· April, 2009

Stories about Pakistan from April, 2009

Pakistan: Pak Voices

  29 April 2009

Pak Voices is a crisis reporting tool for Pakistan based on the Ushahidi engine. The website is mapping the recent unrest in Karachi city. “Submitted incidents will appear online [pending approval]” reports Dr. Awab in his twitter account.

Pakistan: This Is Not Islam

  29 April 2009

Pakistani blogger Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts questioned an enlightened scholar of Islam to confirm that what the Talibans are preaching is “hardly the Islam brought by the Quran and taught by the Prophet through his teachings.”

South Asia: Coping With The Heat And The Rolling Blackouts

  26 April 2009

Heatwaves during this time of year is not uncommon for countries in South Asia. But the recent dry weather has kept sufficient rain away from the region keeping the mercury rising. And load shedding (rolling electricity blackouts) due to power crisis in several countries have made the lives of millions of people unbearable.

Pakistan: An Open Letter To The President

  24 April 2009

Pakistani blog Deadpan Thoughts posts an open letter to the President of Pakistan on the recent SWAT Taliban deal: “My Dear President, Kindly review your decision – think for the stability of Pakistan in the long run and revoke this deal which is bound to fail – show some courage...

Pakistan: Terror Has A New Name

  20 April 2009

Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts realizes: “not a day goes by without some sort of threat in Pakistan to its citizens by these mysterious men we have come to know loosely as the Taliban.”

Pakistan: Talibans Violating Constitution

  17 April 2009

Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House reacts to the news that “Sikh families living in Orakzai Agency have left the agency after the Taliban demanded Rs 50 million as jizia (tax) from them” pointing that the Taliban’s Jizya scheme is unconstitutional.

Pakistan: Job Opening At Taliban

  16 April 2009

Beenish Khan at Kaleidoscope posts a hypothetical job advertisement for recruitment of Taliban members which concludes with: “Come and join us, because we just don't give you a job, we give you a career and a confirmed ticket to heaven.”

Pakistan: Clamp On SMS Services

  14 April 2009

Jazba's blog reports that the Pakistan government is considering to suspend sms services in Pakistan to prevent the terrorists, who uses sms to execute their attacks. At present 70% of the population in the country are using mobile phones and many of them use sms messaging.

Pakistan: The Root Cause Of The Problems

  13 April 2009

Bilal Qureshi at Pak Tea House opines that denial is the root cause of the problems in Pakistan and comments: “Unless Pakistanis agree that Taliban are not the answer to any problem, nothing will change. Otherwise, Pakistanis will continue to see suicide bombing across the country.”

Pakistan: No Respite

  10 April 2009

Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan reports that troubles are brewing all over Pakistan. Quetta is burning due to riots, violence spreads in Balochistan and Karachi is tensed due to the clashes in the Shanaakht Festival 2009 – no respite for Pakistan.

Pakistan: The Taliban Flogging Video Controversy

  9 April 2009

Faisal K. at Deadpan thought comments on the claims that the Taliban flogging video is a fake: “I personally do not think the video is a fake one but the nation needs proof and it needs it now. People are getting sick of all the head games being played on...

Pakistan: Fanaticism on Radio

  6 April 2009

Amardeep at Sepia Mutiny reports: “In some regions of Pakistan, including the Swat Valley and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), militant Islamists have been particularly effective in spreading their message via FM radio.”

Pakistan: Is This Sharia Law?

  3 April 2009

After watching a video of a woman being publicly lashed in the northern areas of Pakistan, Deadpan Thoughts questions: “this is what we have reduced Islam to, this is what the government has handed people’s lives to?”