A case of competing political theologies
Recent case of mob violence in Sialkot has brought again the blasphemy to the fore. The issue is thought of as extremist violence of fanatic religious mob stripped off of any political depth and meaning in it, which is another instance of an oversimplifying oriental attitude towards South Asian cosmologies. These narratives tend to think…
TLP and the Gift of the Praetorian State
On the 22nd of October 2021, the infamous Tehreek e Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had started mass demonstrations in Lahore in preparation for its Long March towards Islamabad. This far right Islamist group had started these riots in response to the breakdown of negotiations in regards to the release of the detained TLP leader, Saad Hussain…
Editorial: The Rise of Religious Fundamentalism in South Asia
In the last few months South Asia especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and India had to face large-scale religiously motivated extremism, in the form of violent protests or such acts which risked public lives. In Pakistan and Bangladesh people took over the streets, attacked not just public and public property but security agencies and even kidnapped and…
Remembering Antonio Gramsci
On this day in 1937, the Italian Marxist and theorist Antonio Gramsci died in captivity of the Italian Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.In addition to being a Marxist philosopher, Gramsci was also a journalist, linguist, writer and politician. He wrote on philosophy, political theory, sociology, history and linguistics while being a founding member and one-time…
Lashkar e Jhangvi’s History of Hate and Violence
Hamza Waqas Lashkar E Jhangvi (LeJ) is one of the most violent Deobandi terrorist organizations that still operate in Pakistan. The group has claimed responsibility for several heinous crimes against humanity in the past and continues to advocate for Shi’a Muslims to be legally declared non-Muslims. What are described as off-shoots and allies of the…
Harassment Case: Gomal University Political Science Professor Fired
Dr Muhammad Zubair, former Chairman of Department of Political Science, Gomal University, has been fired after harassment allegations against him were proven right. A few weeks ago, an MPhil student of the Department of Political Science accused Prof Zubair of sexual harassment. In an open letter to Vice-Chancellor, she alleged that Prof Zubair compelled her…
Never-ending Violence Against Women in Pakistan
By Usama Malick It is heart-rending to see the newspapers these days emblazoned with the headlines describing the reprehensible & barbaric gang-rape of a woman who was on her way from Lahore to Gujranwala. There is no denying the fact that the landscape of Pakistan has always been unsafe for the women…
It is not safe to be anything in Pakistan right now!
Shireen Rizvi Within just two week span we witnessed some horrific realities were seen the in form of violence and hatred. A woman got raped in front of her children on Lahore to Gujranwala motorway. This news spread like a fire across nation, not because it was an isolated or unique incident , but because…
Religious bigotry in India and Pakistan
Chandan Kumar Divided subcontinent attained independence from the British colonial regime on the eve of 15th August 1947. Several ideological differences led to the creation of two new countries with similar history of resistance against oppression and repression of dissent. Today, after seventy-three years of independence, the question arises that where do the two nations…
