Tag Archives: Pakistan

December 16 is celebrated as victory day in Bangladesh and mourned as Dhaka debacle in Pakistan. The two nations have remained trapped in narratives of their common history. These differing, and largely hostile narratives remain the main hurdle in mending the uneasy relations between the two countries. Here are glimpses from the histories preserved and propagated by the two sides.

From Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to Bangladesh and Indonesia in the east, a network of Arab charities is funding militancy and mayhem to coerce Muslims of diverse traditions to conform to the Salafi and Wahabi traditions. Bangladesh needs to be steered away from becoming a Pakistan or an Afghanistan, says one Bangladeshi analyst.

In the aftermath of massacre at a Peshawar school, one analyst suggests Pakistan must establish a single dedicated and effective single command and control mechanism. Internal security forces protecting strategic assets and countering terrorism, he suggests, must come under a “Homeland Security Command”. 

Pakistani community across the United States is in a state of shock over the massacre by Taliban terrorists at a school in Peshawar. Vigils in dozens of cities and towns across the US are attracting thousands of people.

The time for rhetoric is over, it is time for Pakistan to take action against the devils of perpetrated the worst terrorism in country’s history in Peshawar. Instead of lip-service rhetoric and vacillation, there must be a credible and effective counter to the existential terrorism threat faced by this country.

The Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar has left Pakistanis stunned and shocked. In what is being called the worst terrorist attack in Pakistan's history, terrorists massacred 141 people including 132 students. Will it unite the nation that has taken years to decide who its real enemy is?

Afghanistan has finally found its “man of destiny” in Ashraf Ghani. How long before some leader in Pakistan rises above self, selfishness and greed for the sake of the country?

Many fear that after the U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban will take over southern parts of the country with growing terrorism and insecurity threatening a weak government in Kabul.

The game of one-upmanship by India and Pakistan, the two leading countries of SAARC, is likely to do immense harm to the cause of the poverty-ridden South Asian region, where concerted efforts at regional cooperation could be crucial in shaping its future development.

Instead of seeking power for power’s sake, Imran must be the catalyst for electoral reform so that only the best, and not the worst, get into Parliament by a correct exercise of the vote to reflect the public aspirations. The people of Pakistan must have genuine democracy, starting at the grassroots level.