Tag: Pakistani society

Arresting Freedom

Pakistani President Asif Zardari has given his orders, and compliant law enforcement officers in Pakistan are arresting rival politicians and activists.  Team Zardari is taking pre-emptive measures to block Pakistan’s Lawyers Movemnt and allies from pursuing their Long March.

The March 12th Long March is a call for a restoration of an independent judicary in Pakistan — something that Zardari is opposed to.  He just might get prosecuted on corruption charges if an independent supreme court is restored.

Twittering Freedom

As Pakistani President Asif Zardari cracks down on pro-democracy activists, a handful of Pakistanis are posting short bursts of information on Twitter.  You can follow their “freedom tweets” online.  The best tag is probably #Pakistan:

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23Pakistan

But you can also go with either of the following…

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Pakistan’s Long March is an Important Step to Democracy

(Post co-written with Samad Khurram,  a Pakistani citizen who participated in the 2008 Long March.  Samad is currently a student at Harvard University.)

There is something about marching for democracy that captures the imagination.  Perhaps it is because walking is the simplest of human activities.  One foot goes in front of the other, and a movement takes shape.

On March 12, democracy activists in Pakistan will breath new life into this old tradition.  In what is being called the Long March, potentially hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens will walk hundreds of miles to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital city.

Their rallying cry?  The restoration of Pakistan’s independent judiciary.

Continue reading “Pakistan’s Long March is an Important Step to Democracy”

Opinion: U.S. policies have weakened Pakistani civilian rule

…it is fairly clear that the idea of the Taliban somehow controlling Pakistan’s 172 million people is absurd.

Opinion:  U.S. policies have weakened Pakistani civilian rule

By Sanjeev Bery and Manan Ahmed

San Jose Mercury News  /  Posted: 02/17/2009

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_11724597

Depending on whether you like watching your news or reading it, there were two very different reports on Pakistan this Sunday.

On CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Pakistani President Asif Zardari proclaimed that his nation is in a fight for its survival, with the Taliban “trying to take over the state of Pakistan.” Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that Zardari’s government reached a 10-day cease fire with a Taliban-affiliated militia in the northern Swat Valley. The militia agreed to stop fighting, and in return, the government agreed to implement Islamic Sharia law in the area.

How does one reconcile the two accounts?

First, let’s dispense with the hyperbole. Pakistan is not on the verge of being taken over by Taliban militias.

Continue reading “Opinion: U.S. policies have weakened Pakistani civilian rule”