Category Archives: politics

A Twisted Old Tale I

Capulet saw himself in a robe of softest silk, trailing on the ground behind him. Huge emeralds sparkled at his collar, and his sword shone blue from encrusted diamonds in the hilt. Behind him, in large swathes of movement, a crowd so immense that it stretched beyond the eye could see, the people of the continent roared out a chant of ‘Our Captain, our King’. Continue reading

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Imran Khan and Swat

And, if you haven’t conducted a poll, what long-standing connections do you have in the Valley that opens you up to the pulse of its population? What network of people have you set up to gather and analyse information from the general population (and, especially, from the women), besides what the Swat Bar Association head (who happens to also be a card-carrying member of the party) passes on to you? Continue reading

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Throttled by Fear

In Pakistan, we learn that might is right and when you have might on your side, why compromise? Use violence and political threats, and when you know that fear is a driving force in a nation, you will invariably get your way. Continue reading

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Blame It On The Rain

A logical, thinking human being will point out that the cornerstone of the Prophet’s life, whom we are to emulate, was compassion, decency and honesty, and that he never would have allowed women to be locked up inside 4 walls, that the first muslim society was an open, tightly-knit community, where men respected women, rather than slandering them. Continue reading

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Israel’s ‘Talking Points’

The more vicious Israel’s actions towards the Palestinians, the more Jews around the world will find themselves in a twenty-first century version of Hitler’s Germany; hated and despised and targetted, Israel is effectively recreating the conditions which led to their … Continue reading

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The Meek Shall Inherit

It’s not that world leaders don’t know that Israel really broke the ceasefire of the last 6 months, assassinating 5 Hamas generals in November as part of their ongoing extra-judicial assassination campaign. It’s not that they don’t know that the … Continue reading

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What’s Sauce for the Goose…

“Following in the footsteps of the National Assembly, the Senate Standing Committee on Education will also discuss the controversy of extra marks awarded to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar’s daughter…” (source: The News International, November 28) Extra marks. Wow. So … Continue reading

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Am I Pakistan?

For several weeks now, the concept of putting words out there in the hope that someone, somewhere, may find a gem of commonality that will bind total strangers, has become more and more distant. From the numerous blogs emanating from … Continue reading

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Christian Science Monitor Targets Muslim Blogger

Early this morning, Behindthechairmansdoor (BTCD) received a notification from his hosting company that his site had been taken down for copyright infringement. The complaint came from the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), duly taking note of the fact that a recent … Continue reading

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Why Is This Different?

In June, 1992, Benazir’s government launched a major offensive against the citizens of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and largest contributor to the National Exchequer, called ‘Operation Clean Up‘. The army spent 29 months battling what was commonly considered a terrorist … Continue reading

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