News Archives:

• The genesis of militancy and extremism in Swat
  "My dear unnamed crusaders of Islam, I received your warning letter that instigated me to ask a few questions humbly. First, you begin your warning letter with 'Salam', which literally means 'peace', but isn't it that such kind of letters end up terrorizing the common Muslims…"
• The Moon, Orchards, and the River Swat
  The silhouettes in the moon light appear awful and exotic at the same time. We can see dim lights up there in the hills in the bright background of the moonlight. The rustling sounds of tree-branches coming from the forest mingle with the gushing sound of the River Swat,
• Swat's sorry tale
  The cancerous spread of government-militant clashes to the remote areas of the country is becoming increasingly perturbing because it is consuming the usually peaceful and scenic areas of Pakistan, such as the famed Swat valley. The region once used to be called Pakistan's answer to Switzerland and would draw a large number of tourists, especially from within the country, but that has all changed
• Swat is in the grip of tension
  The scenic valley of swat is in the grip of sever tension for the last six days. Unknown groups are active in terrorist activities kill many security personals. Indiscriminate firing and bomb blast are the routine of the day. People are worried about the deteriorating law and order situation in the valley.
• The Fallout
  Maulana Abdur Rashid Ghazi had claimed that the whole of Frontier and the tribal belt would rush to his rescue if the military operation was launched against Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa
• Militancy at war with the society in Swat
  One of the few reactions came from Maulana Fazlullah from Swat who has been reported to have announced on his illegal FM radio to wage Jihad against the government of Pakistan since the operation on Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad Pakistan was started on the 3rd of July 2007
• Culture, Learning and Schooling
  One sometimes wonders what could have been the situation in the former British colonies if the modern schooling system had not been installed. Was it possible for western capitalism to spread its tentacles to the far off lands without using the modern schooling system? In other words: are education and literacy apolitical?
• The story of three books, freedom of press and security
  It probably happens in those countries only where authoritarianism reigns supreme, where fundamental human rights are held in abeyance and where the civil society is rendered toothless and spineless
• Pakistani girls' schools in radicals' sights
  All throughout the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan's impoverished western border with Afghanistan, lie the ruins of barbershops and music and video stores – symbols of Western-oriented life that religious extremists have destroyed in a growing wave of violence
• Moderate voices from a Pakistani city
  At the end of March, extremists blew a shutter off Ansar Naeem's small shop just outside Pakistan's tribal belt, which sells music CDs and movies – considered a sin by the Taliban and their supporters
• Pakistan losing territory to radicals
  In this valley of orchards near Afghanistan, 90 police hid along the banks of a riverbed in March, preparing to arrest the powerful Pakistani cleric Maualana Fazlullah. Informants said the target, charged with terrorism, would soon appear with
• State terrorism caused innocent deaths: Asfandyar
  Refuting reports that he was going to Karachi on the invitation of the Sindh government or the ruling PML-Q and MQM leadership, Awami National Party (ANP) Central President Asfandyar Wali Khan said here Friday night that he was undertaking the trip on his own to offer condolences