Punchline Fears of Leaders? By Z. G. Muhammad ‘The solution of Kashmir Dispute is rooted in India and Pakistan friendship.’ For past sixty-five years, this euphemistic sentence has been so often dinned into our ears that it has become part of psyche people and leadership. And whenever, India and Pakistan dialogue started, it generated a lot of euphoria in our leadership, and from the dwarfish to the tallest, every leader has hailed it with high expectations. There is hardly … Read entire article »

There is a lot of excitement in Pakistan on the resumption of dialogue with New Delhi. The thaw in the frosty relationship between the two countries ten days after the “chance” meeting between Prime Minister, Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Sharif in Paris is seen as “great diplomatic feat” in Islamabad. Compared to Pakistan, the reaction in Indian media has been overall subdued. The triumphant mood in Islamabad perhaps is because the joint statement issued … Read entire article »

PUNCHLINE People in Dock Z. G. Muhammad The birth of new discourses, in a kind of political struggle we are involved in, is a natural corollary. During past sixty-seven years, discourses have been galore in our state. To invade popular narrative hegemonic discourses have been conjured to wilt the struggle of people. There also have been occasion, when people were blamed for failing the leadership in ‘translating their vision into reality’ and alternative narratives totally in conflict with … Read entire article »

Punchline Wounds Won’t Heal Z. G. Muhammad ‘Forgetting our recent agonizing past and getting embroiled in the “hegemonic state discourses” is our trait. As a nation we have the shortest memory’. Often recounting our predicament, out of disappointment and desperation many of us use this statement for self-flogging.’ That we are a nation with the shortest memory. Is this a terse formulation of truth? This question haunted my mind, when a promising computer engineering student Gowhar Dar 22, with … Read entire article »

Punchline Why Blame Others By Z. G. Muhammad New nation-states, as history testifies, appeared on the world map just after eight or ten years of struggle.  A number of colonized nations after ten or twenty years struggle made the super powers to submit before their will and determination. Sixty seven years after, despite a track record of continuous struggle and enormous sacrifices, why we continue to be caught up in the whirlpool of political uncertainties. In answering this question that … Read entire article »

Punchline Talk From Ivory Towers? Z. G. Muhammad Eight years after its unceremonious burial four point formula of General Pervez is back in the news. The reason is not that it has found new takers on either side of the LOC. It has shot into headlines on television channels for former Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Ahmed using it for promoting sales of his newly released book, ‘Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove’. In this 850 page book, which … Read entire article »