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| 1 |
ID:
086905
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2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The organisers of the lawyers' movement for the restoration and independence of the judiciary, could not have been accused of niggardliness in promising rewards to the people. From an end to police excesses and loadshedding to the elimination of corruption, unemployment and poverty, the wishlist had a cure for every major social affliction.
But as time passes, the public will discover the virtues of realism and learn to absorb the shocks of disappointment. Except for their expectations of a radical improvement in the justice system in terms that have a meaning for ordinary citizens, especially the poor and the marginalised, the other promises may well remain unfulfilled.
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| 2 |
ID:
086904
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| Publication |
2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Asif Ali Zardari is holding charge of the PPP as a regent, till its chairperson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is able to take the party's reins on the completion of his studies. One of the most critical questions which will have a serious bearing on Pakistan's future is: What will be the condition of the PPP when the interim period comes to an end?
The question has assumed added importance in view of the serious reverse the PPP has suffered by its stubbornly unwise policy on the judges' restoration and its utterly indefensible attempts to form government in the Punjab in a coalition with the PML-Q. The federal government's apparently vindictive and churlish reaction to Nawaz Sharif's victory parade of March 15-16 is making the PPP's position more and more difficult.
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| 3 |
ID:
086906
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| Publication |
2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
One by one, most places and institutions dear to Pakhtuns are coming under attack from the militants. Mosques and shrines have been bombed. The hujra, or the male guesthouse, has been frequently attacked while serving as a venue of public meetings and political gatherings. Jirgas in session have been targeted and scores of tribal elders and clerics in attendance have been killed. The lashkars, made up of armed tribal volunteers, too have faced the wrath of the suicide bomber.
It was said that Pakhtuns like good food and guns, and enjoy music and a nice joke. One will have to take out music from the list of things that Pakhtuns like because the Taliban militants don't like the playing of songs and musical instruments. However, they don't mind eating well, acquiring the most sophisticated weapons and cracking jokes in which someone else is ridiculed.
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| 4 |
ID:
086890
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| Publication |
2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The gruesome scene of a young girl being flogged in public illustrates the brutal rule the Taliban have enforced in the Swat valley, raising serious questions about the government's policy of appeasement of militants trying to push the country back to the Dark Ages.
The two-minute video showing a black-turbaned man holding down the girl's feet, another her head while a third man hits her with a leather strap, has shaken the nation and exposed the brutal face of the illiterate mullahs holding sway in a large part of northwestern Pakistan.
The incident, which took place in Kabal district in January and surfaced only recently, is a stark reminder of where Pakistan is heading if the growing threat of Islamic extremism is not checked. The government and the military have surrendered the valley to the militants, who are responsible for the killing of hundreds of people. The so-called peace deal has legitimised the Taliban brutalities, and emboldened the radicals - who now aim to spread their influence to other parts of the country.
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| 5 |
ID:
086892
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2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
US President Barack Obama's announcement, late last month, of a new policy direction for Afghanistan and Pakistan was preceded by talk of an exit strategy as well as by rumours that drone attacks would be extended beyond the present target areas, into Balochistan. In the event, the announcement itself did not directly address either of these areas. It did, however, signal an arguably more realistic approach to the region, which was immediately welcomed by the governments in Kabul and Islamabad.
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| 6 |
ID:
086908
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| Publication |
2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Umerkot, the birthplace of Emperor Akbar and a city with a large Hindu population, celebrates Holi and Diwali with gusto every year. And Muslims have, in a show of harmony, always joined in the celebrations by singing and dancing alongside their Hindu neighbours and exchanging sweetmeats. But this year, on March 11, the celebrations took a tragic turn when an angry mob of Muslims attacked Hindus and destroyed their property to avenge what they claim was a "blasphemous act" committed by Hindus.
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| 7 |
ID:
086891
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| Publication |
2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
President Barack Obama's strategy review for Afghanistan and Pakistan announced on March 27 presents new challenges for relations between Washington and Islamabad, which are increasingly characterised by a lack of public support in both countries and mutual suspicion and mistrust.
Some aspects of the new strategy are positive shifts in policy for Islamabad. But other elements will be a source of worry and concern. While the two countries are in agreement over the principal goals, their differences in tactics and approach will have to be reconciled and harmonised. President Obama has acknowledged that Pakistan is pivotal for the new strategy to work. This makes it all the more necessary for Washington to adjust its policy approach to Islamabad's concerns.
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