It’s been said that “every country has an army, Pakistan’s Army has a country.” It’s a young republic at 67 years old, but it’s formidable military has never shied from seizing political power. Having spent several decades under martial law, last year’s elections were welcomed as ushering a new era of democracy with Asif Zardari […]
Zainab Jeewanjee discusses Secretary Gates’ and Secretary Clinton’s respective plans for Afghanistan and Pakistan this week. While Secretary Gates suggested shared use of drone technology with Islamabad, he also called for a consolidated military approach to extremist groups. Secretary Clinton on the other hand, unveiled a civilian rooted plan aimed at reintegrating extremists back into the fold of society. Jeewanjee sides with Secretary Clinton on this issue and explains why Gates might have been hawkish in his stance.
Journalism 101, that is, the very first lesson of journalism is impartiality. In other words, journalists, at least in civilized societies don’t take any position on issues. And editors make sure that personal opinion don’t seep into the work that the journalists are assigned. This is common practice, and even in India, if you read […]
On the eve of the Mumbai atrocities, writer Zainab Jeewanjee discusses the detrimental effects of the massacre. Specifically, how terrorism is causing a rapidly deteriorating state of affairs in Pakistan. But the United States has a chance to get things right in South Asia by engaging both India and Pakistan economically. With economic interests in India and security/geopolitical interests in Pakistan, policy-makers should focus beyond immediate security and further extend cooperation to economic development in Pakistan to ensure they remain a long standing ally in the War on terror and in the face of an ascending China.
My heart sank when I read “ISLAMABAD: A wave of suicide bombings, coordinated grenade, bomb and gun assaults, and drive-by shootings blamed on militants has left more than 190 people dead in Pakistan so far this month.“ on Dawn. Is this the same Pakistan that some Western countries accuse of ‘not doing enough’ in the fight […]
As Pakistan’s military steps up offensive efforts in Waziristan against terrorists, tension ensues among civilians who are increasingly living in fear and uncertainty. Zainab Jeewanjee describes this through her grandmothers experience of Pakistan’s history and how it relates to a desolate lack of expectation which has transcended to even younger generations today as Pakistan faces the War on Terror.
Pakistan suffers decreased security with weekly suicide attacks, terrorists fleeing NATO forces from Afghanistan into Pakistan and a stagnant if not worsening economy. ALthough the situation is partially a result of Cold War policies in which Pakistan cooperated with the United States against Soviets, today’s post 9/11 context puts both countries back into cooperation with one another. However, the alliance is looked at with skepticism, specifically by way of the Kerry Lugar Bill which many feel, sidelines the military. Zainab Jeewanjee explains.
Why is there so much commotion about the attack on the GHQ in Pakistan? Come on, please; did we not know that the Taliban are a threat to everything Pakistan? Regretfully, there is still support for the Taliban in the country. I was watching Ijaz-Ul-Haq, son of Zia, one of the worst dictators in Pakistan’s […]
The War on Terror marks challenging times for Pakistan. With this weeks military incursion into northern areas to combat terrorism, increasing drone attacks, suicide bombings and a crippled economy, cooperation in our war on terror looks increasingly domestic for Pakistan.
Pakistans mlitary headquarters are attacked by militants in October 2009, at the heels of a sweeping offensive against terrorists in South Waziristan. This also comes as the Kerry-Lugar bill/Enhanced Partnership Act of Pakistan is hotly debated in Pakistan. There are concerns that the bill invades sovereignty, will fail as a result of corruption and undermines the military. Senator Kerry dispels those myths in a report published by his office last week and Zainab Jeewanjee elucidates the situation on both ends.
There we go again. Another bomb blast in Peshawar destroyed everything – peace, confidence and hope, yet again. We all know that the campaign against the Taliban is going to be bloody, and these nihilists are going to do everything in their power to scare, destabilize and intimidate Pakistan, but I am confident that Pakistanis […]
Pakistan has a deep interest in seeing stable, peaceful democratic processes in Afghan elections this week. Islamabad’s insistence on allocating resources to uprooting domestic factions and maintaing troops along the Indian border rather than focusing directly on fighting terror in Afghanistan do not mean they are uncommitted to stability in Afghanistan. Rather, Pakistan is better equipped and rightfully focused on fighting domestic turmoil and given current Indo-Pak relations, must keep forces on the Indian border. Also, Pakistan has a profound interest in seeing their large refugee population repatriate to Afghanistan, which can only happen if elections are successful and lead to a more stable, democratic Afghanistan.
No explanation can at this moment adequately address the horrors carried out in Gojra Pakistan. But these horrors are newsworthy and have potential to serve as a lesson in uprooting such inhumanity. Rather than focusing squarely and vaguely on vast historical causation that might allow factions to commit these horrors, a closer look at the […]