Monthly Archives: March 2009

The mansion that Parveen built

Housing, Social Issues

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

THE Sindh minister for katchi abadis observed recently that it was essential to provide `affordable` housing to the poor on a timely basis to make the land mafia go out of business. Correct, but impractical.

The honourable minister obviously has no inkling about how costly an activity house-building is, how limited the government`s resources are, how acute the housing shortage is and what poverty means. For the poor, hapless victims of the land mafia, the officially `affordable` is actually unaffordable.
Continue reading The mansion that Parveen built →

For the women of Swat

Terrorism and Violence, War and Peace, Women

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

The theme of International Women`s Day on March 8 is `women and men united to end violence against women and girls`.

It is quite ironic that at a time when the UN is focusing on eliminating violence against women, the Pakistan government and the army have sought to buy peace in Swat by surrendering in this once idyllic valley many of the rights and freedoms women have won over the years in the country.
Continue reading For the women of Swat →