Stories about Pakistan from April, 2009
Pakistan: Pak Voices
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
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.”
Pakistan: Death Penalty Mandatory for Blasphemy
KO blog reports that according to a new law in Pakistan penal code, death penalty is now mandatory for blasphemy convicts.
South Asia: Coping With The Heat And The Rolling Blackouts
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
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: Why Talibans are Getting Support in Swat?
Pakistani blogger Ambreen Kazmi at Chowrangi blog answers the question “Why people of Swat support Taliban”?
Pakistan: Terror Has A New Name
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: National Bloggers Conference Live
The First National Bloggers Conference of Pakistan took place today at 5:00pm PST at Regent Plaza in Karachi. Teeth Maestro live blogged the event.
Pakistan: Talibans Violating Constitution
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
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
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
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
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
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: Impact Of Daylight Saving Time
Hina Safdar at Chowrangi discusses the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on human health. Pakistan has decided to advance clocks by one hour from 15th of April 2009.
Pakistan: Teaching Urdu To Expatriate Kids
Aisha PZ at All Things Pakistan urges the expatriate Pakistani parents to teach the Pakistani state language Urdu to their children.
Pakistan: Chief Justice Criticizes The Handling Of The Taliban Flogging Case
Baithak reports that Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice of Pakistan criticized the handling of the Taliban flogging case. According to the blogger, he has “assailed the officials for laziness and self-importance, and challenged them for not taking up the case until it became a national scandal in recent days”.
Pakistan: GPS Navigation
Shahid Saeed at All Things Pakistan writes about the status of GPS automotive navigation in Pakistan.
Pakistan: Fanaticism on Radio
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?
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?”
