Hoping to use culture to battle Pakistan’s slide into “Talibanisation”, the son of Benazir Bhutto kicked off a two-week-long arts festival on 1 February. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
CATEGORY: Pakistan
Pakistan’s politics thwart launch of Malala book
Peshwar University found itself at the centre of a controversy surrounding the launch of I Am Malala when police refused to provide security for the event. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Pakistan’s religious kidnappings: Forced conversions and marriages
An increase in kidnappings of Hindu girls who are then coerced to embrace Islam and forced to marry has raised concerns in Pakistan, Zofeen Ebrahim writes
Pakistani journalists plea for protection
Three men working for a TV station were last week killed by the Taliban in Karachi. Now Pakistani journalists are calling on the government to appoint special public prosecutors to investigate the murders of media workers. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Pakistani media finds itself in Taliban’s crosshairs
Condemning the cold blooded assassination of three media workers belonging to a private television channel, the Pakistani media has united against the culture of impunity that has gripped the country. Zofeen Ebrahim reports
Pakistan: Karachi murders highlight Taliban penetration
The Taliban allegedly killing six young people for visiting a Sufi shrine has reinforced the long-standing fear among Karachi citizens that the group has not only consolidated itself, but is also imposing their belief system, writes Zofeen Ebrahim
2013: A deadly year for Pakistan’s internet freedom
While 2013 delivered a milestone transfer of government in Pakistan, the year brought despair and hopelessness to the country’s growing ranks of netizens, Nighat Dad writes
In Pakistan discussing religion is a punishable offense for Ahmadis
The arrest of an Ahmadi doctor highlights the religious apartheid practised in Pakistan. Zofeen Ebrahim reports.
Pakistan continues silencing dissent through selective web blocks
Pakistan is notorious for blocking websites. It has banned more than 4,000 websites for what it considers objectionable material. The latest was IMDb, Zofeen Ebrahim reports.
Pakistan: Marchers aim to raise awareness of Baloch disappearances
The country’s media labelled a “very willing accomplice” to the disappearances of thousands of Baloch nationalists, allegedly at the hands of state security apparatus. Zofeen Ebrahim reports