» U.S. gives Musharraf’s government about $200 million annually and his military $100 million monthly in the form of direct cash transfers. That’s just how we roll! » Via Bill Swersey comes the news that Asia Society will be having an Emergency Town Hall meeting on Thursday 11/8 at 8:30 am EST. Asma Jahangir, head [...]
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Q Dana, does the White House believe that Musharraf is now a dictator? MS. PERINO: Look, I think that that is — it’s premature to say that. This is a President – … The glorious founding fathers of this nation really did us a bad. They kicked out the King, banned all pomp and circumstance, [...]
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From students and activists in Pakistan comes The Emergency Telegraph [pdf link] – the first issue of a comprehensive booklet that hopes to fill in the vacuum created by the media blackout in Pakistan”. It includes a short note from Asma Jahangir as well other links, eye-witness reports etc. The folks behind the pamphlet also [...]
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» An email from students at LUMS regarding their upcoming protests: Things to keep in mind for upcoming protests: Keep a wet cloth handy to cover your mouth, nose and eyes during possible tear-gassing. Salt for your throat, under the same eventuality. Be careful of what you discuss on the phone, telephone lines and the [...]
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Images via Flickr. The following report is from a source that wishes to remain anonymous: What happened today at the Lahore High Court, inside and outside, was as disgraceful as it was agitating. The police treated a declared peaceful protest as if the mass (composed largely of lawyers, students and some ordinary civilians) were a [...]
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One simple question, simply stated, to every elected Senator and Congressperson, to every Presidential candidate, at every campaign stop. Just stand and ask this question: Should United States support a tyrant and an illegitimate dictator in Pakistan and wait for another Islamic Revolution? Remember that the over 2000 people currently under arrest are being terrorized [...]
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» Protests are being planned – most notably in New York/Karachi/Lahore and on
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An email from Lahore confirms the crackdown on HRCP and other related groups: Today at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan a meeting of lawyers and human rights activsits (around noon) was held to discuss the present situation. A statement from Asma Jehangir who has been detained for 90 days was read and subsequently the [...]
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The printed text is a bit off from what he actually said. Below the fold, is my hasty translation. I have tried to stick as close to his formulations as possible. It is a surprising speech (in many respects). Reading between the lines – ie, the english and urdu lines, I venture an opinion that [...]
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The wag will say that the nation has never left the state of emergency, but that is just being silly. We now have a legal State of Emergency in Pakistan. Actually, it is officially being called “Emergency Plus” – more than “Emergency” but less than “Martial Law”. Just right. The move is hardly surprising considering [...]
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Naim Sahib forwarded a correspondence in which he answers a question about the Urdu poet and intellectual Iqbal (1877-1938). I reproduce it below without his consent. He can yell at me later: Q: I have a question for you. Attached is (supposedly) Iqbal’s Tarana-e-Hindi (The Song of India) written out in his own hand. What [...]
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Peter Nadas gives us some clues: But then, can someone in, say, Boston, “pouring sweet maple syrup over sizzling bacon” understand “from such ambiguous sentences how deformed the thoughts and actions of someone can become who for years has used their mother tongue for hiding thoughts rather than for expressing them?” he asked. “How meaning [...]
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