PAKISTAN: UNRESOLVED ISSUES OF STATE AND SOCIETY - EDITED BY SYED FAROOQ HASNAT AND AHMAD FARUQUI

Democracy Rules! Pakistan Blocks/Bans YouTube

There's an old (from our youth :p) Bollywood song that goes "Main ro'oon ya hansoon; karoon mai kyaa karoon?!" or "Should I cry or laugh; To do, what do I do?"

Users subscribing to the Internet though the PTCL (Pakistan Telecom Corporation Limited, the semi- or formerly-government-owned corporation), in particular, have been getting the following message today if they tried to access YouTube:


--------------
Dear Internet Users

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (www.pta.gov.pk)has directed all ISPs of the country to block access
to www.youtube.com web site for containing blasphemous web content/movies.

The site would remain blocked till further orders from PTA. Meanwhile, Internet users can write to
youtube.com to remove the objectionable web content/movies because this removal would enable
the authorities to order un-blocking of this web site.

Best Regards

Manager
Technical Assistance Center
Micronet Broadband Pvt. Ltd.
Islamabad
-------------


For background, see:
http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/02/22/youtube-blocked-in-pakistan/
http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/02/22/vote-rigging-videos-in-karachi-could-this-be-why-youtube-is-blocked/
http://www.kidvai.com/windmills/2008/02/last-laugh.html

RIGGING OF ELECTIONS IN PAKISTAN -PART 2

VOA RADIO
DECEMBER 03, 2007

DR. SYED FAROOQ HASNAT

RIGGING OF ELECTIONS IN PAKISTAN -PART 1

VOA RADIO
DECEMBER 03, 2007

DR. SYED FAROOQ HASNAT

Into the marketplace with bejewelled limbs we go...

... so said Faiz Ahmed Faiz, probably the most popular poet of revolution in the latter half of the 20th century in South Asia; Pakistan, India, and particularly on the Left.

South Asia has a very rich tradition of poetry, one which draws on both the spiritual tradition that gave the world Rumi and Khayyam, and the revolutionary spirit of the last century or two. And because of the Sufi tradition it is steeped in, allegory, depth of meaning, and multi-faceted verbiage is the norm, rather than the exception. The words "Aaj bazaar main pa-bajaolaan chalo..." are probably some of the most recognized word. The "jewels" being described are, for the uninitiated, the ball and chain of oppression. Here's the poet himself reciting the poem, with English sub-titles, followed by one of the best renditions of the poem with music, in this case with an overlay of dramatic video:


[You can read the piece by Dr. Adil Najam, where I first found this video, here.]

But wait, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has sent out a poster that puts these words above a poster that just needs to be seen to be believed. You couldn't, as we say, make this stuff up:

Please check in regularly at WikiPakistan's Emergency 2007 pages:

http://pakistan.wikia.com/wiki/Emergency_2007

for updates. And contribute what input you can, participate in whichever way you can.

[My previous post on the issue, introducing the Emergency 2007 wiki pages, by the way, is here.]

Technorati tags applicable to this post: Pakistan - Emergency - Crisis PK

AMERICA BULLIES IRAN THROUGH SANCTIONS - OCT 26, 2007

POSTED BY: DR FAROOQ HASNAT
MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE
WASHINGTON, D.C.

MOST BRUTAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN PAKISTAN’S HISTORY

POSTED BY:

DR. SYED FAROOQ HASNAT
MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE
WASHINGTON, D.C.

CHIEF JUSTICE CONQUERS CENTRAL AND SOUTH PUNJAB -FAROOQ HASNAT

Living up to his tradition the Chief Justice of Pakistan received mammoth receptions when he visited the Central/South cities of the Punjab. His message for the supremacy of Law and the Constitution was widely applauded by huge masses that had gathered throughout his route of travel.

Are we not in a middle of a “revolution” of a unique magnitude?