Baithak Desi Jul 2: KSE Woes, Tehelka Meet, Ghalib's Persian Legacy, News & Views, Cartoons

The measures taken by the SECP have not been analysed in the news media in the right perspective. The news media has focused more on the glamour of the "record" than the propriety of the measures underlying it. Most of the commentators invited in the electronic media to discuss stock-market issues are owners of brokerage houses, employees of brokerage houses, or employees of companies associated with brokerage houses. There are very few independents that have the expertise and the courage to analyse stock market issues from the point of view of public interest. It's about time that mainstream media anchors also pick up issues in financial markets because these issues have a bearing on public welfare and are inevitably linked to the mainstream governance issues. In sum, the record that the KSE-100 has made on June 24 is not a record to be proud of. This market may have very little ability to make an economic contribution, but it has all the potential to create a financial crisis. Dr Adeel Malik and Usman Hayato on KSE woes


On both sides, Indian and Pakistani, there seemed little to counter the view that India’s view of Pakistan is desperately partial and one-sided, while the same is not so of Pakistan’s view of India. ‘Ask any Indian to name three terrorist groups based out of Pakistan and they’ll do it; ask them to name three artists or writers from Pakistan and you’ll get a blank look’ as someone summed it up. Kamila Shahmsie [She should have raised the issue of why Pakistani channels are inaccessible all over India even today- t]


The writings on Ghalib which have come to be known as Ghalibiyat are enormous. At the end of every year, we come across a large number of research articles and critical essays added to the ever-swelling stock of Ghalibiyat. And yet important parts of Ghalib’s writings seem to have failed to attract the attention of Ghalib specialists. To be precise, it is only the Urdu works of Ghalib which have generally remained the focus of attention. And in here lies the irony — Ghalib attached more importance to what he had produced in Persian, and that was what he expected from his readers. In fact, obsessed with his Ajami lineage, he was keen to be known in the first place as the inheritor of his Ajami legacy. He appears to have been very much in awe of the Persian poetic tradition and held the great masters of Persian poetry in high esteem. He yearned to be ranked amongst them.Ghalib’s Persian legacy - Intezar Hussain


News & Views


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Taliban threat - Hali
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In Urdu Manno Bhai on NCHD