I’ve been working on a profile of Imran Khan, whose meteoric rise has left some hopeful, others befuddled and still others, angry. As with any story, portions get excised from the final draft for a variety of reasons: the article needs to be shortened, or because the excised sections just aren’t as important or relevant [...]
Categories: Electoral Politics
Tagged: elections, imran khan, pti
An excellent piece on Pakistani literature by Daisy Rockwell this week in the Guardian. Rockwell critiques Granta’s issue on the country’s literature and asks: Around the time of the release of Granta 112, I came across an interview with the magazine’s new editor, John Freeman, about the Pakistan issue. I hoped I would find some [...]
Categories: Narratives,Reviews
Tagged: granta, imagination, literature, pakistani, theme
A conference of journalists working in the tribal areas came to some interesting conclusions: Growing anarchy has made access to information dependent on the will of the military and the militants. Both have shown little tolerance in allowing reporters to work independently. In threatening circumstances, journalists feel little hesitation in toeing the line, which has [...]
Categories: Narratives,Press the issue,War on Terror
Tagged: fata, journalism, press, reporting, tribal areas, war
With Pakistan in the western media spotlight, there have been an increasing number of documentaries, photo essays and multimedia pieces about the country. Some of them have even won awards. But, the only one I’ve seen so far that actually manages to say something of substance is this:
Categories: Narratives
Tagged: lahore, multimedia, nowshera, photo, sheikhpura, story
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s was hanged today in 1979. Over 30 years later, his party remains the closest thing Pakistan has to a national political party. But, it’s more dynasty than democracy, preserved in the the myth-making articles, speeches and books of the Bhuttos’ and their loyalists. Thus, recalling ZAB, the secularist-populist politician who criminalized Ahmadis, [...]
Categories: Narratives
Tagged: ahmadis, balochistan, bangladesh, bhutto, bilawal
That’s a line from a desi poster from this incredible collection of resistance art and political images from the American and UK desi diaspora. Magnificent.
Categories: Mutiny,The Fifth Column
Tagged: art, politics, resistance
Katherine Tiedermann and Peter Bergen’s study for the New America Foundation. The Year of the Drone Christopher Rogers writing about CIVIC’s study on civilian casualties in Pakistan. Includes drone issue. Civilian Harm and Conflict in Northwest Pakistan Bill Roggio and Alexander Mayer’s data and assessment for the Long War Journal. David Kilcullen and Andrew Exum’s [...]
Categories: War on Terror