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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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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.
| HelpCounts.org is an initiative to increase awareness and action towards improving the social welfare, justice, and human rights of citizens. The are currently collecting signatures for a petition for the restoration of the Constitution, and the freedom of Judiciary and Press in Pakistan. | 
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Jemima Khan was spotted (18th Nov) leading anti-emergency protests outside the Downing Street. Photo courtesy of a LUMS Alumni who was part of the demonstration.
... and he thinks he will save us all - think again.
BBC News has this article, covering the (continued) student protests against emergency. These student protests have taken most people by surprise, as they were largely unexpected from what is seen as a young apolitical milieu. "Since Gen Musharraf imposed emergency rule, the LUMS students and campus have been at the forefront of anti-emergency protests." |
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The LUMS Alumni Department is organizing some casual sports on the day after the homecoming i.e. Sunday December 16th. They are considering setting up volleyball and tennis matches in the afternoon. If you and your friends want to participate, confirm your interest at amnaa AT lums (edu and pk of course) latest by December 05, 2007. |
| The University of Bradford (UK) has launched a campaign to free its Chancellor, Imran Khan, from imprisonment in his home nation. | 
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Fatima Bhutto, 25 years old niece of Benazir Bhutto, is getting some media coverage these days. She got interviewed on CNN yesterday and her article, highly critical of "the aunt", appeared in LA Times a few days back. She is a (badly needed) fresh face on the political scene of Pakistan and so far she has not given us any reason to hate her as such. She has officially not entered politics though, but is expected to do so soon. Keep an eye out for the young Bhutto, for starters she doesn't owe Pakistan $1.5 billion like her aunt. |
| Benazir Bhutto is enjoying massive media coverage these days. Lets go back in time and see what was she famous for a decade back. |
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| Well yes you guessed it right, the only way there could be a case study on Zardari is his corruption (apparently thats the only other significant thing he has done in his life apart from marrying Benazir Bhutto). On November 9, 1999, the US Senate released this report on investigations hearing on private banking and money laundering. |
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Zardari is one of the four case studies (making us proud indeed).
Continue reading "US Senate Hearing: The Zartadi Case Study" »
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We recently talked about the media hype about Pakistan being the most dangerous country in the world. This post is going to present (and debunk) a related myth about Pakistan, which is floating around in the media these days.
"Implosion in Pakistan could lead to a Taliban regime with a nuclear arsenal." |
Continue reading "Myths About Pakistan - Part I: Nukes Up For Grabs" »
LUMS students continue their non-violent protests with hunger strikes and candlelight vigils.
| Newsweek recently published a cover story on how the most dangerous country in the world is Pakistan, not Iraq. Anyone who has ever lived in Pakistan or visited it or has friends who have lived there can easily see the media hype Newsweek was trying to generate out of this baseless cover story. What was refreshing to see however, was this article in BBC News that does a good job at giving some perspective on how absurd is the thought of "Pakistan is the most dangerous country". |
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Continue reading "An Eyewitness Account of the LUMS Protest" »
| Looking at the recent posts it might look as if we, at the LUMS Alumni Blog, are explicitly supporting Imran Khan as the next political leader in the country. What we are rather promoting is the need for change - be it Imran Khan or any one else who has not yet been tried and tested in a position of high political power. |
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| With the crackdown on print media, LUMS students have started an online publication - The Emergency Times - trying to create awareness and share stories. The 9th Nov 2007 version is available here (*.PDF). In general you can find an updated version here. |
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Social networking sites are playing an increasingly important role in the current emergency situation in Pakistan. Facebook - a social networking site - is helping people share news items, express views and even organize peaceful non-violent protests like "7.00 Vigil for Freedom". |
| LUMS has issued an official press release in connection with the arrest and detention of Dr. Ali Cheema and Mr. Bilal Minto. The press release is available on the LUMS website and also as a PDF file. |
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