Marvi Sirmed
Daily Times
Pakistan
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Past articles by Marvi:
Enforced disappearances: how the state of Pakistan has failed
On the eve of International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 2018, there is very little — if anything — that the government of Pakistan could offer to the people of Pakistan as good news. People are still going missing, the state is still unwilling to investigate cases of enforced disappearances, the perpetrators still … → Read More
WAF concerned over serious rigging allegations
The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has expressed concerns on reports about mismanagement and alleged rigging in the general elections of 2018. The representatives of the Forum maintain that the kind of pre-poll engineering witnessed recently can undermine the legitimacy of the elections with serious repercussions on Pakistan’s efforts to transition into a well-functioning democracy. Speaking … → Read More
Elections 2018 and the political chessboard
The complete results of the general elections for national and provincial assemblies are still awaited, however as per the unofficial projections Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the largest political party in the National Assembly and provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while second largest in provincial assemblies of Punjab and Sindh. In Balochistan, … → Read More
Election being engineered in Balochistan: Gazain Marri
he upcoming elections are far from free and fair. They are being managed openly, and the results have been decided already. These views were expressed by Gazain Marri, son of legendary Baloch politician Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, popular for his Marxist leanings, in a telephonic interview with Daily Times from a house in Kohlu where … → Read More
For FATA residents, the good news may be short-lived
After the passage of the 31st Constitutional Amendment from both the houses of the Parliament as well as by the provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa awaited just the assent of the President of Pakistan. On Monday, the President did put his signatures on a key piece of legislation, … → Read More
Rest in Peace Madeeha Gauhar!
Madeeha Gauhar’s passing is not just the end of what will probably be considered the golden age of Pakistani theatre, it is a great loss for progressive, pro-peace voices in this country. Above all, it is a personal loss for her family, friends and admirers. My first introduction to her was through TV. This was … → Read More
The curious case of Geo News suspension
As reports emerge that Geo News has been taken off air in various areas across the country, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has categorically denied that her ministry has issued any directives for the suspension of the channel’s transmission. Talking to Daily Times on Sunday, she said, “the government hasn’t shut down … → Read More
Senate chair: who plays what
After holding elections on 52 seats on March 3, the 104-seat strong house is scheduled to meet on Monday (today) at 10am to elect its new chairperson and deputy chairperson. With the high-profile election due today, the capital remained a busy city over the weekend. Three major parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples … → Read More
A critical view of LHC’s order nullifying appointment of PEMRA chair
ISLAMABAD: On Monday, the Lahore High Court annulled appointment of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam on a petition filed in December 2015 by a citizen Munir Ahmed. Following that, Alam relinquished the charge of office voluntarily without seeking any stay. The petition accused Alam inter alia of working to promote immorality … → Read More
Trump’s new foreign policy and challenges for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump announced his administration’s new grand strategy for foreign policy on Monday while speaking at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. Among the audience were his cabinet secretaries, government workers and uniformed members of the military. The document that he called ‘America First National Security Strategy’ … → Read More
Next parliament will also be in trouble if system derails: speaker
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that the derailment of the current system would create problems for the upcoming parliament. While talking exclusively to Daily Times, the speaker said that if today something happens to parliament, a wrong precedence would be set for posterity, which should be avoided at all costs. He … → Read More
Bilawal brings ideology to the foreground
Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party show of political power in Islamabad on the eve of its 50th foundation day on Tuesday was important in more ways than one. In one word the massive and charged crowd at the gathering can be described as diverse, and truly reflective of the Pakistani social fabric. There were children, youngsters, … → Read More
Dharna deal: state willingly ‘mortgages’ its writ
ISLAMABAD: The state of Pakistan mortgaged its writ willingly yesterday by signing an agreement with religious protesters camped at Faizabad, which at best is an embarrassing blot on its face and at worst resembles the humiliation Pakistan had to endure in 1971 when the saviours of the nation signed off the dismemberment document. True that … → Read More
The disaster that everyone contributed in
When these lines were written on the evening of 25th November, the Interior Ministry had called in the Army to restore peace in the federal capital. After around twenty days of the sit-in by the religious extremists calling for the resignation of the law minister, several attempts at negotiating with the sit-in organisers and repeated … → Read More
Banned Baloch outfits set to congregate in Geneva on 18th
ISLAMABAD: Exiled leaders of several proscribed Baloch outfits are set to congregate in Geneva on November 18 to deliberate on the possibility of a joint and peaceful struggle for their demands. Meanwhile, the Balochistan government has completely rubbished the idea saying that the sardars have lost public support in the province. The proscribed Baloch Republican … → Read More
Media under fire
The Friday attack on Ahmed Noorani, an investigative reporter with The News, was a grim reminder of the dangerous conditions under which journalists work in Pakistan. Working conditions, factual reporting and expressing critical opinions have always been dangerous undertakings in Pakistan. But over the recent years, coercion has become rampant and intensified. Many argue that … → Read More
Dissent is patriotic: Pakistani liberals say in unison
LONDON: More than a hundred prominent liberal, progressive and nationalist intellectuals and public figures from Pakistan expressed grave concern over the widening repression of critical, dissenting voices to the state’s narrative, resulting in shrinking space for liberal, secular, progressive ideas and pluralism. They resolved that Pakistan needed a new national narrative based on the consent … → Read More
The curious case of Kunwar Moiz
ISLAMABAD: The curious case of missing business tycoon Kunwar Moiz remains, for all intents and purposes, unsolved. Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) allegedly picked him up from the federal capital a week ago. His ‘disappearance’ has not only plunged his housing society project into chaos in terms of leaving those who had invested in it out of pocket – it raises serious concerns over the conduct… → Read More
Thought Leaders from Pakistan and India call for uninterrupted, uninterruptible dialogue
ISLAMABAD: Thought leaders from Pakistan and India have called for a sustained, uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue between both the countries to resolve contentious issues. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, around 250 intellectuals, journalists, writers, poets, educationists, filmmakers, professionals and students reminded that the people of Pakistan and India have seen too many… → Read More
How Hekmatyar’s return affects Pakistan?
Gulbadin Hekmatyar, one of Afghanistan’s most controversial warlords and a former prime minister, arrived in Jalalabad a week before he set his foot in Kabul this Thursday. As much as it has sparked strong reactions from women’s groups and progressive sections of Afghan society, there is no dearth of people who can’t help but hope for a sustained peace through a man who once won the title of… → Read More