Stories about Pakistan from January, 2007
South Asia: Forced marriages in the UK
A House of Lords discussion in the UK on forced marriages covered at Pickled Politics. “Lord Lester said that on the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery, it was scandalous that we were turning a blind eye to the sexual and domestic slavery of women; he said is was fully...
Pakistan: A Sufi Shrine in the US
Azad Forever has an original video on the first Sufi saint shrine in the US. “Some 40 miles from Philadelphia, among the rolling hills and tall trees of Chester County, is a Mazar (a shrine), the resting place of Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen the Sufi saint and founder of the...
Pakistan: Lahore and across the border
Prosenoma goes to Pakistan, and discovers much warmth and beauty. “When we segregate people for long, the lines between fact and fiction blur. Our curiosity leads us to lap up any information thrown at us and in order to know the other, we start relying on anything offered – second-hand...
Pakistan: The Grand Trunk Road
Light Within on that road that inspired a lot of writing. The Grand Trunk Road. “Kabul-Calcutta GT Road runs through many of Pakistan's most historic places starting from Khyber Pass: Peshawar, Lotus Valley of Ghandhara civilization, Attock Fort (built by King Akbar in 1581), Hassan Abdal, Taxila, Potohar Plateau, Fort...
The Arabist: Saudi Arabia Persecuting Ahmadis
The Arabist reported today a Human Rights Watch plea to the Saudi monarch urging him to stop presecuting Ahmadis. According to the letter, “Saudi Arabia has so far arrested 56 non-Saudi followers of the Ahmadi faith, including infants and young children, and deported at least 8 to India and Pakistan.”
Pakistan: A Nobel for Edhi
All Things Pakistan hopes that Edhi gets a Nobel Prize and urges his readers to contribute to an ongoing initiative. “Irrespective of whether Abdul Sattar Edhi is a Pakistani or not, irrespective of how much most Pakistanis hold his selfless zeal in reverence – and irrespective also of all the...
South Asia: Human rights, blogosphere, traditions, democracy, discrimination, travel and festivals
Picks from different blogs from the following South Asian Countries: Bangladesh: After 5 years detention in Guantanamo, one Bangladeshi (Mobarak) was recently released by the US authorities. However he was arrested again by Bangladesh Airport police for interrogation as soon as he arrived in Dhaka. Naeem of Drishtipat blog is...
Pakistan: Chinese on a Pakistani vehicle
Chinese and Japanese languages make an appearance on transport vehicles in Pakistan. Light Within says “Over the past few years, Chinese and Japanese characters have increasingly appeared on Pakistani public transport as decorations. .. I’ve been fortunate to have a Chinese language expert at home as my wife so we...
Pakistan: In Istanbul
Light Within on a day in Istanbul. Filled with a lot of sights and food. “Walking down the tram line from Sultanahmet to Aksaray, there are burial sites on both sides of the street. Caliphs, Pashas and other important dignitaries rest here. Sultans also, but their tombs are within separate...
Pakistan: On Fred Bremner
Light Within on Fred Bremner. “He was not a diplomat, historian or a journalist, yet his photographs and publications have become an important source of historic records of the cities, events, places and people in Pakistan.”
India, Pakistan: Across the border
Kalpana Sahni writes on borders, culture and shared history. “These lines divide families living on either side of a river or they divide linguistic groups (the Punjabis, Kashmiris and Bengalis). While politicians and the military debate and argue over borders, there is another deeper reality that defies these divides.”
Pakistan: Folktales, culture and Sohni Mahiwal
All Things Pakistan on folklore and the story of Sohni-Mahiwal. “Folklore is a mixture of beliefs, facts and fiction. Over time, the different elements get so interwoven with each other that often it becomes difficult to separate one from the other.”
South Asia: 2006 in review
Let us take a look at how the South Asian bloggers reflected on the year 2006: Bangladesh: Drishtipat reports that a total of 3,239 people were killed in Bangladesh, with law enforcement authorities killing 300 of them, from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2006, an average of 9.69 persons per...
