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.
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The task before Justice Chaudhry

Defence and Disarmament, Justice, Terrorism and Violence

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

WHAT prompted the government`s change of heart at the eleventh hour that led to the announcement about the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry?

Whatever other factors may have been at play, we also know that America, Britain and the Pakistan Army were active behind the scenes.
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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.
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Women decide to fight back

Women

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

FOR the Women`s Action Forum, 2008 was a landmark year. Three new chapters were launched in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Khairpur. To celebrate this expansion, 50 women from the new chapters and WAF Karachi met in Hyderabad for their first Sindh convention on Feb 14.

This amounted to making a strong political statement on women`s rights — WAF refused to be intimidated at a time when the Taliban were having a field day in Swat.
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Education policy, will it work?

Education

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

On Pakistan Day, the nation will be presented with a gift from the government — a new education policy. The education minister told the media the other day that the draft policy had been sent to the provincial governments for their feedback.

The assurances Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani held out amounted to offering the people the moon. Hence disappointment may be in store.
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