Author Archives: Abbas Nasir
9th February, 2013
Karachi tells a tale of shame
THE government may rightly take pride in its legislative record but its abject failure in controlling lawlessness in the country’s commercial capital may shame and haunt it for long.
THE government may rightly take pride in its legislative record but its abject failure in controlling lawlessness in the country’s commercial capital may shame and haunt it for long.
2nd February, 2013
Balochistan peace hurdles
IF Baloch nationalist leader Akhtar Mengal does return to take part in the next general election as announced, it’ll be a significant development and may help stabilise Balochistan.
IF Baloch nationalist leader Akhtar Mengal does return to take part in the next general election as announced, it’ll be a significant development and may help stabilise Balochistan.
19th January, 2013
Feeble but welcome signs
TWO protests of different kinds over an eight-day period helped shape the political landscape in the country in no uncertain terms. That was the past week.
TWO protests of different kinds over an eight-day period helped shape the political landscape in the country in no uncertain terms. That was the past week.
12th January, 2013
Wish all you want
THE two indigenous long marches of the past rekindle totally different memories. So, will the third have its distinguishing features? Do you care if it does?
THE two indigenous long marches of the past rekindle totally different memories. So, will the third have its distinguishing features? Do you care if it does?
5th January, 2013
A tiny hope but just
WHERE else but in what we have made of our beautiful land would there be so much talk of all else but elections as parliament nears the end of its term?
WHERE else but in what we have made of our beautiful land would there be so much talk of all else but elections as parliament nears the end of its term?
30th December, 2012
A beautiful mind
A personal account by Abbas Nasir What goes through the mind of a two-and-a-half-year-old whose tiny world has been stood upside down, I don’t know.…
A personal account by Abbas Nasir What goes through the mind of a two-and-a-half-year-old whose tiny world has been stood upside down, I don’t know.…
29th December, 2012
Much ado about nothing again?
WHAT a staggering week. Only in Pakistan could you have witnessed such a whirlwind of events and fast-changing political scene and scenario in a mere seven days.
WHAT a staggering week. Only in Pakistan could you have witnessed such a whirlwind of events and fast-changing political scene and scenario in a mere seven days.
22nd December, 2012
Waiting for Malala to grow up
WHEN the state and the political elite of the country cannot be on the same page even on how best to deal with an existential threat to it, is there a point in debating anything else?
WHEN the state and the political elite of the country cannot be on the same page even on how best to deal with an existential threat to it, is there a point in debating anything else?
15th December, 2012
Can anchors’ ‘anarchy’ end?
WHERE the chief election commissioner’s appointment fuelled optimism about the conduct of the next election, the discourse in the electronic media leaves a lot to be desired.
WHERE the chief election commissioner’s appointment fuelled optimism about the conduct of the next election, the discourse in the electronic media leaves a lot to be desired.
8th December, 2012
Defy the odds, Mehzar
FIRST Malala Yousufzai was targeted. Now it is Mehzar Zehra. One was on her way home from school, the other was on her way to school when shot and wounded.
FIRST Malala Yousufzai was targeted. Now it is Mehzar Zehra. One was on her way home from school, the other was on her way to school when shot and wounded.
1st December, 2012
When silence is a statement
MEXICO is being gravely wounded by drug cartels vying for domination just as Pakistan is being torn apart by religious zealots seeking supremacy.
MEXICO is being gravely wounded by drug cartels vying for domination just as Pakistan is being torn apart by religious zealots seeking supremacy.
24th November, 2012
Bloody puzzle, simple solution
A FLURRY of bomb attacks targeting Muharram congregations and the army chief’s statement may have pushed Karachi off the agenda but it won’t stay that way for long.
A FLURRY of bomb attacks targeting Muharram congregations and the army chief’s statement may have pushed Karachi off the agenda but it won’t stay that way for long.
17th November, 2012
A media-savvy Jamaatud Dawa
AS Pakistan’s government and security apparatus struggles to get its message across, an organisation with militancy as its main claim to fame presents a stark contrast.
AS Pakistan’s government and security apparatus struggles to get its message across, an organisation with militancy as its main claim to fame presents a stark contrast.
10th November, 2012
We ‘idiots’ won’t shut up
“THE army chief does not express personal opinion. Whatever he says is the collective view of his institution
“THE army chief does not express personal opinion. Whatever he says is the collective view of his institution
3rd November, 2012
Thoughts on the way forward
MILITANCY is tearing away at the vitals of Pakistan, defacing it. Further procrastination in attending to it cannot be.
MILITANCY is tearing away at the vitals of Pakistan, defacing it. Further procrastination in attending to it cannot be.
27th October, 2012
Seeds of terror
ALTHOUGH the militant threat is cause for immense alarm, none of us should be surprised there is so much confusion in the country on how to deal with it.
ALTHOUGH the militant threat is cause for immense alarm, none of us should be surprised there is so much confusion in the country on how to deal with it.
20th October, 2012
Waiting for just deserts
IT took merely a week for the optimism triggered by that cowardly attack on young Malala Yousufzai to go up in smoke.
IT took merely a week for the optimism triggered by that cowardly attack on young Malala Yousufzai to go up in smoke.
13th October, 2012
Malala won’t be airbrushed out
“I AM worried about Malala. The whole of Swat is worried about her. But every girl in Swat is Malala. We’ll educate ourselves. We will win. They can’t defeat us.”
“I AM worried about Malala. The whole of Swat is worried about her. But every girl in Swat is Malala. We’ll educate ourselves. We will win. They can’t defeat us.”
6th October, 2012
Try the voters, it might work
AS the next election nears, all fears about a postponement are dissipating. What else would explain the spurt in the political activities of different parties?
AS the next election nears, all fears about a postponement are dissipating. What else would explain the spurt in the political activities of different parties?
29th September, 2012
A new leaf on Balochistan?
HAS it now become the nature of our beloved country that good news will only be fleeting or can recent events be cause for longer-term comfort?
HAS it now become the nature of our beloved country that good news will only be fleeting or can recent events be cause for longer-term comfort?
