Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
PABLO Neruda was already something of a renowned poet when he was posted as the Chilean consul to Barcelona in 1934, and shortly afterwards transferred to Madrid, a vantage point from where he witnessed the unfolding Spanish civil war. It proved to be a thoroughly politicising experience.
He (...)
BALOCHISTAN bleeds again. Yet another episode of gruesome brutality against Hazaras — coal miners no less — has brought yet another protest movement into existence. Yesterday it was the death of a Baloch daughter of the soil on foreign shores, tomorrow it will be a Pashtun man falling prey to the (...)
What has mankind done to itself? World wars, global warming, lemming-like migrations, and now Covid-19. Will we ever see an unclouded morn again?
When January 2020 dawned, no one imagined that its tail-ender December would close on a note of such helpless despair. The world is undergoing an (...)
The creator of an animated film on blasphemy in Pakistan is hoping it will prompt discussion on tolerance at a time that rights advocates say hate speech on social media is increasingly triggering violence.
The short film “Swipe” is about a boy obsessed with a hypothetical smartphone app that (...)
THE Indian and Pakistani constitutions provide equality for all, yet the rights of citizens from different religious groups in matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance and succession, depend on religious identity. A Muslim man can practise polygamy but this is denied to men from other (...)
Events of the past few weeks have once again demonstrated the anxiety and fear etched in the unconscious of our state. Whether it is the arrest of organizers of the PDM’s Multan rally or a brutal crackdown on protesting farmers in Lahore, it is clear that the space for dissent continues to (...)
It has been a year since Pakistan was shaken by an unprecedented upheaval of university students across the country. Organized under the banner of the Students Solidarity March, students took out rallies in over 50 districts to express their anger against a broken education system and the (...)
This year the activities around “Students’ Union Restoration March” are expected on Friday the 27th November.
On 23rd November the federal education minister announced the closure of educational institutions for one month due to the increasing cases of Covid-19. The recent activities around (...)
The indicators of a severe debt crisis were already present in Pakistan long before the Covid-19 crisis hit. Coordinated efforts by CSOs all round the world are needed to ensure that countries like Pakistan are not left alone dealing with its impact.
The indicators of a severe debt crisis were (...)
Recent political developments remind us that locating the power centre is often harder than holding it accountable. The bravado shown by the opposition parties during the All Parties Conference lost much of its steam as news began circulating of ‘secret meetings’. Various narratives emerged, (...)
NO country likes to be told what is wrong with it but responsible states do not dismiss criticism without assessing the element of truth contained in adverse comments on their performance. Pakistan is not among such countries. It either ignores whatever is said about its performance by friend (...)
IT is official now: Cambridge O-A levels and International Baccalaureate will not be touched by the PTI’s Single National Curriculum (SNC). This is fantastic news for those who once feared privileged education for the rich was in danger. Parents paying monthly fees between Rs15,000 and Rs45,000 (...)
Journalism is starting to flourish online in Pakistan through alternative and independent platforms
Never the freest in the world in terms of media for most of this century or the past one, Pakistan is now a dismal case study in eroding freedom of expression and right to information – two (...)
The government seems more interested in keeping the military content than providing support for struggling citizens.
The Pakistani government does not seem willing to shift its spending priorities despite the burgeoning COVID-19 challenges.
Pakistan has emerged as one of the countries with (...)
Medical workers are falling ill in Pakistan at alarming rates as the country registers at least 100,000 new coronavirus cases since the lockdown was lifted.
KARACHI — Pakistanis stricken by the coronavirus are being turned away from hospitals that have simply closed their gates and put up signs (...)
Before Jamshed Eric plunges deep below Karachi’s streets to clean out clogged sewers with his bare hands, he says a little prayer to Jesus to keep him safe.
The work is grueling, and he wears no mask or gloves to protect him from the stinking sludge and toxic plumes of gas that lurk deep (...)
“If you do not condemn colonialism, if you do not side with the colonized people, what kind of revolution are you waging?”
Ho Che Minh
For all of the outrage that many rightly feel, it is not surprising that the Pakistan state’s inherently authoritarian streak has come to the fore in the midst (...)
In the grand scheme of things in Pakistan, the PTM is a breath of fresh air, yet a drop in the bucket.
“In February, Arman Luni, a PTM activist from Balochistan, died after being beaten by police officers following his participation in a peaceful protest in the Lorelai district”, records a (...)
An energetic national student movement re-emerges in Pakistan
November 2019 marked the 51st anniversary of the student revolts which led to the overthrow of Pakistan’s first military dictator, Ayub Khan, in 1968. Beginning in Rawalpindi’s Gordon College, the uprising soon spread across the (...)
The student mobilization on 29 November 2019 had a deep echo across Pakistan . Affirming solidarity with all the discriminated and exploited sectors of society, it became a rallying point for a wide range of social and progressive movements in a country and a state undermined by numerous (...)
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