
23rd February, 2011
Will Pakistan follow Egypt?
THE question above is agitating many minds today. If we believe in the domino effect, other states should follow suit. Egypt came after Tunisia and…
THE question above is agitating many minds today. If we believe in the domino effect, other states should follow suit. Egypt came after Tunisia and…
16th February, 2011
Our leaders of tomorrow
ON Pakistan’s dismal political stage, what is conspicuously missing is the quality of leadership that essentially determines the quality of governance and policymaking in a…
ON Pakistan’s dismal political stage, what is conspicuously missing is the quality of leadership that essentially determines the quality of governance and policymaking in a…
9th February, 2011
Dialogue and compassion
IF an intellectual activity does not provoke critical thinking, it is not worth its while. In that context, the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) last weekend…
IF an intellectual activity does not provoke critical thinking, it is not worth its while. In that context, the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) last weekend…
2nd February, 2011
What children learn
IF the knowledge of schoolchildren in Pakistan had not been assessed independently before, the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) Pakistan 2010 would have come…
IF the knowledge of schoolchildren in Pakistan had not been assessed independently before, the Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) Pakistan 2010 would have come…
