AddThis Social Bookmark Button









Asif Akhtar
and Faisal Shakeel, The Samosa's dedicated bloggers, bring you news, analysis and a slice of life from Lahore and Karachi



Fighting the floods, eight weeks on Print E-mail
Thursday, 30 September 2010 04:11
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

The flooding in Pakistan this July has created a situation that still perplexes the government and the NGOs engaged in helping millions of displaced people. Eight weeks on, the emergency is far from over and people in Sindh still need to be airlifted to safe places where they can get food and shelter.

Read more...
 
Karachi calling Print E-mail
Friday, 16 July 2010 01:12
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Anwar Akhtar

As part of my work for The Samosa I am currently in Karachi meeting writers, artists, citizen and cultural organisations, hosted by leading Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

Read more...
 
Benazir - UN report leaves Pakistan's elite in the spotlight Print E-mail
Friday, 30 April 2010 13:08
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Former Pakistani premier Benazir BhuttoBy Faisal Shakeel

The investigation report of the United Nations Commission on former premier Benazir Bhutto's assassination mirrors the fears she narrated in her book Reconciliation, Islam and the West.

Read more...
 
Pakistan's judges must learn their limits Print E-mail
Sunday, 25 April 2010 17:32
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel


The stage is set for another round of confrontation between parliament and the judiciary over the constitutionality of the newly-passed 18th Amendment.

Read more...
 
Pakhtoonkhwa and a Pakistani tragicomedy Print E-mail
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 14:53
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

We may not be a match for the developed world in the fields of education, technology and wealth, but we are certainly oceans ahead when it comes to bad politics.


For some, politics may be like a game of chess that requires time, focus and a certain level of devotion.


But in Pakistan it is seen more like theatre, where action, comedy and tragedy are rolled into one for everyone to watch for free – though there are hidden costs.

Read more...
 
Pakistan bombers must be brought to justice Print E-mail
Tuesday, 09 February 2010 18:34
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

Karachi’s reputation as a relatively safe city was shattered again as terrorists detonated two bombs and wreaked havoc on the conclusion of Ashura, a religious event observed by the Shias. A little over a month back another Ashura procession was bombed in the same city in an apparent attempt to fan sectarian violence.

Read more...
 
Pakistan's leaders in deep Blackwater Print E-mail
Monday, 25 January 2010 11:00
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

The revelation by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that notorious security firm Blackwater, now known as Xe, is operating in Pakistan did more harm to the sitting government than anything else. The media zeroed in on his admission and beamed across the country the previous statements of US and Pakistani officials denying Blackwater’s presence in Pakistan.

Read more...
 
Will Obama talk to the Grand Master Jedi? Print E-mail
Saturday, 23 January 2010 16:24
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Asif Akhtar

Slowly, the trend of diplomacy seems to be setting in on this "War on Terror", moving away from the gruesome Bush Doctrine that said so clearly "we don't negotiate with terrorists". Not only has the Obama Administration changed the original mission of eradicating all "Talibanised" elements, it seems to have instructed its Af and Pak counterparts to do the same.

Read more...
 
The wildest ride in Pakistan Print E-mail
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 01:00
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Lahore passenger bus; credit - rtw2007By Faisal Shakeel

You can easily spot the passenger vans engaged in headlong races on the busy roads of Lahore. The passengers, who aren’t strapped into their seats, swing at every twist and turn of these raucous roller-coaster rides, and must fight continuously to retain their balance and their seats.

Read more...
 
A pants idea to stop underwear bombs Print E-mail
Thursday, 07 January 2010 02:07
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Asif Akhtar

The United States’ Transport Service Authority (TSA) has drafted a list of 14 “countries of interest” in the aftermath of the failed “underwear bomber” plot to blow up a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day. It seems airport security personnel around the world are on the lookout for weapons of mass destruction in people’s underwear (which may have its own implications of course).

Read more...
 
Zardari in the crosshairs Print E-mail
Sunday, 27 December 2009 18:39
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

I couldn’t help talking to President Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar after spotting him in the courtroom the day the Supreme Court was to announce the short order on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Read more...
 
Pakistan's courts take aim at easy targets Print E-mail
Monday, 21 December 2009 04:45
AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Faisal Shakeel

I wonder if former President General Pervez Musharraf was upset over the proceedings in the Supreme Court against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) he had promoted. The court has scrapped the ordinance and restored all corruption cases against politicians and bureaucrats to the status they had on October 4th, 2007. And there aren’t any against General (retired) Musharraf.

Read more...
 
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>

Page 1 of 2
<