From the day that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, I have felt the escalation of the mindset of hate. Our country has been hijacked — not politically but through the psychology of hate and fear. It is obvious that those who cannot win the argument about contrasting visions for Pakistan try to intimidate others with the …
We grieved as a nation when Benazir Bhutto was murdered. We grieved again when Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was assassinated by his own guard. We wept when Shahbaz Bhatti, the first Christian federal minister in Pakistan, was brutally gunned down. On July 6, Farida Afridi, a women’s-rights activist and cofounder of Sawera, was brutally murdered, shot by militants …
Pakistan’s minorities: the bigger issue — Farahnaz Ispahani For a little unlettered girl to be investigated under any law at all for the crime of allegedly unwittingly burning the pages of the Holy Quran is intolerable As international and domestic outrage increases against the constant harassment of religious minorities in Pakistan, those who do not want to fundamentally change Pakistan …
Hate crime legislation By Farahnaz Ispahani Published: August 16, 2012 The writer is a suspended member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and Media Adviser to the PPP Co-Chairman Pakistan has become a brutal place to live, especially if you are a member of a religious minority. Most observers agree that the country is being swept by a rising tide of hate …
Visualising a tolerant Pakistan By Farahnaz Ispahani Published: July 13, 2012 The writer is a suspended member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and Media Advisor to the Co-Chairman PPP We began our lives as a nation with hope and idealism. Pakistan and Pakistanis had those beliefs because of the foundation laid by our Quaid, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Though ignored in our …
Pakistan faces an education emergency — a fact known widely but discussed insufficiently by Pakistan’s political and media elite. The inadequacy of quality education renders our country incapable of dealing with the challenges of the 21st century. Redressing weaknesses of our education sector are a prerequisite for building a progressive, tolerant, enlightened and non-violent society. We can begin by talking candidly about the magnitude …
Parachinar used to be called ‘a paradise on Earth’. Despite its natural beauty and strategic importance, Parachinar is presently in a dire state due to sectarian violence initially instigated by the negative policies of former president Ziaul Haq. The residents of Parachinar, predominantly Shia, have been the target of jihadi entities and this has been the primary cause of sectarian …