Afrah Jamal

PUBLISHED IN THE POST DEC 08, 07 Pakistan’s kaleidoscopic political scenario leaves the nation hedging its bets on the possible outcome while an apparent alliance of leading political parties emerges, still holding a possible electoral boycott as a valuable bargaining chip. Meanwhile a charter of demands devised by the APDM-ARD, may suggest revoking post November 03 2007 actions of the government, which resulted in a re-shuffled judiciary, and the cherry picked caretaker government. The governments consent to the charter will automatically set the ‘heads you win, tails i lose’ clause in motion for the President and allay oppositions’ fear of rigging to an extent. Quite possibly, it may bench the formidable opponent who has been in the game for 8 years and open the door for some of the major players whose democratic declarations are their strongest and perhaps only asset. Either that or a possible poll alliance of key parties would decide to go ahead and contest without seeking fur...

PUBLISHED IN THE POST 23 NOV 07, & SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET An aspiring beauty queen’s agenda typically involves an impassioned plea for world peace perhaps to score better with the jury. The homily remains a moving sound bite; the coronation makes a lovely ‘photo-op’. Political pageantry is our version of such contests. Most promises made during the campaign trails are minimal in terms of any meaningful dialogue, rhetorical in principle with little relevance to reality. And such oblique vows are expected to win seats in the assemblies . These amateur renditions had earlier resonated with the masses. However, mapping the next campaign on this ancient trail may not be best policy in the year 2008 . Though Pakistan emulates the British parliamentary system to an extent, it has been remiss in cultivating their singular style of political culture where party mandates must be solid enough to withstand an obligatory public grilling . Quite possibly this batch of candidates contesting...

Published in California's 'Muslim World Today' / Jan 09 India is M.A.D. As a doctrine, the term pledges never to go for an all out War. Such is the beauty of Nuclear Weaponry. As a state of mind, however, it denotes a moment of insanity willing to gamble away a lifetime of progress. Such is its terrifying potential. Here, one State has been charged with sponsoring a brazen attack on an Indian City. The other is guilty of reckless provocation in its immediate aftermath. Now War beckons on the Eastern front as 2 Nuclear Powers complacently toy with the idea of settling old scores - while the world cautions them from the sidelines. This is not the first time Pakistan and India have teetered on the edge of war. Both nations hold on to an ancient grudge (Kashmir) and have a history of sparring over water, officious spy agencies, fisherfolk accidentally straying into enemy territory etc. In past conflicts, sometimes Pakistan prevailed in air combat, just to lose a part ...

Published in Muslim World Today 14 Aug 09 On 1st August 2009, the illusion of inter-faith harmony was shattered in Gojra, Pakistan when a Muslim mob wreaked havoc on a Christian neighborhood. Lives were lost; property damaged, churches torched. The pretext, as always, was (unproven charges of) blasphemy. The magnitude of this attack and the subsequent notoriety forced the State, preoccupied with fending off a different, more sophisticated version of fanaticism, to finally confront an age old phenomenon - terrorism against minorities. If the timing of this incident is bad, the implication is far worse for a nation anxious to distance itself from the extreme brand of Taliban/Al-Qaeda philosophy, deeply engaged in a bloody battle to rid itself of this malaise. While the wave of violence sweeping through Pakistan indiscriminately claims lives, radicalism and sectarian violence have tainted the land for decades, which is why statements that claim otherwise must be challenged. Conside...

Published in Muslim World Today Nov 09 Not too long ago a bomb went off in Peshawar. The next day fool proof security sprung into action in Lahore. It was around the time Hillary Clinton’s entourage was spotted in town; life had come to a crippling halt and death stalked the student community. Pakistan remains vulnerable but for a brief while the city of Lahore was reminiscent of the green zone, the kind in Baghdad, supposedly an oasis of calm in the midst of chaos, enabling our guests to visit historic monuments and lecture at universities. Pakistanis know better than to take days with zero body count as an indication of success or the exceptional security arrangements in place for visitors as the norm. They also consider guided tours to be peace time luxuries. Ms. Clinton’s rare experience (flawless security) has not been replicated since. Deadly bombings followed by some excellent rhetoric about manning up, on the other hand have continued. Terrorism has a very steep learning ...