By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
HOW should the media report a war? This is the question journalists should be asking themselves in the changed circumstances of today. They seem to have been caught off guard. One cannot even be certain that they are aware of the dilemmas that should be their dilemma.
Continue reading Fighting on home soil
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
APRIL 23 was the World Book and Copyright Day. We have to be grateful to DawnNews for taking up the subject of books in its programme `
Bolna zaroori hai`.
The media doesn`t find books an exciting topic to discuss. Books don`t carry the same attraction as cross-border weddings of sport celebrities. Some television channels were kind enough to carry reports in their news bulletins on how Book and Copyright Day was observed.
Continue reading Libraries go out of fashion
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
THIS little book is the story of the `Third Estate` of the world. Borrowing the term from French history, Prof Jamal Naqvi uses it to refer to the Third World, that is the poor countries that were decolonised in the post-war years.
They shared the characteristic of being underprivileged, deprived and oppressed as were the masses in pre-revolutionary France who were dominated by the clergy and the nobility.
Prof Naqvi was deeply involved in the politics of the Left in Pakistan until 1990. He has not attempted to trace the history of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the ideological context in the book under review.
Continue reading Change for the better?
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.— Kahlil Gibran
HOW many university teachers in Pakistan would fit this definition? Today there are over 46,000 academics in our universities and the quest for better standards in our institutions of higher education is endless.
Continue reading Homage to a teacher
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
A NEWS item in this paper datelined Lahore informed us last week that the Punjab government will be allowing online access to all its laws, rules and regulations in two months.
This should be welcomed as one of the most positive moves to be considered by any government in the country — assuming this actually happens. In a state which claims to be democratic, transparency of governance is the foremost requirement if citizens are to be part of the process of governing themselves.
Continue reading Technology for transparency