|
A lady doctor remains missing with her three children five years after her arrest. An urgent press release by Asian Human Rights Commission suggests that Dr. Afia Siddiqui has been tortured to the point where she has lost her mind. BBC reported in Jan 2007 that there are at least 200 cases of "missing" people who it believes are in the custody of the security agencies, including Afia. More updates on the specific case of Dr. Afia Siddiqui here. |
| by Hassan Baig There exists a foreboding murmur in the wind - young in age but formidable in intention. It was on May 12th that an article curiously titled "President Apostate?" (by Edward N. Luttwak) appeared in The New York Times. The writer, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, vehemently argued that Sen. Barack Obama would further deteriorate America's relationship with the Muslim world since many on this side of the so-called fence view him as a Muslim-by-birth who shunned the religion of his father and apostized. |
|
On the surface of it, the article achieved little since it diverged rather blatantly from the methodology of sound argumentation via abusing the very fundamental principle of such discourse - the principle that the core of any argument must not be a difficult-to-take-seriously myth.
|
More than 2 million Pakistanis have condemned terrorism by signing up to say "Yeh Hum Naheen" (Urdu for "This is Not Us"). Have you signed yet? Visit YehHumNaheen.org. This initiative and the corresponding song (video below) has been featured on Time Magazine, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. |
|
 
|
There is a cool new startup by some LUMS graduates targetted at mobile services in the region - Mangoparty.com. Mango is a SMS-based social network. You can join groups of common interest e.g., euro2008 or create private groups of friends e.g., for making coffee plans on the fly. Check it out! |
| In The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria (editor of Newsweek Int'l) sees the "rise of the rest" -- the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others -- as the great story of our time, and one that will reshape the world. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, largest-selling movies, and most advanced cell phones are all being built outside the United States. |
|
|
LUMS students have successfully launched an online radio station. Radio LUMS is a great effort showcasing the technical know-how, aesthetic sense, music taste, and RJ skills of LUMS students. Check out Radio LUMS! |
| by Hassan Baig The race for choosing the Democratic nominee for Election '08 is not over yet, however it is no longer an even contest. Having amassed substantial momentum, Barack Obama has a lot going for him. However there is a very high probability that in the case of him getting the nod, the knockout blow to Hillary Clinton's aspirations would have been her own doing. |
 |
With a little more homework and prudence, her mistakes could have been avoided – creating a campaign trail which could have been a lot less littered with political speed bumps. Needless to say, these mistakes have made her task of neutralizing one of America’s greatest campaigners all the more difficult.
Continue reading "Clinton's Five Big Mistakes (and counting…)" »
Check out this video preview of an exciting startup out of LUMS - BumpIn.com. Its an interesting new take on social networking and their tool is now out of beta. The company is in it's pre-IPO stage and has a huge potential.
There is an interesting comics initiative by a Bsc class of 2009 student at LUMS. Check it out at the LUMS Comics blog.
After the assassination, all businesses were closed and public transportation was stopped. Domestic flights were canceled and streets were deserted in anticipation of violence. Fuel tankers could not get to gas stations and basically everyone was stuck wherever they were. Amidst these circumstances, people still showed up in hundreds of thousands to pay their final respect to Bhutto.
Within five to ten minutes of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, even before the news channels reported anything, almost everyone in Pakistan knew about the news. Cell and land phones were ringing non-stop. Within the next half an hour, there was considerable panic in the air. There was an unsaid fear of riots and violence on the streets. Shops started closing in the lively city of Lahore. A city that never sleeps. A city that was celebrating the colorful wedding season. Family members and friends were desperately trying to get in touch with their loved ones, trying to ensure that they are home and safe. The violence followed ...
Pakistan's "fair" elections are fast approaching. This picture shows state police putting up banners for the pro-Musharraf PML-Q party. Bike is the election symbol of PML-Q. How can the elections be fair if state resources are used to promote a particular political party?
This image is from December 17th 2007, the state of emergency in Pakistan is officially over. Can't you tell that from the treatment human rights activists are getting for expressing their views? These images make us ashamed of being associated with Pakistan.
Musharraf declared an end to the emergency situation in Pakistan on Dec 15th 2007 citing a more stable situation in the fight against terrorism. This statement is a mockery of the current situation in Pakistan, as the emergency had nothing to do with any fight against militants.
| LUMS Alumni Homecoming is this weekend (Saturday, Dec 15, 2007). For those of you who just landed in the country, there will be a registration desk on the venue (Library Lawn) at 7:00 pm on the event date. So do turn up, register on the spot and join your friends for an evening of fun including the Strings concert. |
|
| On Nov 26th 2007, Yale Law School hosted a panel discussion about the ongoing legal crisis in Pakistan and its implications for rule-of-law movements in Pakistan. Prof Osama Siddique, a faculty member at LUMS, was one of the three speakers. You can watch the panel discussion here. |
|
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal may not be at risk, but its heritage is. Unlike the nation's prized nuclear weapons, little attention is paid to safe guard Pakistan's precious historical monuments. The disturbing picture above shows the destruction of a 23-foot-high 7th century Buddha carved into a rock face in Jehanabad (a village in the touristic Swat Valley).
Teddy bears are cute, creating religious issues around them is not. Lets not allow the minority, who is doing so, reflect the opinion of 1.5 billion people.
This Levi's ad represents how seriously most, politically apathetic, people in Pakistan take the current state of emergency. This photo was taken by a LUMS Alumni while visiting Lahore.
