WHEN England burnt in the fires lit by rioters and looters earlier this month newspapers in Pakistan gave it wide coverage. Such is the level of interest in the events in the UK which hosts over one million immigrants of Pakistani ancestry. Continue reading When books are spared
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Book Review: This Is Not That Dawn
By Zubeida Mustafa
The partition of India in 1947 was an epochal event. It inducted the post-war era of decolonisation that came to form a landmark in world history. It also raised popular expectations: the people would be the beneficiaries of the promised 3D phenomena of decolonisation, democratisation and development. Leaders decided the fates of nations and the people provided the backdrop in the shape of slogan-raising crowds cheering the demagogues. Continue reading Book Review: This Is Not That Dawn
Why Shahid cannot read
By Zubeida Mustafa
Shahid, my driver, is not educated. He is not even literate and can barely recognise the alphabets and numbers. On the other hand, Shahid is very intelligent and can connect the wires of my computer correctly; he also maintains the engine of my car pretty well. One day I asked Shahid why he didn’t study when his parents sent him to school in his childhood. With a technological bent of mind, he could have done so well in life.
Continue reading Why Shahid cannot read
Time for healing
AN article, ‘Rapprochement is possible, by Abrar Kazi and Zulfiqar Halepoto of the Sindh Democratic Forum in this space on Aug 21 was an invitation for a rapprochement between the “progressive Urdu-speaking” people and the Sindhis to join hands and make the province an ideal homeland. Continue reading Time for healing
Taking the first step: Educating Karachi’s street children
By Zubeida Mustafa
The story of Parveen Lateef and her home school was first published on October 22, 2010. This version includes an update on Lateef and her students. It is as relevant today as it was when it was originally featured. – Ed. Continue reading Taking the first step: Educating Karachi’s street children
Victims of disappearance
By Zubeida Mustafa
GOVERNMENTS in Islamabad have traditionally had a dismal human rights record. Even civilian leaderships have followed the brutal traditions set by their military partners, though quite often they have had to battle it out in the courts. Continue reading Victims of disappearance
Where are the peace women?
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
IS peace in Karachi on the mend? Quite likely. The political reconciliation that is in the air will hopefully lower the level of violence. But for how long? Continue reading Where are the peace women?
Consensus at Harvard
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
OF late, the education sector in Pakistan has come under intense scrutiny abroad. Aid-givers and the so-called partners in the war on terror have belatedly reached the conclusion that at the root of Pakistan’s ills lies the country’s failure to educate its citizens.
Hence the sudden flood of foreign-funded reports and studies on education. It is a different matter that many of their assumptions are Continue reading Consensus at Harvard